Sour Times

Who it's for

Portishead's biggest US hit from Dummy is a moody trip-hop song about loving someone who won't return it.

Feelings it meets

• Unrequited Love
• Rejection
• Loneliness

What it is

"Sour Times" is a song by the English trip-hop group Portishead from their 1994 debut album Dummy, and was the album's second single. It is a moody, haunting track built around a sped-up sample of Lalo Schifrin's "Danube Incident," with Beth Gibbons's vocals and a theremin. Its video uses footage from the band's short film To Kill a Dead Man.

Where to find it

All major streaming services.

Before you start

Age: All ages

'Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all.Alfred, Lord Tennyson, In Memoriam A.H.H., canto 27