10 Greatest UK No.1 Singles Of The 1990s
8. The Verve - The Drugs Don't Work
The Verve exploded into the public sphere with their 1997 release Urban Hymms, which sold over 3 million copies.
It also spawned the band's best known track - "Bitter Sweet Symphony".
The song went onto be nominated for a haul of awards and reached the number two spot in the UK charts, being held off by "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans. It was also the case of a plagiarism lawsuit from The Rolling Stones, but that's a different story.
However, whilst this track only made it to number two, its follow-up went one better.
"The Drugs Don't Work" is a slow, sombre acoustic ballad telling the story of a self-aware drug addict who knows that his substance use doesn't bring him happiness, but continues to poison himself regardless.
The song's sad tone struck a chord with the nation as it was released just one day after the death of Princess Diana. It shot right to the top spot in the charts and was voted the 7th best Number One single of all time in a 2001 poll by Channel 4.
Whilst their Symphony might be better know, The Verve's greatest triumph - in terms of both popular success and critical acclaim - was definitely this.