Beetlebum

"Beetlebum"
Single by Blur
from the album Blur
B-side
  • "All Your Life"
  • "A Spell (For Money)"
  • "Woodpigeon Song"
  • "Dancehall"
Released20 January 1997 (1997-01-20)
GenrePop rock[1]
Length5:05
Label
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)Damon Albarn
Producer(s)Stephen Street
Blur singles chronology
"Charmless Man"
(1996) 		"Beetlebum"
(1997) 		"Song 2"
(1997)
Music video
"Beetlebum" on YouTube
Audio sample

"Beetlebum" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur. It was released on 20 January 1997 as the lead single from the band's eponymous fifth album, Blur (1997). Written about Blur frontman Damon Albarn's experiences with heroin, the song features Beatles-influenced music and a mood that Albarn described as "sleepy" and "sexy". Despite fears of the song's uncommercial nature, the single debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Blur's second track to top the chart. It has since appeared on several Blur compilations.

Background

"Beetlebum" was inspired by heroin and the drug experiences Damon Albarn had with his then-girlfriend, Justine Frischmann of Elastica.[2][3] Albarn reflected, "That whole period of a lot of people's lives was fairly muddied by heroin for a lot of people. And it's sort of, it's in that place. And a lot of stuff was at that time."[4][5] He has stated in an interview with MTV that the song describes a complicated emotion, sort of "sleepy" and sort of "sexy".[6]

Rolling Stone hypothesises that the song's title is a reference to the phrase "chasing the beetle", further linking the song to Albarn's experimentation with drugs. Albarn commented, "I'm not sure what a Beetlebum is. It's just a word I sang when I played the song to myself. I asked the others if I should change it, but they said no. If it felt right, we decided that we wouldn't tidy it up like we've done in the past. It's about drugs basically."[7] Producer Stephen Street later commented, "I didn't know Beetlebum was about heroin. I thought it was just something he’d made up!"[8] A 2023 article in Dig! points out that "Beetlebaum" is "the name of a horse in comedian Spike Jones’ parody of the William Tell Overture, released as a single in 1948."[9]

Bassist Alex James explained of the song, "I think 'Beetlebum' is representative of the fact that as the band's got older, the songs have become more simple. Now we can play them with a lot more feeling."[10] Street similarly pointed to the song as a pivotal one for the band, commenting, "Listening back to Damon Albarn’s vocals on 'Beetlebum' for the first time, I had tears in my eyes, thinking: 'This is special'."[11]

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".[12]

Release

Because of its stylistic differences from Blur's previous singles, "Beetlebum" was expected to be a commercial disappointment. As James recalls, "When we first took it around, 'Beetlebum' was perceived as commercial suicide."[10] Despite these fears, "Beetlebum" sold 120,000 copies in the UK during its first week on sale, becoming the band's second number-one single (after "Country House").[13][14] The song also reached the top 10 in several European countries as well as number 13 on the Canadian RPM Alternative 30 ranking.[15]

In addition to its release on Blur, the song has appeared on compilations such as Blur: The Best Of and Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur. It was remixed by Moby for the remix album Bustin' + Dronin'.[5]

Music video

The "Beetlebum" music video was directed by Sophie Muller.[16] The downbeat video[10] combines 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. Alex James' cigarette and Dave Rowntree's Coke can are censored, although in a version of the video more recently released, both of these items are uncensored. The video concludes with the camera zooming out of the room to show a shot of the River Thames and London's skyline.[7]

Track listings

All music was composed by Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree. All lyrics were written by Albarn.

Personnel

  • Damon Albarn – lead vocals, synthesizers, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
  • Graham Coxon – electric guitar, backing vocals
  • Alex James – bass guitar
  • Dave Rowntree – drums

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Japan 16 January 1997 CD
[36]
United Kingdom 20 January 1997
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
 [37]

References

  1. ^ Trendell, Andrew (23 March 2015). "Blur's 14 all-time greatest hits, ranked". Gigwise. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  2. ^ Andrew Smith (10 March 2002). "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.
  3. ^ Will Lovelace, Dylan Southern (directors) (19 January 2010). No Distance Left to Run (Motion Picture). Pulse Films.
  4. ^ "Is Blur's Beetlebum their most heartbreaking single?". Radio X. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Remembering when Moby remixed Blur's hit single 'Beetlebum'". Far Out Magazine. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  6. ^ MTV Blurography – Broadcast December 1996
  7. ^ a b Wright, Danny (20 January 2017). "Beetlebum // 20 Years On". London in Stereo. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  8. ^ "My Life In Vinyl: Stephen Street". Classic Pop Magazine. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  9. ^ Draper, Jason (20 January 2023). "Beetlebum: Behind The Song That Saved Blur's Career". Dig!. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Power, Martin (14 June 2018). The Life of Blur. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-862-1.
  11. ^ "Does Rock 'N' Roll Kill Braincells?! – Stephen Street". NME. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  12. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Review: – Blur". Allmusic. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  13. ^ Jones, Alan (1 February 1997). "The Official UK Charts". Music Week. p. 13.
  14. ^ a b "Blur: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 9893." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  16. ^ Bristow, Sophy (12 September 1997). "Not just a pretty face". The List. Edinburgh: List Publishing Ltd. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023 – via Damon Albarn Unofficial Archive. The latest, eponymous album — complemented by the moody, band-focused videos of Sophie Muller — has helped Blur to break into that transatlantic market.
  17. ^ Beetlebum (UK CD1 liner notes). Blur. Food Records, Parlophone. 1997. CDFOOD 89, 7243 8 83569 2 3.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ Beetlebum (UK CD2 liner notes). Blur. Food Records, Parlophone. 1997. CDFOODS 89, 7243 8 83570 2 9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ Beetlebum (UK limited 7-inch single sleeve). Blur. Food Records, Parlophone. 1997. FOOD 89, 7243 8835707 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ Beetlebum (Japanese CD single liner notes). Blur. Food Records, Parlophone. 1997. TOCP-40021.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ "Blur – Beetlebum". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  22. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 7. 15 February 1997. p. 16. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  23. ^ "Blur: Beetlebum" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  24. ^ "Blur – Beetlebum" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  25. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (30.1. – 5.2. '97)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 31 January 1997. p. 16. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  26. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Beetlebum". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  27. ^ "Tipparade-lijst van week 9, 1997" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  28. ^ "Blur – Beetlebum" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  29. ^ "Blur – Beetlebum". Top 40 Singles.
  30. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  31. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  32. ^ "Blur – Beetlebum". Singles Top 100.
  33. ^ "Árslistinn 1997 – Íslenski Listinn – 100 Vinsælustu Lögin". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1998. p. 25. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  34. ^ "Top 100 Singles 1997". Music Week. 17 January 1998. p. 27.
  35. ^ "British single certifications – Blur – Beetlebum". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  36. ^ "ビートルバム | ブラー" [Beetlebum | Blur] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  37. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 18 January 1997. p. 31. Retrieved 13 June 2021.