A Song for the Lovers explained

A Song for the Lovers
Cover:	A Song for the Lovers.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Richard Ashcroft
Album:	Alone with Everybody
B-Side:	"(Could Be) A Country Thing, City Thing, Blues Thing", "Precious Stone"
Studio:	Olympic, Metropolis (London, England)
Length:	5:39
Label:	Hut, Virgin
Producer:	Chris Potter, Richard Ashcroft
Next Title:	Money to Burn
Next Year:	2000

"A Song for the Lovers" is a song by English singer-songwriter Richard Ashcroft, included as the opening track on his 2000 album, Alone with Everybody, as well as his first solo single following the break-up of the Verve. The song was released on 3 April 2000 as the first single from the album in the United Kingdom and Australia. "A Song for the Lovers" was originally written by Richard Ashcroft as a demo track for the Verve's studio album Urban Hymns; three different versions were recorded, but the song did not make the final cut. It was inspired by Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart".^[1]

The single peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, a position that would be matched by Ashcroft's 2006 single "Break the Night with Colour". Outside the UK, the song became a moderate hit in Europe and Oceania, peaking at number nine in Italy, number 11 in Ireland, number 42 in New Zealand, and number 59 in Australia. The single also sold well in Canada, peaking at number six on the Canadian Singles Chart.

Music video

The music video for "A Song for the Lovers" premiered in May 2000 and was directed by Jonathan Glazer. The video is of narrative style. It is shot in real-time with an element of diegetic sound unusual in most music videos. Diegetic sound was used previously by Glazer for "Rabbit in Your Headlights".

Track listings

• UK CD, 12-inch, and cassette single^{[2] [3] [4]}

Canadian, Australian, and Japanese CD single^{[5] [6] [7]}

1. "A Song for the Lovers" (album version)
2. "(Could Be) A Country Thing, City Thing, Blues Thing"
3. "Precious Stone"

• European CD single^[8]

1. "A Song for the Lovers" (album version)
2. "(Could Be) A Country Thing, City Thing, Blues Thing"

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the Alone with Everybody album booklet.^[9]

Studios

• Recorded and mixed at Olympic and Metropolis Studios (London, England)
• Mastered at Metropolis Mastering (London, England)

Personnel

• Richard Ashcroft – writing, vocals, guitars, keyboards, percussion, production
• Pino Palladino – bass
• Chuck Leavell – piano
• Peter Salisbury – drums
• Steve Sidelnyk – percussion, programming
• Teena Lyle – vibes
• Duncan Mackay – trumpet
• Lucinda Barry – harp
• The London Session Orchestra – strings
• Gavyn Wright – concertmaster
• Wil Malone – string arrangement and conducting
• Chris Potter – production, mixing
• Tony Cousins – mastering

Charts

Chart (2000)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[10]	59
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)^[11]	6
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[12]	17

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)
Australia	3 April 2000	CD		^[13]
United Kingdom				^[14] ^[15]
Japan	12 April 2000	CD		^[16]
New Zealand	8 May 2000			^[17]
United States	6 June 2000			^[18]

External links

• Watch the video on IFILM
• Video entry on mvdbase.com
• Article about the video on MTV.com

Notes and References

1. Web site: Richard Ashcroft Draws Inspiration from Joy Division. https://web.archive.org/web/20190819151149/http://www.mtv.com/news/1425026/richard-ashcroft-draws-inspiration-from-joy-division/. dead. 19 August 2019. MTV.
2. A Song for the Lovers. Richard Ashcroft. 2000. UK CD single liner notes. Hut Records, Virgin Records. HUTCD128.
3. A Song for the Lovers. Richard Ashcroft. 2000. UK 12-inch single sleeve. Hut Records, Virgin Records. HUTT128.
4. A Song for the Lovers. Richard Ashcroft. 2000. UK cassette single sleeve. Hut Records, Virgin Records. HUTC128.
5. A Song for the Lovers. Richard Ashcroft. 2000. Canadian CD single liner notes. Hut Records, Virgin Records. 7243 8 96635 2 5.
6. A Song for the Lovers. Richard Ashcroft. 2000. Australian CD single liner notes. Hut Records, Virgin Records. HUTCDF128, 7243 8 96710 2 5.
7. A Song for the Lovers. Richard Ashcroft. 2000. Japanese CD single liner notes. Hut Records, Virgin Records. VJCP-12132.
8. A Song for the Lovers. Richard Ashcroft. 2000. European CD single liner notes. Hut Records, Virgin Records. HUTCDE128.
9. Alone with Everybody. Alone with Everybody. Richard Ashcroft. 2000. UK CD album booklet. Hut Records, Virgin Records. CDHUT63, 7243 8 49494 2 6.
10. Book: Ryan, Gavin. Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. 2011. Moonlight Publishing. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia. pdf. 19.
11. Richard Ashcroft Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs). Billboard. 12 September 2019.
12. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 17. 17. 18. 22 April 2000. 7 October 2020.
13. Web site: Richard Ashcroft. EMI Music Australia. https://web.archive.org/web/20000708131540/http://www.emimusic.com.au/artists.asp?id=296. 8 July 2000. 3 August 2023.
14. Web site: Why Richard Ashcroft owes Song for the Lovers to Joy Division. Radio X. 3 April 2021. 27 May 2021.
15. New Releases – For Week Starting April 3, 2000: Singles. Music Week. 27. 1 April 2000. 2 August 2021.
16. Web site: ソング・フォー・ザ・ラバーズ リチャード・アシュクロフト. Song for the Lovers Richard Ashcroft. Oricon. ja. 10 October 2023.
17. Web site: New Releases. netcd.co.nz. 8 May 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000510215536/http://netcd.co.nz/NewReleases.html. 10 May 2000. 8 November 2023.
18. Going for Adds. Radio & Records. 1353. 99, 104, 114. 2 June 2000. 27 May 2021.