Heartbreakingly beautiful

This is promoting The Verve's b-side, "Never Wanna See You Cry," on the Lucky Man #1 import single.

The Verve
Luck Man #1 (EMI Int'l, 1998)
Key tracks: Never Wanna See You Cry
10/10

Amazon
Is this single worth buying for one new song? Yes it is, "Never Wanna See You Cry" is of the b-sides I've heard of The Verve, thier best. The lyrics are similar to "The Drugs Don't Work" and the music has the classic string arrangment sound that The Verve established on "Urban Hymns". I don't think I need to discuss, "Lucky Man" and "History". If you haven't heard them then you need to catch up. This single could be the best proof of The Verve's brilliance.
-Damon Navas-Howard

It took me many many moons to track this song down after hearing it on MTV Biorhythms on Steven Tyler. Many calls to CD stores and radio stations turned up nothing, leading me to believe that this song is not nearly as well known as it should be. The DJ that finally figured it out for me summed it up perfectly when she stated that if I didn't own this CD, it would be a "big mistake".
-A music fan

Verve singles
Lucky Man (part 1) A+
"Never Wanna See You Cry" is the only real b-side here, and it is astounding. I'm glad it only was a b-side, so real fans can hear it, and noone else. If you aren't a real fan, you don't deserve to hear this brilliant song.

Amazon
This album (This Is Music: The Singles 92-98) is suppose to include some b-sides and to my surprise "Never wanna see you cry" is not included, which in my opinion is probably the best B-side the Verve ever made.
-Francisco J. Zamarripa

Zig Zagging Through Life
Never Wanna See You Cry is likely The Verve's most naked confessional. It opens with some rather eerie, lonely, and haunting strings with gentle acoustic chords building in afterward. It is then followed by singer Richard Ashcroft's stark despair on, "I don't like the way that you say you've been fine when you look so down/I don't like the way that the pills you take they just keep you down." Then the tempo increases with the bands not often enough credited rhythm on bass and drums, becoming more prominent on Richard's "Shiny little mind/trying to find my way in life/ between the broken hearts/well listen maybe you're ready to start." Richard's familiar vocal overlays from Urban Hymns are accompanied by lush-yet-edgy orchestral strings which will sweep you off your feet. There's a foreboding sense of urgency in Richard's tone to change the relationships past while at the same time he's as caressing and cuddling as the most comfortable cashmiere sweater. In a sense NWSYC is yet again another example of The Verve's genius of being able to express contrasting emotions with such balance: The torn pain and love in a relationship; loneliness with togetherness; the feeling of being helpless with the secure memory of the time the two of you locked eyes for the first time. The Verve just do it with more passion than their peers.

The outro brings the song to its pinnacle with Richard's tender, controlled force of "I never wanna see you cry/I never wanna see you die" while his beg & pleaing counterpart of "Oh no..." repeated brings the end to a fade. The beauty and pain of it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Where John Denver's "Annie's Song" and Savage Garden's "Truly, Madly, Deeply" sit amongst couples' wedding soundtracks, NWSYC deserves a rightful place amongst heartbreakers soundtracks of our lives. Yet through it all the song is a guiding light of hope in a riddled relationship. It has the stuff for guys to swoon girls with--and will because of its immediacy. People, specifically couples, should seek this song because it's meant to change lives. It's meant for intimate moments of healing and eloping. To remind troubled relationships why their together in the first place: love. All the more devastating and spookifying coming from a Verve fan who only discovered a song that was produced eight years ago.
-GI Dry