Lucky Man

"Lucky Man" is a song by English rock band the Verve. It was written by singer Richard Ashcroft. The song was released as the third single from the band's third studio album, Urban Hymns (1997). It was released on 24 November 1997, charting at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. The song was the band's second top-20 hit on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in the United States, climbing to number 16. In Canada, "Lucky Man" peaked at number 25 on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. It also reached the top 40 in Finland, Iceland, Ireland, and New Zealand. Background In an interview on BBC Radio 2, singer Richard Ashcroft said the song was "inspired by my relationship with my wife, and that sense of when you're beyond the sort of peacock dance that you have early on in a relationship. And you're getting down to the raw nature of yourselves." Release "Lucky Man" was released in the United Kingdom on 24 November 1997 across four formats: two CD singles, a 7-inch vinyl single, and a cassette single. An earlier single from the band, "History", is included as a B-side on CD1 of the UK release. The final B-side on CD2, "Happiness More or Less", is a remix of the title track made by guitarist Nick McCabe after another B-side was needed for the release. All of the guitar and most of the vocal parts were taken out, leaving the drums, bass and strings. Another B-side on CD2, "MSG", is an alternate version of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" that features the percussion and bass line from that song, with psychedelic soundscapes added. On 2 March 1998, the same day that follow-up single "Sonnet" was released, a 12-inch vinyl single of "Lucky Man" was also issued. In the United States, the song was serviced to alternative radio on 7 April 1998. Reception U2's Bono listed the song as one of six songs released between 1986–2006 that he wished he'd written.