Beetlebum
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"Beetlebum" | ||||||||||||||||
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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) |
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Released | 20 January 1997 | |||||||||||||||
Format | 7" vinyl, 2 x CD | |||||||||||||||
Recorded | 1996 | |||||||||||||||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||||||||||||||
Length | 5:05 | |||||||||||||||
Label | Food | |||||||||||||||
Producer(s) | Stephen Street | |||||||||||||||
Blur singles chronology | ||||||||||||||||
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"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 spot (after "Country House").[1][2]
Contents
Song
Damon Albarn has confessed 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.[7] 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' joint 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.[citation needed]
Track listing
All music composed by Albarn, Coxon, James and Rowntree. All lyrics composed by Albarn.
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In popular culture
Video games
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.[8]
Peak positions
Chart (1997) | Peak position |
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Australia (ARIA)[9] | 34 |
Finland (Suomen virallinen Radiolista)[10] | 3 |
Germany (Official German Charts)[11] | 85 |
Ireland (IRMA)[12] | 8 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] | 87 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[14] | 34 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[15] | 39 |
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[16] | 1 |
Personnel
- Damon Albarn: Lead Vocals, Synthesizers, Acoustic Guitar
- Graham Coxon: Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Alex James: Bass Guitar
- Dave Rowntree: Drums
References
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External links
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- ↑ MTV Blurography - Broadcast December 1996
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- ↑ MTV Blurography - Broadcast December 1996
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- ↑ http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Blur&titel=Beetlebum&cat=s
- ↑ http://finnishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Blur&titel=Beetlebum&cat=s
- ↑ "Officialcharts.de – Blur – Beetlebum". GfK Entertainment.
- ↑ "Chart Track: Week 4, 1997". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Blur – Beetlebum" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Blur – Beetlebum". Top 40 Singles.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – {{{artist}}} – Beetlebum". Singles Top 60.
- ↑ "January 1997/ Archive Chart: 26 January 1997" UK Singles Chart.
- Pages with reference errors
- Use dmy dates from June 2014
- Use British English from June 2014
- Articles with unsourced statements from December 2015
- Singlechart usages for Germany2
- Singlechart called without artist
- Singlechart called without song
- Singlechart usages for UK
- Blur (band) songs
- 1997 singles
- Songs about drugs
- Songs written by Damon Albarn
- UK Singles Chart number-one singles
- Music videos directed by Sophie Muller
- Song recordings produced by Stephen Street
- Songs about heroin
- 1997 songs
- Food Records singles
- Songs written by Graham Coxon
- Songs written by Alex James (musician)
- Songs written by Dave Rowntree