"Sour Times" is a song by English trip hop

Trip hop

Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...

 group Portishead, released as their second-ever single in August 1994. Written by all three members of the band, "Sour Times" features on Portishead's debut album Dummy

Dummy (album)

Dummy is the debut album of the Bristol-based group Portishead. Released in October 22, 1994 on Go! Discs, the album earned critical acclaim, winning the 1995 Mercury Music Prize. It is often credited with popularizing the trip-hop genre and is frequently cited in lists of the best albums of the...

(1994). The song uses a sample from Argentine composer Lalo Schifrin

Lalo Schifrin

Lalo Schifrin is an Argentine composer, pianist and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations...

's "Danube Incident", and was itself sampled in the 2004 single "Teardrops

Teardrops (The 411 song)

"Teardrops" is the third single from British R&B group The 411. The song is built around a sample of Portishead's "Sour Times", itself a sample of Lalo Schifrin's "Danube Incident"....

" by The 411

The 411

The 411 were a four-piece English female R&B group formed late in 2003. The band formed after a couple of the members sang backup vocals on Lemar's version of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together". The band took its name after the Mary J...

.

The original 1994 release initially reached only number 57 in the UK, but after the success of "Glory Box

Glory Box

"Glory Box" is a single by Portishead, released in 1995. The title song samples "Ike's Rap II" by Isaac Hayes. The music video features lead singer Beth Gibbons dressed as a man....

" in 1995, it was re-released and peaked at number 13 on the UK singles chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 in April. It is also the band's only song to date to appear on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 chart, at number 53. The "Sour Times" music video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 is made of footage from Portishead's short film To Kill a Dead Man

To Kill a Dead Man

To Kill a Dead Man is a short film made in 1994 by the trip hop group Portishead. The film is a spy movie which revolves around an assassination and what happens afterwards....

.

"Sour Times" was covered by Bryn Christopher

Bryn Christopher

Bryn Christopher is a British singer-songwriter.- Influences :Bryn cites his influences as greats such as Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Nina Simone and Stevie Wonder.- Early years :...

 on his album My World

My World (Bryn Christopher album)

My World is the debut studio album released by Bryn Christopher. It was released in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2008. The first single 'The Quest' was released on June 8, 2008 and peaked at #45. The second single was released on September 2008. It was called 'Smilin' '; it peaked at #31. ...

. The Blank Theory

The Blank Theory

The Blank Theory was a five-piece rock group from Chicago, Illinois.They self-released two albums, Blinding Process in 1998 and Catalyst in 2000. Catalyst included the track "Nevermind" which was featured in a segment of MTV Road Rules. While the first two independent releases were hard edged indie...

 also covered "Sour Times" on their Beyond the Calm of the Corridor

Beyond the Calm of the Corridor

Beyond the Calm of the Corridor was the only album The Blank Theory released on New Line Records. It featured 13 tracks in total. Producer Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne and Ivy fame, Co-Producer James Iha , contributed his guitar works on "Killing Me"...

release, which was featured in the trailer for Wicker Park

Wicker Park (film)

Wicker Park is a 2004 American psychological drama/romantic mystery film directed by Paul McGuigan and starring Josh Hartnett. The film is a remake of the 1996 French movie L'Appartement...

. Most recently, "Sour Times" was covered by Marsha Ambrosius

Marsha Ambrosius

Marsha Ambrosius or Marsha is an English singer/songwriter. A former member of the English Soul/R&B duo Floetry, she released her first solo album Late Nights & Early Mornings on March 1, 2011.-Early career with Floetry:...

 on her debut solo album Late Nights & Early Mornings

Late Nights & Early Mornings

Late Nights & Early Mornings is the debut studio album by English recording artist and previous Floetry member Marsha Ambrosius. It was released by J Records on March 1, 2011. This was Ambrosius' only album with J Records...

.

Track listing

British CD (1 of 2)

1. "Sour Times"
2. "It's a Fire"
3. "Pedestal"
4. "Theme from 'To Kill a Dead Man'"

British CD (2 of 2)

1. "Sour Times" (edit)
2. "Sour Sour Times"
3. "Lot More"
4. "Sheared Times"
5. "Airbus Reconstruction"

British CD (Re-release)

1. "Sour Times" (edit)
2. "Sour Sour Times"
3. "Pedestal"
4. "Theme from 'To Kill a Dead Man'"

American CD

1. "Sour Times" – 4:14
2. "Numbed in Moscow" – 3:55
3. "A Tribute to Monk & Canatella
   Monk & Canatella
   Monk & Canatella is an indie/breakbeat musical group from Bristol, England, formed by Simon Russell and Jim Johnston in the mid-nineties. Their 1996 album on Cup Of Tea Records, Care in the Community, is a prime example of the trip-hop sound....
   
   " – 10:59
4. "Lot More" – 4:21
5. "Theme from 'To Kill a Dead Man'" – 4:25
6. "Airbus Reconstruction" – 5:08