Firstly, I only just came across this song, and it's a real grower. It has a great tempo and wonderful hints of synthesizers audible in the chorus. Has anyone noticed its slight similarity to David Bowie's 'Oh, You Pretty Things?' You can tell that Bowie's an influence for Damon- he even seems to attempt to imitate his vocal style in this song.
As for the lyrics, they seem to convey a growing disenchantment with England after the decline of the Britpop movement in the mid '90s. The song has an almost hungover feel to it, in addition to a sense of weary repetition: 'Put a new shirt on, wash my face in beer/Fall through the crowd, and disappear'
By the song's conclusion, it has been made clear that Britpop no longer holds any interest for Blur, nor for Damon as an individual.
In the early 1990s, Blur were essentially the definition of Britpop itself, with Damon as its pretty little poster boy. However, the later association between the two can be described as a relationship soured. In this vein, it can be argued that the 'you' Damon refers to in the chorus simply represents Britpop, and the 'me' Blur. He is propagating the idea of a 'breakup', stating that the connection between Blur and Britpop is no longer there ('I need someone who loves me/more than you do'), despite the fact that they were previously inextricably linked. ('You and me in line as double bill/Surrogate heroes on TV and films').
Firstly, I only just came across this song, and it's a real grower. It has a great tempo and wonderful hints of synthesizers audible in the chorus. Has anyone noticed its slight similarity to David Bowie's 'Oh, You Pretty Things?' You can tell that Bowie's an influence for Damon- he even seems to attempt to imitate his vocal style in this song.
As for the lyrics, they seem to convey a growing disenchantment with England after the decline of the Britpop movement in the mid '90s. The song has an almost hungover feel to it, in addition to a sense of weary repetition: 'Put a new shirt on, wash my face in beer/Fall through the crowd, and disappear'
By the song's conclusion, it has been made clear that Britpop no longer holds any interest for Blur, nor for Damon as an individual.
In the early 1990s, Blur were essentially the definition of Britpop itself, with Damon as its pretty little poster boy. However, the later association between the two can be described as a relationship soured. In this vein, it can be argued that the 'you' Damon refers to in the chorus simply represents Britpop, and the 'me' Blur. He is propagating the idea of a 'breakup', stating that the connection between Blur and Britpop is no longer there ('I need someone who loves me/more than you do'), despite the fact that they were previously inextricably linked. ('You and me in line as double bill/Surrogate heroes on TV and films').