Grade-A B-Side #1: Blur's "All Your Life"

The B-Side to Blur's 1997 single "Beetlebum," this week's spotlighted track, "All Your Life," is Blur's response to the Britpop movement that defined 1990s British culture, of which Blur found themselves caught in the middle. For Americans whose sole contact with the Britpop movement was a few Oasis songs, the scene was a part of the larger Cool Britannia culture of the late 1990s. The hype surrounding Blur and Oasis was akin to a modern-day Beatlemania, only with a media-fueled rivalry. More on this in a later post.

At the point in their career in which this single was released, Blur had largely rejected the "Britpop sound" of their last three albums in favor of a style largely influenced by low-fi American alternative that dominated their fifth, eponymous album. This held their first and only huge success in America, the stadium rock anthem "Song 2." Ironically, the song was a biting satire of the superficiality of the American rock scene, in which fame and nonstop radio play could be found with a few boneheaded chords thrown together, regardless of lyrical content.


YouTube video of "All Your Life." Download link below.

Blur elaborates with their split from the British sound in "All Your Life." Following a span of years in which frontman Damon Albarn's work seemed entirely devoted to celebrating life in England, for better or worse, the lyrics seem to indicate a disenchantment with both England (Oh England, my love / you lost me, made me look a fool) and the fame that he had gained there (Fall through the crowd, and disappear / In the teenage magazines, and shopping malls / Walk through the wildlife for miles, and miles).

The intro and verses of the somewhat Bowie-influenced song are somewhat minimalistic, with Graham Coxon's buzzing, angular guitar hits piercing through a background of quiet acoustic guitar, simple drums, and piano accents. The sound kicks in big for the anthemic chorus, complete with chanting background vocals, as Albarn laments his need for something more.

One of countless amazing Blur B-sides, many of which are arguably in line, if not better, than the A-side, "All Your Life" is a perfect indication of Blur's progress and a snapshot of a moment in time where they rejected the height of Britpop in favor of their own creative heights.

Blur: "All Your Life"