Richard Ashcroft: The Chemicals Do Work
Author: Jonty Adderley
Friday, March 29, 2002
6 years after gaining global superstardom via Bittersweet Symphony and The Drugs Don't Work, Verve mainman Richard Ashcroft says he's only just come back from the madness that accompanied his success.
"I think I've only just resurfaced after Urban Hymns, both physically and mentally," says Richard. "I wasn't back on Alone With Everybody, I was still treading water but now I actually feel like I can function properly again."
The first fruit of his return to normality is The Test, a sweeping vocally euphoric anthem that's the standout track on the Chemical Brothers latest album Come With Me. Taking time out from working on his own upcoming album, Richard hooked up with Skrufff's Jonty Adderley recently, to discuss the track and life beyond pop stardom.
Skrufff: You've only ever done one collaboration before (DJ Shadow's UNKLE project) was it an easy decision teaming up with the Chemical Brothers-
Richard Ashcroft: "I've always had a keen interest in the Chemical Brothers, purely because I think they're coming from the same cultural kind of backdrop. They've gone on a different track though I think we're all trying to reach the same place, where the music can physically and mentally move people. It was an easy decision to make, they sent me a couple of tracks and I decided which one I could do the business on, which was The Test."
Skrufff: Did you have a clear idea of what you were going to do with the song-
Richard Ashcroft: "I used the same approach as I did with the UNKLE track, where I didn't write anything down, instead I listened to the track, got some initial melody ideas then really put myself on the spot and made myself perform on the day. I didn't arrive at the Chemical Brothers studio with bits of paper with lyrics written on, instead I just had a very vague loose idea and just did it."
Q: With The Test's lyrics were you literally just letting yourself go-
Richard Ashcroft: "I let myself go but with my lyrics there's always a twist and that comes at the end of the track this time. The track's not only about passing the test of your 20s and 30s, or passing the drug culture test, or whatever the test is, it was also about passing the Chemical Brothers' test. I was singing to the Chemical Brothers through the glass screen; "Did I pass the acid test-" I needed to get into that kind of mindset because it's a very strange thing to do, going along to a studio and singing on someone else's music that's going to end up on their album."
Skrufff: Are the song ideas ones that you've already been playing around with before-
Richard Ashcroft: "Yeah, these are themes that I've been working on since the moment I started writing seriously which was probably around the second (Verve) album "A Northern Soul." Lyrically, they're the kind of subjects I've been talking about for the last six or seven years and generally my themes are the same; the search for peace, the search for love, confusion, the whole gamut (range). That's what I talk about and that's what I probably always will do- it's a personal search and that always comes back into the music.
I think the difference between the Chemicals and someone like me is that I can bring a lyrical backdrop and add a few key words that can throw their music into a fresh light. There was something about The Test from the moment I first heard it where lyrically it felt like a movie. You see the beginning of the film where the character is already at home, but then you have to go through the journey of the rest of the song to get back there."
Skrufff: Did you dig out your old Chemicals albums before going to the< Tags