Urban Hymns

From this album emerged songs that resonated strongly. "Bitter Sweet Symphony", the first single released in June 1997, generated debate over its authorship credits due to a sample, but its subsequent use in a Nike advertisement helped give the album visibility. It was followed by "The Drugs Don't Work" in September 1997, which reached number one in the UK, and "Lucky Man" in November 1997. The album was presented live to 40,000 people at Haigh Hall in Wigan in May 1998, and "The Rolling People" was released as the last single, for US radio only, in June 1998. The music of Urban Hymns, with its complex and immersive sonic textures, moved between melancholic ballads like "Sonnet" and "Space and Time", more ethereal passages like "Catching the Butterfly" and "The Rolling People", and powerful tracks like "Come On", which closes the album.

Urban Hymns was very well received by critics, highlighting Ashcroft's role and the overall quality of the compositions. Some critics viewed it in the context of Britpop, while others analyzed the fusion of its more recent sound with the previous one, and McCabe's contribution. The album reached number one in Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, and the UK, and charted in the top ten in Australia, Austria, Finland, France, Italy, Norway, and Portugal. It sold 250,000 copies in its first week in the UK, becoming one of the fastest-selling albums and earning multiple platinum certifications. In 1998, The Verve won the Brit Award for Best Album for Urban Hymns, and Youth and Potter for Best Producer. The album appeared on year-end best-of lists from publications like Melody Maker and NME, and was included in the book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".