Open your copy of the English Rock Star Handbook and look up "40th birthday" — it's in the index between "football-team purchase" and "fucking models." As you'll see, every English rock star is required to celebrate this milestone with an overblown album about God, humanity and the cosmos. Richard Ashcroft — the Verve stud who sang "Bitter Sweet Symphony" — rises to the looming occasion with goop-gospel ballads like "Are You Ready?," where he yearns to take "the whole damn human race" in a "love embrace." He also ponders religion ("Beatitudes"), the ladies ("She Brings Me the Music") and old Prince songs ("This Thing Called Life").

Listen to "Are You Ready?":

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“Youth Knows No Pain”

“Like on 'Youth Knows No Pain' — we are the ones that should demonstrate, because we can take it,” Likke Li said. “We can pierce ourselves, take Ecstasy, dance all night and still go to work at our McDonald's jobs.” Despite the hedonistic sentiment in the song, the Swedish singer also admitted in hindsight her youth had repercussions. “I remember when I was 18-19 and feeling that I know it all,” Li said. “I always feel that I know it all. But that song is about realizing you don’t, and reflecting, ‘Boy, if I only knew what would follow.’”