Tune of the Day - "I wander lonely streets..."

Released as a single just after their sudden first break up, The Verve's "History" marked a bold new direction for the Wigan band. The song was a departure from the heavy psychedelic and shoegaze style that was prominent on their debut album "A Storm in Heaven". The song is nothing short of an epic and the orchestral strings and acoustic guitars would later provide inspiration for two of the nineties better known songs – "Bitter Sweet Symphony" and "Wonderwall". The song builds gradually and culminates with Richard Ashcroft's vocals bearing more and more desperation.

"History" is alleged to have been written about Ashcroft's break up with a long term girlfriend, though the vocalist has denied this. Whatever the song is about it is very easy to relate to and remains one of the (lesser known) masterpieces of the Britpop era.

A bit of trivia / useless informaton for you as well – the clapping heard in the songs is provided by Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher.

The song can be found on the Verve's second album "A Northern Soul" (1995).