In 2014, NME ranked it at number 312 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

Instead, an official compilation of clips from the Verve's previous music videos was created by Richard Ashcroft.

[3] This was the first song by the band to feature strings (a formula that would later be used for several Urban Hymns singles).

The opening lyrics of the song are based on the first two stanzas of William Blake's poem, London.

The song is quite melancholic, with Melody Maker describing it as "an epic, windswept symphony of strings, flailing vocals and staggeringly bitter sentiments".