Beetlebum

"Beetlebum"
Single by Blur
from the album Blur
B-side
  • "Woodpigeon Song" (7")
  • "All Your Life", "A Spell (For Money)" (CD1)
  • "Beetlebum" (Mario Caldato Jr. mix), "Woodpigeon Song", "Dancehall" (CD2)
Released 20 January 1997
Format 7" vinyl, 2 × CD
Recorded 1996
Genre Alternative rock, psychedelic rock
Length 5:05
Label Food
Songwriter(s) Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James, Dave Rowntree
Producer(s) Stephen Street
Blur singles chronology
"Charmless Man"
(1996)		 "Beetlebum"
(1997)		 "Song 2"
(1997)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

Music video
"Beetlebum" on YouTube

"Beetlebum" is a 1997 song by English alternative rock band Blur. It was released as the lead single for the band's eponymous fifth album, Blur. The single debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Blur's second track to reach the top of the charts (after "Country House").[1][2]

Song

Damon Albarn has said that the song is about heroin and the drug experiences he had with his then-girlfriend, Justine Frischmann of Elastica.[3] In the 2010 Blur documentary, No Distance Left to Run, Albarn confirmed this notion on film. Albarn has stated in an interview with MTV that the song describes a complicated emotion, sort of "sleepy" and sort of "sexy".[4]

The song has been described as a "Beatles tribute" by several publications; Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic wrote that the song "[ran] through the White Album in the space of five minutes."[5]

Music video

The "Beetlebum" music video was directed by Sophie Muller,[6] and shot in Islington, London, on 14 December 1996.[4] It is a relatively simple production, combining a performance of the song in a room in a tall building with computer-generated zoom-outs from the set showing the Earth in the centre of kaleidoscopic patterns. Notably, Alex James' cigarette and Dave Rowntree's Coke can are censored. At the end of the video, the camera zooms out of the room and the building and shows the surrounding area, ending with a shot of London's skyline.

In some versions of the video the line "She'll make you come" is censored.

The band's behaviour throughout the video is muted compared to Blur's earlier videos, including "Girls & Boys", "Parklife", and "Country House".

Track listing

All music composed by Albarn, Coxon, James and Rowntree. All lyrics composed by Albarn.

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1997) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[7] 35
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[8] 13
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[9] 3
Germany (Official German Charts)[10] 85
Ireland (IRMA)[11] 8
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 87
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 34
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[14] 1
Spain (AFYVE)[15] 2
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[16] 39
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[17] 1

A cover of "Beetlebum" appeared on disc for the European release of the music video game Rock Band. It was released as downloadable content for the Rock Band series outside of Europe.[18] It was also referenced in series 6 of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (The Hexagonal Phase) listed in the Guide before Zaphod Beeblebrox's entry.

References

  1. ↑ "BLUR | Artist". Official Charts. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  2. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 602. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. ↑ Andrew Smith (2002-03-10). "Interview: Justine Frischmann: Elastica limits". The Observer. The Guardian. Then, in early 1997, Blur had a hit with a single called 'Beetlebum', which, after being pressed in these very pages, Albarn reluctantly admitted to be about heroin.
  4. 1 2 MTV Blurography – Broadcast December 1996
  5. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Review: – Blur". Allmusic. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  6. ↑ "The Best of Blur (2000)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2014-03-31.
  7. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Blur – Beetlebum". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  8. ↑ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 9893." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  9. ↑ "Blur: Beetlebum" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  10. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Blur – Beetlebum". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  11. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Beetlebum". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  12. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Blur – Beetlebum" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  13. ↑ "Charts.nz – Blur – Beetlebum". Top 40 Singles.
  14. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  15. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  16. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Blur – Beetlebum". Singles Top 100.
  17. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  18. ↑ Purchese, Robert (8 April 2008). "Rock Band gets official Euro date News • News • Xbox 360 •". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
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