Blur, initially celebrated for their quintessentially British pop, underwent a significant stylistic shift in the mid-1990s, releasing a grunge-influenced track that became a global phenomenon. This transformation, marked by the release of "Song 2," represented a deliberate departure from their Britpop roots and a commentary on the American music scene.

The Rise of Britpop and Blur's British Identity

By mid-1995, Blur was poised to become one of Britain's most significant indie bands since The Smiths. Their 1993 album, Modern Life Is Rubbish, alongside Suede's work, established the foundations of Britpop. This album was a direct reaction to a "tedious" 1992 US tour, during which Blur experienced homesickness and felt overwhelmed by American grunge music. Damon Albarn, Blur's frontman, criticized the prevailing American music scene, stating, "The last three or four years of American music has come from Prozac culture. If you tell a whole nation it's dysfunctional, it becomes dysfunctional — tell someone they're depressed often enough, and they are. But really, the idea of wallowing in self-pity is ridiculous; that's something you do when you're 8 years old."

Rejecting the Seattle sound, Modern Life Is Rubbish featured songs with distinctly British themes and influences, drawing from artists like XTC, Madness, and The Kinks. While it initially underperformed compared to their debut Leisure, it laid the groundwork for the commercial success of Parklife, released eleven months later. The lead single, "Girls and Boys," became their biggest hit to date, reaching number five on the charts, a significant achievement for an indie band at the time.

Lyrically, Albarn focused on observational narratives of everyday British life, portraying characters such as the bored civil servant in "Tracy Jacks," the affluent car enthusiast in "London Loves," and the teenage layabout in "Jubilee." Although only a few tracks on Parklife fully embraced this character-driven format, it became a defining characteristic for journalists and critics. Albarn often deflected personal questions in interviews, discussing football and lager instead. Some critics accused him of "cosplaying as working class" due to his artist parents, a sentiment echoed by critics who viewed this as "patronising social voyeurism."

Parklife achieved Platinum status in the UK, and by mid-1995, the success of Blur and other British indie bands, amplified by music publications like NME and Melody Maker, propelled guitar-based indie music into the mainstream.

The Britpop Rivalry and Internal Strife

Lumped into the Britpop movement was the Manchester band Oasis, known for their Beatles-esque melodies, Sex Pistols-inspired guitars, and anthemic singalongs. Initially, there was mutual admiration; Albarn praised Oasis when Blur won the BRIT Award for Best British Band in February 1995, and Noel Gallagher acknowledged "Girls and Boys" as a "great fucking pop single."

However, Albarn's competitive nature soon came to the fore. When Oasis planned to release "Roll With It" a week before Blur's lead single from The Great Escape, Albarn strategically moved Blur's release date to compete for the number one spot. This decision, driven by a desire for chart dominance rather than artistic merit, is seen by some as a catalyst for Britpop's eventual decline.

In August 1995, Blur's "Country House" and Oasis' "Roll With It" were released. While Blur won the media-dubbed "Battle of Britpop," internal tensions within the band were escalating. Guitarist Graham Coxon reportedly detested "Country House," its sound, and its Damien Hirst-directed music video, stating, "I hated it. Videos in general I feel completely awful about... but I regret 'Country House' as a single... I like the song but the association with it has become something else. It becomes Page Three and Benny Hill and I don't think I had the sense to complain about it – which is my fault. I didn't realise what dirty minds Keith Allen and Damien Hirst had."

Coxon was also musically diverging from the band, exploring US alternative groups like Sonic Youth, Pavement, and Fugazi. He grew increasingly antagonistic towards bassist Alex James' lifestyle, expressing, "I hate a lot of the things Alex stands for. I don't want people to think it's what this band is about. All that Groucho Club bollocks and him going on about 'birds' and boozing all the time. I hate that."

The night "Country House" reached number one, Coxon, reportedly unhappy with the band's direction, attempted to jump from a sixth-story window at Soho House, but Albarn intervened. Coxon's struggles with fame and alcohol led to increased drinking and physical altercations with bandmates. He admitted, "I think I was hideous to be around, actually. I was horrible, if you think about it. I was probably the worst to get on in a situation like that, a claustrophobic situation. I'm not good at making people feel at ease. Everyone I cared about was upset all the time. They said I was just not very nice."

Albarn also felt immense pressure. The success of Parklife made him a public figure, his relationship with Justine Frischmann of Elastica was tabloid fodder, and he began experiencing panic attacks. His song about wanting to escape the fame rollercoaster, "Country House," became their first number one, exacerbating his distress. Albarn described the song as being about panic attacks, inspired by Kurt Cobain's death, but mutated into a "jolly, up-tempo comedy record."

Despite references to David Balfe, the ex-owner of their label Food, leaving London for a mansion, the chart victory over Oasis intensified Albarn's struggles. The Great Escape, released shortly after, was overshadowed by Oasis's massively successful album (What's The Story) Morning Glory. The album was rushed, recorded amidst ongoing promotion for Parklife and Albarn's personal difficulties. Albarn described the recording process as a "nightmare," and the album's characters became more contemptuous, reflecting a darker, more dysfunctional tone.

A Shift in Sound: The Self-Titled Album and "Song 2"

After releasing three albums in as many years, Blur took a year off. The band members were alienated: Albarn was overwhelmed by pressure, Coxon was drinking heavily and resented the band's direction and James, James's behavior was causing embarrassment, and drummer Dave Rowntree had married. A letter from Coxon to Albarn initiated the band's regrouping, expressing a desire to "start scaring people again" and "make a bloody row, and have fun."

Returning to producer Stephen Street, the band aimed to change their approach. Unlike previous albums where Albarn wrote songs before recording, much of the self-titled album was developed in the studio. Coxon took on a more prominent role, incorporating elements of noisy US alternative music with a lo-fi Pavement-esque production and louder, fuzzier guitars. The album featured a stronger "Graham Coxon flavour," including his solo credit on "You're So Great," a song about his struggles with alcohol. Coxon recorded his vocals hiding under a table with the lights off, fearing his voice leading a Blur track. The album concluded with "Essex Dogs," a noise-rock track that utilized sampler technology, foreshadowing their next album, 13. "Death of the Party," with its trip-hop sound, signaled the end of the Cool Britannia era.

To further distance themselves from the Britpop scene, Blur relocated recording sessions to Iceland, where Albarn completed his vocals. Free from tabloid scrutiny, Albarn began to incorporate more personal feelings into his lyrics, moving away from pseudonyms. He stated, "Because it was my first sojourn in coming clean about what I do in my private life, I didn’t really want to make it too explicit. It’s great fun imagining the dark recesses of your soul. You can get very caught up in it."

The first single, "Beetlebum," was seen as a tribute to The Beatles' White Album but carried elusive subject matter. Many interpreted it as being about Albarn's relationship with Frischmann and his curiosity about heroin use within the Elastica camp. Albarn later confirmed, "'Beetlebum' is about heroin, which I didn’t know when I recorded it."

Amidst the musical experimentation, "Look Inside America" offered a return to Blur's classic observational style, ironically focusing on the country they had previously sought to differentiate themselves from. The self-titled album signaled Blur's indifference to American reception, despite Oasis and Elastica having gained some traction there.

"Song 2": A Deliberate Parody

"Song 2" emerged as a stark contrast to Blur's established sound. Described as two minutes and two seconds of "primal bloody grunge pop," it was intentionally devoid of the lyrical depth and orchestration characteristic of the band. The title itself was a working title that was never changed. The song was created spontaneously: "Graham set up two kits, Dave and Graham started playing drums at the same time, this real 'aggro' beat. Then the chorus is two distorted basses and Damon's guide vocal. It was kind of a throwback. We'd always done brainless rocking out, though maybe it's not what we're known for."

"Song 2" can be seen as a throwback to their 1992 single "Popscene," which also featured a loud, horn-led sound and carpeted walls in its music video. However, "Popscene" failed to resonate with the British public at the time. While "Popscene" drew from The Jam and Dexys Midnight Runners, "Song 2" was a compact parody of the American grunge movement that had previously irritated them. Its heavy drums, whisper-to-a-roar structure, and indistinct lyrics were an "over-caffeinated retelling of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.'"

The original version of "Song 2" was a softly strummed lounge song with a wolf whistle. Coxon suggested increasing the tempo and volume, resulting in a cacophony where the whistle was lost and replaced by Albarn's euphoric "woo-hoo" guide vocal, which the band decided to keep for its universality. Touring keyboardist Diana Gutkind suggested that the song's sound was influenced by their support band, The Rentals, noting similarities to their track "Friends of P." Blur's performance of a Rentals song with Matt Sharp of The Rentals on French television further fueled this theory. Coxon, however, expressed frustration that the song did not reach the "disgraceful levels of noise" he desired with the available equipment.

"Song 2" was not intended as a statement of intent or a calculated crossover single. Andy Ross of Food Records initially had reservations about the album's commercial appeal. However, when presented to the Marketing Director of Parlophone as a joke, the abrasive track was surprisingly embraced as a potential single.

Commercial Success and the End of an Era

Following "Beetlebum," which became Blur's second UK number one, "Song 2" charted at number two in the UK, behind R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly." Its unexpected success in the US, where it was embraced for its grunge-like sound, was significant. While not their biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100, "Song 2" became a staple on Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock radio and was widely used in media, including the Starship Troopers trailer, FIFA 98, and sporting events. Albarn recounted an offer from the American army to use the song as theme music for Stealth bomber unveiling, which they declined despite the substantial financial offer. The self-titled album became Blur's best-selling record in the US, achieving Gold status.

However, critically, the album was overshadowed by Radiohead's OK Computer and The Verve's Urban Hymns. 1997 marked the decline of Britpop, with Oasis's Be Here Now failing to meet sales and critical expectations.

For their sixth album, 13 (1999), Blur collaborated with electronic artist William Orbit. The album was heavily influenced by the breakup of Albarn and Frischmann's relationship, with ballads like "Tender" and "No Distance Left to Run" reflecting the fallout. Coxon's "Coffee and TV" received MTV airplay but did not achieve the same level of success as "Song 2." Coxon's struggles with alcohol continued, leading to his departure from Blur during the recording of Think Tank. He stated, "I'm still not quite sure what happened and what the reasons were, though clearly I had let them down and had gone into the Priory rather than recording a new album, but it was something that I needed to do. It was unfortunate. It was like being on a motorway and wanting to pull over but no one letting you, and knowing that you were going to crash." Coxon only contributed to the closing track, "Battery in Your Leg," on the finished Think Tank album.

Blur ceased activity after their 2003 tour for Think Tank, with Coxon periodically rejoining the band from 2009 onwards. They have since released two more albums: The Magic Whip (2015) and The Ballad of Darren (2023).

Legacy and Influence

Blur's influence extends beyond their Britishness and observational lyrics, impacting bands like Coldplay, whose widescreen ballads echo Blur's "The Universal." Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance is a vocal fan, even covering "Song 2." While bands may hesitate to cover "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Song 2" remains a popular choice for artists seeking to inject energy into live sets. Blur themselves have embraced the song's power, performing it at festivals and stadiums worldwide.

In 1995, Albarn famously stated that Blur were "an off, left-handed pop band" and not a stadium band. However, in July 2023, they finally performed at Wembley Stadium, a venue fitting for both sporting events and their unique status as an "oddball pop group," with "Song 2" serving as the perfect anthem.