On the morning of Monday 14th November, I woke up to a message from editor Amy asking me if I had heard that Blur, one of my favourite bands of all time, were reuniting. Straight away, I rushed to Twitter to check if it were true, to discover not only that it was, but that they would be playing a show at Wembley Stadium on 8th July 2023. With the band having been mostly on hiatus since their 2015 album The Magic Whip, aside from a one-off 2019 performance, the demand for the single Wembley show meant that tickets sold out within minutes, leading to a second date being added for the following day. However, somehow, Amy and I managed to get tickets for the 8th July show! So, in honour of us getting tickets, and the Blur reunion I’ve been waiting for for seven years, here are my personal top ten Blur tracks from their eight-album, over thirty-year discography.
Honourable Mentions:
‘Badhead’ – Parklife (1994)
‘Magic America’ – Parklife (1994)
‘My Terracotta Heart’ – The Magic Whip (2015)
‘Song 2’ – Blur (1997)
‘Coffee & TV’ – 13 (1999)
10. ‘Bang’, Leisure (1991)
via Food Records
Bang, from Blur’s 1991 debut album, Leisure, charted at number 24 on the UK singles chart, but was not included on the track list of their 2000 compilation album Blur: The Best Of. While the track tends to be overshadowed by the album’s other singles, There’s No Other Way and She’s So High – both of which were included on the compilation album – I personally think that Bang is the best song on Leisure. The track feels upbeat and playful, with Graham Coxon’s guitar blending perfectly with the simple, catchy lyrics. It set the scene for many of Blur’s future, now well-known lighthearted compositions, even if overlooked and famously hated by the band.
9. ‘It Could Be You’ – The Great Escape (1995)
via Food Records/Virgin Records
Released only as a single in Japan, It Could Be You is the tenth track on my joint favourite Blur album The Great Escape (stay tuned to find out my other favourite is). The lyrics alternate between the chances of winning the lottery and optimism that it really ‘could be you’, and how it perhaps won’t make you as happy as you think, continuing a tradition of Blur commenting on popular culture and society. Graham Coxon opens the track with a punchy guitar riff that draws you in immediately, whilst Damon Albarn harmonises with himself to create catchy ‘do dos’ and ‘la las’ scattered throughout the song. In my opinion, It Could Be You is an incredibly underrated track in Blur’s repertoire.
8. ‘Sunday Sunday’ – Modern Life is Rubbish (1993)
via Food Records
A charming ode to the last day of the week, Damon Albarn sings about ordinary activities and family life. Although the ventures described on the track are unremarkable, the song is far from it, turning the regular Sunday family routine into a pleasant, endearing tune not meant to be taken seriously. Opening with Dave Rowntree’s crashing, loud drums, the song immediately grabs your attention, and lets you know that the every day does not have to be boring.
7. ‘The Universal’ – The Great Escape (1995)
via Food Records/Virgin Records
As a child, long before I knew what Blur was, I knew this song as ‘the British Gas advert song’. Although the advert only played a short, instrumental version of ‘The Universal’, I remember enjoying it very much and being drawn immediately to the TV when the song played. Fast forward a few years and the full version of the song lands in my top ten Blur songs. The track is anthemic and brings in orchestral elements, including the beautiful use of strings alongside choir-like vocals towards the song’s end. It is an emotional track that gives me chills. If it is on the setlist for Wembley, I will probably cry.
6. ‘Tender’ – 13 (1999)
via Food Records/Parlophone
Tender is a gorgeous track, with the melody and lyrical content truly matching up to its soft title. It departs from much of Blur’s lighthearted and character-focused discography, lyrically focusing on the breakdown of a relationship. The song opens with a more acoustic guitar sound from Graham Coxon, while Damon Albarn’s vocals move towards a vulnerability often not heard. The repetition of ‘come on, come on, come on, get through it’, sung by a choir, contrasts perfectly with the sorrow of Albarn’s verses, making the song equal parts desperately sad and optimistic. The song has served me many times as a tearjerker that also reminds me that things will get better once the sadness has been fought through. Also, it is nice to hear Graham Coxon contributing to lead vocals on the iconic ‘oh my baby’ lines.
5. ‘Entertain Me’ – The Great Escape (1995)
via Food Records/Virgin Records
An album track gem with a stonker of a bassline from Alex James, Entertain Me has been one of my favourite Blur tracks since I was fifteen years old. The synth-laden track feels like the younger sibling to Parklife‘s Girls & Boys, with a clubby feel juxtaposing The Great Escape‘s characteristic uncanny vibes. Although not one of Blur’s most well-known songs, Entertain Me is by far my favourite track on The Great Escape.
4. ‘Pyongyang’ – The Magic Whip (2015)
via Parlophone/Warner Bros
Haunting, stunningly beautiful and thought-provoking, Pyongyang, from Blur’s 2015 comeback album The Magic Whip, is one of the main reasons why the album is my joint-favourite from the band. Opening with nothing but the sound of a bell, the track is atmospheric and dark, but dreamlike, incorporating keyboard notes to add to its soul-stirring undertone. The track feels lonely, but in a charming way, with its melody somehow managing to be warming and chilling. A standout track from a standout comeback.
3. ‘Girls & Boys’ – Parklife (1994)
via Food Records
If this song came on in the club I would absolutely lose my mind. An absolute classic Blur song, and one of the catchiest in their collection. Alex James’ bassline is iconic, and the standout of the song. It still sounds fresh to this day, which makes me sad that I have never heard it on a night out! Although the lyrics are repetitive, as is the guitar riff, these are the things that make the track so catchy and enduring.
2. ‘Go Out’ – The Magic Whip (2015)
via Parlophone/Warner Bros
An incredible comeback single from a top-tier Blur album, 2015’s Go Out signalled that Blur were back at their best. The track opens with unsettling synth, followed by the crashing drums of Dave Rowntree that introduce Graham Coxon’s distorted guitar riffs. Coxon’s riffs become more and more distorted as the song goes on, giving a feel that is equal parts grungy and mysterious. More akin to the rock-based work on their 1997 album Blur than the cheeky, sing-song feel of Leisure and Parklife, in this track, Blur does what they do best, subverting expectations. It is not typically Blur, but undeniably them too. The song is loud and attention-grabbing, with the chorus and its harmonised ‘o-o-os’ both simple and effective at adding to the surreal vibes of the album. ‘Go Out’ sets the scene for the rest of the album’s tracks: unexpected, experimental, and mesmerising.
1. ‘For Tomorrow’ – Modern Life is Rubbish (1993)
via Food Records
For Tomorrow captures the often-overlooked beauty of London, an ode to a city I rarely got to see, having grown up on a small island. Whether it is the track’s enthralling descriptions of the city, its gorgeous string and choir sections, or the changes of key and pace between the verses and chorus that attracted me to the song, I am unsure. What I do know is that this is an underrated Blur track, particularly the extended six-minute Primrose Hill version featured on Blur: The Best Of. It is, simply, my favourite Blur track ever, and has never been budged from that position. I can only hope that this track is played at Wembley in July.
