Blur’s \u201cSong 2\u201d is called \u201cSong 2\u201d because that was its original working title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was the second track on the band’s 1997 self-titled album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The title was never properly replaced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there’s a much funnier part of the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recording was originally intended partly as a joke on Blur’s record company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The band made it deliberately loud, aggressive and ridiculous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They expected the executives to dislike it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, the record company thought it was excellent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song became one of Blur’s biggest international hits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the joke accidentally created one of the most recognisable rock anthems of the 1990s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because of its place on the album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recording was being developed for Blur’s fifth studio album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It occupied the second position in the tracklist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the creative process, somebody referred to it as \u201cSong 2\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That working title remained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The result is particularly appropriate because the recording contains several coincidences involving the number two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It lasts approximately two minutes and two seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has two main verses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two choruses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was released as the album’s second single.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That’s a remarkable collection of coincidences for a title that began as a placeholder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not very much in a conventional lyrical sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recording is more concerned with energy than detailed storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Damon Albarn’s vocal contains deliberately unusual phrases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The chorus is dominated by a shouted vocal hook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The band didn’t approach the song as an elaborate personal confession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, the recording developed through experimentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The words became part of the musical energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That doesn’t mean the song is creatively empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its main purpose is simply different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It communicates through sound and physical intensity rather than a conventional narrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Guitarist Graham Coxon has explained that the band wanted to create something deliberately excessive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The original demo was much softer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It had an almost bossa-nova character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coxon suggested increasing the speed and making the recording considerably louder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The band used distorted instruments and a rougher performance style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They assumed the result would alarm their record company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It didn’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The executives liked the recording and wanted to release it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song is often described as a parody of grunge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its loud-versus-quiet structure certainly resembles elements associated with American alternative rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the complete explanation is more complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coxon was interested in bands such as Pavement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blur were also becoming tired of the polished Britpop identity surrounding them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recording emerged partly from that desire to try something different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is reasonable to hear humour in the exaggerated sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But reducing the entire song to a simple attack on grunge misses its wider creative context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because the band wanted something aggressive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recording uses heavy guitar distortion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The instrumental arrangement changes dramatically when the chorus arrives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The quieter verse suddenly becomes an enormous wall of sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That contrast is central to the song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s also why the recording works so well in stadiums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The audience anticipates the moment when the music becomes louder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then everybody joins in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stephen Street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had worked extensively with Blur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Street helped the band translate the deliberately chaotic performance into a finished recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The result sounds raw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But that doesn’t mean it was created without care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The production makes the loud sections feel enormous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The shorter arrangement prevents the idea from becoming repetitive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song arrives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Explodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then disappears almost immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7 April 1997.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It appeared on the band’s self-titled fifth album, Blur, which had been released in February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recording marked a significant musical change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier Blur albums had become strongly associated with Britpop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSong 2\u201d moved further towards American alternative-rock influences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That helped the song achieve recognition internationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because its musical style connected naturally with American alternative-rock radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song is short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Energetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And immediately recognisable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Listeners didn’t need to understand the cultural references surrounding British Britpop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The chorus worked independently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That helped the recording cross into sporting events, advertisements and video games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a strange way, one of Blur’s least traditionally British-sounding songs became their most recognisable international hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The shouted vocal hook is what most listeners remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People sometimes search for it using the sound rather than the actual title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That’s understandable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The phrase \u201cSong 2\u201d never becomes an important part of the vocal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The working title doesn’t explain the chorus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It simply identifies the track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That has made the song unusually difficult for casual listeners to find by remembering its words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because it’s perfect for short celebrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The chorus creates an immediate burst of energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recording is recognisable within seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the audience can participate without knowing complicated lyrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That makes it suitable for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
football goals,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ice hockey,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
basketball,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and other sporting moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fact that the recording is only about two minutes long also helps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It delivers its main musical idea without requiring a long introduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The band performs in a room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then the enormous energy of the recording appears to throw the musicians around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree are physically affected by the music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The video was directed by Sophie Muller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its visual joke reflects the recording perfectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song sounds so powerful that even the band cannot remain standing normally while performing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alternative rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Noise-influenced indie rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Punk-influenced rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are also connections with grunge and American lo-fi guitar music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s not representative of every part of Blur’s catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is an important distinction for new listeners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Someone who discovers Blur through \u201cSong 2\u201d may be surprised by the more sophisticated pop songwriting on Parklife or The Great Escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blur \u2013 Bank Holiday<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nirvana \u2013 Breed<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pavement \u2013 Cut Your Hair<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pixies \u2013 Debaser<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Hives \u2013 Hate to Say I Told You So<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Queens of the Stone Age \u2013 No One Knows<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The White Stripes \u2013 Fell in Love with a Girl<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Franz Ferdinand \u2013 Take Me Out<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These recordings combine different elements of energetic guitars, unusual songwriting and alternative-rock attitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because the music is extremely efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is almost nothing unnecessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The opening establishes the rhythm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The verse creates anticipation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The chorus releases the energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then the process repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the song ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s a simple structure executed brilliantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The band may have intended the recording as something humorous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the result works completely seriously as an energetic rock song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because it was originally a working title describing its position on the album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The band kept it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song also happened to be approximately two minutes and two seconds long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it reached No. 2 in Britain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What began as an exaggerated joke became one of Blur’s most famous recordings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes the best way to create a hit is apparently to stop trying to make one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Blur’s \u201cSong 2\u201d is called \u201cSong 2\u201d because that was its original working title. It was the second track on the band’s 1997 self-titled album. The title was never properly replaced. But there’s a much funnier part of the story. The recording was originally intended partly as a joke on Blur’s record company. The band made it deliberately loud, aggressive and ridiculous. They expected the executives to dislike it. Instead, the record company thought it was excellent. The song became one of Blur’s biggest international hits. And the joke accidentally created one of the most recognisable rock anthems of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5635,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3477,574,691],"coauthors":[2],"class_list":["post-5634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-blur","tag-classic","tag-uk"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n