Sour Times

"Sour Times" is a song by English trip hop group Portishead, released as their second single in August 1994. Written by all three members of the band, "Sour Times" features on Portishead's debut album Dummy (1994).

The original 1994 release initially reached only number 57 in the UK, but after the success of "Glory Box" in 1995, it was re-released and peaked at number 13 on the UK singles chart in April. It is also the band's only song to date to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, at number 53. "Sour Times" was the band's first entry on the Australian ARIA top 100 singles chart, peaking at number 66 in March 1995.

The B-side track "Airbus Reconstruction" was actually recorded by the band Airbus who were former school friends of Geoff Barrow.

Music video

The "Sour Times" music video is made of footage from Portishead's short film To Kill a Dead Man.

Cover Versions and Uses

"Sour Times" was covered by Bryn Christopher on his album My World. The Blank Theory also covered "Sour Times" on their Beyond the Calm of the Corridor release, which was featured in the trailer for Wicker Park. More recently, "Sour Times" was covered by Marsha Ambrosius on her debut solo album Late Nights & Early Mornings. The Civil Wars performed the song on their four-song EP of covers titled Between the Bars, which was released in 2013. "Sour Times" was also used as the theme music to the ITV drama series The Vice.