THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

21-Blur-Song 2.

1997-Number 2 single.

Best Bit-At 0.14. This is the 2nd track on the ‘Blur’ Album, it is also the 2nd track on their greatest hits collection. It got to Number 2 in the UK singles chart, and it plays for 2 minutes, spooky or what?….No, not really.

Blur (see also best songs 256) were formed in London, England, in 1988 by Damon Albarn, (vocals) Graham Coxon, (guitar) Alex James, (bass) and Dave Rountree (drums.) On forming they took the name ‘Seymour,’ from the 1959 book ”Seymour:’ An Introduction,’ by the American author J. D. Salinger, (1919-2010) but when signing for ‘Food Records’ in 1990, the label had insisted on a name change. ‘Food’ drew up a list of alternatives, from which the band chose ‘Blur.’ The group remained active until going on hiatus between 2004-2008, they have also been on hiatus since 2016, and remain so at the time of writing.

The discography of Blur includes eight studio Albums released between 1991-2015, of which the most recent six have made the Number 1 spot in the UK. They have also issued 34 singles between 1990-2015, with 26 of those songs reaching the UK top 40, and two of those tracks making Number 1, ‘Country House,’ (1995) and ‘Beetlebum’ (1997.) In America on the Billboard Hot 100, two of their singles have made the lower reaches of the chart, but they have never broken in to the top 40, although they have had five hits on the ‘U.S. Alternative Rock’ top 30 chart. Blur maybe one of the most successful bands to have come out of the UK, but in the States they remain obscure, but they do have a cult following through ‘Song 2’ receiving lots of play on ‘Alternative Rock,’ and ‘College Radio stations, where ‘Song 2’ is often referred to as the ‘Whoo-Hoo’ song.

‘Song 2’ was the second of four singles released from Blur’s self titled fifth studio Album issued in February 1997. All four band members share the writing credits, with the production also by Blur, and their long time collaborator Stephen Street (see also best songs 940-595-464 and 256) The Album was a major change in musical style for Blur, as they distanced themselves from ‘Britpop,’ to an experimental mix of ‘Indie Rock, ‘Lo-Fi,’ and ‘Alternative Rock,’ ‘Song 2’ came about after the band were messing about with new ideas in the studio. The groups lead guitarist Graham Coxon at that time was a big fan of American Alternative Rock bands such as ‘Pavement,’ and ‘Sonic Youth,’ (see also best songs 641) and it was he who came up with the songs intro. The bands lead singer Damon Albarn was not as big a fan, and made up any old lyrics as a guide for the song. In a way the song had a satisfactory ending for both Coxon and Albarn, as Coxon got his wish to record a classic American sounding Rock song, and Albarn could poke fun at the genre with nonsensical lyrics.

Alex James who played the bass on ‘Song 2’ has said how the group approached the recording,’We didn’t think about it at all. Graham (Coxon) set up two kits, Dave (Rowntree) 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.’ Stephen Street has said,’Damon’s guide vocal was pure babbling, but it worked so well I suggested we went with it. He just needed reassurance that what he’d done was good.’

Because ‘Song 2′ only lasts for 1.59 seconds, the band were thinking very seriously about leaving the track off the Album, and they made many attempts to add further production to fill it out and extend it, but eventually they learnt a lesson from that experience. Alex James has said,’We realised you don’t have to polish everything, sometimes the thing you do first of all is when you mean it.’

‘I got my head checked by a jumbo jet, it wasn’t easy
But nothing is no. (Woo-hoo) when I feel heavy metal, (Woo-hoo) and I’m pins and I’m needles.’