Song 2Blur1rank/position

Blur – Song 2 (Official Music Video)

This is a powerful work in which Blur—champions of British Britpop—pay homage to American grunge and indie rock.

The two-minute-plus track, driven by distorted guitars and improvisational melodies, carries an unmistakably ironic message toward the grunge scene.

Released separately from their 1997 album “Blur,” the song’s simple yet striking sound propelled it to No.

2 on the UK charts.

It was featured across numerous media, including as the theme for the official FIFA World Cup ’98 video game, and in commercials for Inter and Nike.

It’s a recommended pick for rock beginners as well, offering a punkish, exhilarating melody while letting you savor rock history from grunge to Britpop in a single track.

This Is A LowBlur2rank/position

Blur – This Is A Low (HD)

Alongside Oasis, Blur was a band that defined the British music scene of the 1990s.

This piece was included on their 1994 album Parklife.

The title “Low” refers to a low-pressure system.

The song features an evocative sound that lingers, themed around the low-pressure systems that were causing disasters across the UK at the time.

BeetlebumBlur3rank/position

Blur – Beetlebum (Official Music Video)

A track that sings about heroin use.

It was released by Blur in 1997.

It became a hit in Australia, New Zealand, and various European countries, reaching No.

1 on the UK charts.

The music video, directed by Sophie Muller, was filmed in London.

Coffee and TVBlur4rank/position

Blur – Coffee and TV

Blur, the alternative rock band that took the world by storm as a leading force of Britpop.

While most of their songs feature frontman Damon Albarn on vocals, this track has guitarist Graham Coxon taking the lead.

Its steady, understated sound and Graham’s laid-back vocals slowly seep into a tired heart.

Girls And BoysBlur5rank/position

Blur – Girls And Boys (Official Music Video)

In the early 1990s, while alternative rock and grunge were sweeping the world, the UK was on the verge of a boom entirely different from America’s.

A wave of young bands that leaned heavily into British identity emerged, and Blur—who helped ignite the movement later dubbed Britpop—became hugely popular in Japan as well, thanks to their refined musical sensibilities and striking looks.

Their third album, Parklife, released in 1994, is not only a landmark of Britpop but also a masterpiece in the history of British rock.

The opener, Girls & Boys, earned high praise for its overwhelming pop appeal and catchiness, and for a sound so unmistakably British—something no American band could have produced.

It reached No.

5 on the UK charts and helped trigger the band’s major breakthrough.

Centered on a disco-tinged rhythm and a funky bass line, the track is elevated by guitarist Graham Coxon—who among the members was the most influenced by American alternative rock—whose gritty guitar perfectly embodies the spirit of the ’90s.

It’s brilliant!

JubileeBlur6rank/position

Blur – Jubilee (Official Audio)

A track from their masterpiece album Parklife, released in the mid-’90s at the height of Britpop.

While they usually favor relatively idiosyncratic songs, this one delivers the most straightforward rock, yet their knack for quirks shines through in key moments with the insertion of a horn section and the sound of a toy ray gun.

Park LifeBlur7rank/position

Blur – Parklife (Official 4K Music Video)

In the 1990s, the Britpop movement energized the British music scene.

At the core of that movement were Oasis and Blur, regarded as its two great titans, and this is one of Blur’s signature songs from that era.

It also drew attention for featuring Phil Daniels, the actor from The Who’s mod film Quadrophenia.