Despite multiple lawsuits, recurring problems with narcotics and a major band breakup, the English rock group Verve (which later became ‘The' Verve) still managed to maneuver a highly successful musical career amid a full schedule of extracurricular activities in the 1990s. The Verve is most famous for their 1997 hit song "Bittersweet Symphony,""All in the Mind" in 1992. Their debut LP A Storm in Heaven was released in 1993, and although the band started to emerge in Britain's indie genre, the world of pop radio was still less than amused. Verve got another chance with fame by performing at Lollapalooza, but the tour also brought a tornado of misfortune to the group. With the tour at Lollapalooza taking center stage, two band members were suddenly missing (one arrested and one hospitalized), Verve got sued for using another band's name, and the group's next album A Northern Soul was a flop, forcing the quartet to reevaluate their musical standing.

In 1997 the Verve finally got its act together, adding guitarist/keyboardist Simon Tong to the mix and releasing the breakthrough LP Urban Hymns. The album contained the smash singles "Bittersweet Symphony" and "The Drugs Don't Work," which put the Verve's name onto the music scene but still did not solidify the band's place in the spotlight. McCabe unexpectedly left the group in the middle of their 1998 U.S. tour, and the Verve officially went under the next year.