Song 2

By popular request (well, one person) here's a critical analysis of Blur's Song 2.

In true literature style, a bit of background first - Blur and Oasis had been waging war in the UK charts prior to this. Blur's Parklife scored over Oasis' debut album Definitely Maybe. The second round was fairly even, with Country House knocking Roll With It off the number one spot, and both albums, the Great Escape and Morning Glory grossing unheard of sales in UK. However, Oasis broke US, something Blur were only to achieve with their subsequent album.
So there you go - a 'war' that made two bands - and record companies - filthy rich.

And then came the eponymous Blur album.
And Song 2.

Alburn's attempt, with this album, was to announce his band's withdrawal from the britpop scene, and from the Oasis vs Blur war. In some ways, he's challenging conventions - which makes Song 2 all the more significant. First of all, the title, the structure (the song is exactly 2 minutes long) all seem to be mocking the restrictions of the music industry. Ironic that with this song, they managed to finally break America.

The lyrics: they are secondary. For a band that is used to writing clever satires in the 'mockney' fashion, this album is suddenly much more intense, heartfelt and without inhibition. It's more real.

I'd like to say that the first two lines are "I got my head checked / By Achem-Bochek". Achem-Bochek being a Native American philosopher whose musings were pictorially recorded on cave walls. His philosophy greatly influenced Alburn, who's song writing style changed to embrace this new perspective...
But that's bullshit of course it's actually:

I got my head checked
By a jumbo jet
It wasnt easy
But nothing is, no

Oh come on! It's absolute rubbish but its so liberating! I think that's the point, its just about going crazy and not having to make sense... Hence:

"I feel heavy metal (Don't we all sometimes? Just want to headbang the shit out of everything)
And I'm pins and I'm needles (Ooh.. not sure that isn't 'pills and needles'... ) "

And I kind of like the lines "Well I lie and Im easy" cos he's kind of admitting that he's a bit of a loser.. finally breaking this pop idol image - or at least trying to. Must be hard to have a boyband image when you really don't deserve it... At least not too much.

Anyways my personal fav. lines in this song are next up - "I got my head done/ When I was young/Its not my problem/ Its not my problem"
Cos I was dropped on my head when i was a kid myself - so all the madness and insanity is solely cos of that. It's not MY problem!

But of course we're leaving out the most important component of the song.. the most liberating bit.. the long, withdrawn "WOOOOHOOOO!" which is just perfect. It really is! Whether you're on the treadmill, at a club jumping up and down on the dance floor, headbanging at a concert, in the car... it's just SUCH an adrenalin rush.
And that's not mentioning the video which i think is pretty cool too.. They're just in that room with the wierd wallpaper doing some crazy shit bouncing off the walls etc. The same room where the first single on the album is shot - beetlebum.
I remember some interview vaguely on Mtv when Alburn goes "Yeah, Song 2 is ok, but beetlebum is the best song we've composed" I think they're both equally good. Beetlebum is just gorgeous.. It's the song to listen to after a break up. Believe me - i think i heard it about 30 times in a row one night.

Anyways, that critique was specially designed to last not a second more than 2 minutes, so if it took you any longer, then maybe YOU need to get YOUR head checked. Go do it anyway!

Ye-yeah!
Ye-yeah!
Ye-yeah!
Ye-yeah!

Ohhhhh yeah.