Beetlebum#Charts and certifications
{{Short description|1997 single by Blur}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Beetlebum
| cover = Blur_Beetlebum_CD1.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Blur
| album = Blur
| B-side = * "All Your Life"
- "A Spell (For Money)"
- "Woodpigeon Song"
- "Dancehall"
| released = {{start date|1997|1|16|df=y}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = *Pop rock{{cite web|url=https://www.gigwise.com/photos/99123/blurs-greatest-hits-ranked-in-order-of-greatness|title=Blur's 14 all-time greatest hits, ranked|last=Trendell|first=Andrew|website=Gigwise|date=23 March 2015|access-date=20 November 2020}}
- dream pop{{cite web|url=https://albumism.com/features/blur-eponymous-fifth-studio-album-blur-turns-25-anniversary-retrospective|title=It Wasn’t Easy, But Nothing Is: Blur’s Eponymous Fifth Studio Album ‘Blur’ Turns 25 (Anniversary Retrospective)|first=Erika|last=Wolf|date=6 February 2022|website=Albumism|access-date=25 January 2025}}
- indie pop{{cite web|url=https://virginradio.co.uk/music/48913/revisiting-blurs-eponymous-fifth-album-on-its-25th-anniversary|title=Revisiting Blur's eponymous fifth album on its 25th anniversary|date=10 February 2022|website=Virgin Radio UK|access-date=25 January 2025}}
| length = 5:05
| label = * Food
| composer = * Damon Albarn
| lyricist = Damon Albarn
| producer = Stephen Street
| prev_title = Charmless Man
| prev_year = 1996
| next_title = Song 2
| next_year = 1997
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|WAXnqjUfal4|"Beetlebum"}}}}
{{Audio sample
| type = single
| file = Beetlebum.ogg
}}
}}
"Beetlebum" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur. It was released on 16 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.{{cite web| date = 10 March 2002| author = Andrew Smith| title = Interview: Justine Frischmann: Elastica limits| url = https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2002/mar/10/life1.lifemagazine4| work = The Observer| publisher = The Guardian| quote = 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.}}{{cite AV media | people=Will Lovelace, Dylan Southern (directors) | date=19 January 2010 | title=No Distance Left to Run | type=Motion Picture | publisher=Pulse Films}} 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."{{cite web |title=Is Blur's Beetlebum their most heartbreaking single? |url=https://www.radiox.co.uk/artists/blur/blur-beetlebum-meaning-behind-song/ |website=Radio X |access-date=10 December 2020}}{{cite web |title=Remembering when Moby remixed Blur's hit single 'Beetlebum' |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/moby-remix-blur-beetlebum/ |website=Far Out Magazine |access-date=10 December 2020 |archive-date=26 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126152647/https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/moby-remix-blur-beetlebum/ |url-status=dead }} He has stated in an interview with MTV that the song describes a complicated emotion, sort of "sleepy" and sort of "sexy".MTV Blurography – Broadcast December 1996
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."{{cite web |last1=Wright |first1=Danny |title=Beetlebum // 20 Years On |url=https://www.londoninstereo.com/beetlebum-20-years-on/ |website=London in Stereo |date=20 January 2017 |access-date=10 December 2020}} Producer Stephen Street later commented, "I didn't know Beetlebum was about heroin. I thought it was just something he’d made up!"{{cite web |title=My Life In Vinyl: Stephen Street |url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/2022/02/my-life-in-vinyl-stephen-street/ |website=Classic Pop Magazine |access-date=15 May 2022 |date=14 February 2022}} 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."{{cite web|website=Dig!|url=https://www.thisisdig.com/feature/beetlebum-blur-song-story/|title=Beetlebum: Behind The Song That Saved Blur's Career|first=Jason|last=Draper|date=20 January 2023|accessdate=August 22, 2024}}
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."{{cite book |last1=Power |first1=Martin |title=The Life of Blur |date=14 June 2018 |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=978-0-85712-862-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XjIDAwAAQBAJ}} 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'."{{Cite web |date=2021-03-04 |title=Does Rock 'N' Roll Kill Braincells?! – Stephen Street |url=https://www.nme.com/features/music-interviews/stephen-street-blur-oasis-pete-doherty-morrissey-the-smiths-2893930 |access-date=2022-03-11 |website=NME|author-first1=Gary|author-last1=Ryan}}
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".{{cite web |author=Erlewine, Stephen Thomas |title=Review: – Blur|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r2102968/review|pure_url=yes}} |website=AllMusic |access-date=25 December 2012 |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}}
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." 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").{{cite magazine|title=The Official UK Charts|last=Jones|first=Alan|magazine=Music Week|page=13|date=1 February 1997}} The song also reached the top 10 in several European countries as well as number 13 on the Canadian RPM Alternative 30 ranking.
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'.
Music video
The "Beetlebum" music video was directed by Sophie Muller.{{cite magazine | last1= Bristow | first1= Sophy | date= 12 September 1997 | title= Not just a pretty face | url = http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1997-09-12/13/index.html | url-status= live | language= English | magazine= The List | location= Edinburgh | publisher= List Publishing Ltd | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231221170041/http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1997-09-12/13/index.html | archive-date= 21 December 2023 | access-date= 21 December 2023 | via= Damon Albarn Unofficial Archive | quote= The latest, eponymous album — complemented by the moody, band-focused videos of Sophie Muller — has helped Blur to break into that transatlantic market.}} The downbeat video 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.
Track listings
All music was composed by Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree. All lyrics were written by Albarn.
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UK CD1{{cite AV media notes|title=Beetlebum|others=Blur|year=1997|type=UK CD1 liner notes|publisher=Food Records, Parlophone|id=CDFOOD 89, 7243 8 83569 2 3}}
- "Beetlebum"
- "All Your Life"
- "A Spell (For Money)"
- "Beetlebum"
- "Beetlebum" (Mario Caldato Jr. mix)
- "Woodpigeon Song"
- "Dancehall"
{{col-2}}
UK limited-edition 7-inch red vinyl single{{cite AV media notes|title=Beetlebum|others=Blur|year=1997|type=UK limited 7-inch single sleeve|publisher=Food Records, Parlophone|id=FOOD 89, 7243 8835707 4}}
- "Beetlebum"
- "Woodpigeon Song"
Japanese CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Beetlebum|others=Blur|year=1997|type=Japanese CD single liner notes|publisher=Food Records, Parlophone|id=TOCP-40021}}
- "Beetlebum"
- "All Your Life"
- "Woodpigeon Song"
- "A Spell (For Money)"
{{col-end}}
Personnel
- Damon Albarn – lead vocals, synthesizers, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Graham Coxon – electric guitar, backing vocals
- Alex James – bass guitar
- Dave Rowntree – drums
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!scope="col"|Chart (1997) !scope="col"|Position |
| scope="row"|Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40){{cite news|url=https://timarit.is/page/2963913?iabr=on#page/n15/mode/2up/|title=Árslistinn 1997 – Íslenski Listinn – 100 Vinsælustu Lögin|newspaper=Dagblaðið Vísir|language=is|page=25|date=2 January 1998|access-date=15 February 2020}}
|26 |
|---|
| scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC){{cite magazine|title=Top 100 Singles 1997|magazine=Music Week|page=27|date=17 January 1998}}
|61 |
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Blur|title=Beetlebum|award=Gold|relyear=2004|certyear=2024|id=10228-388-1|access-date=22 March 2024}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true|noshipments=true}}
Release history
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
!scope="col"|Region !scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Format(s) !scope="col"|Label(s) !scope="col"|{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
| scope="row"|Japan
|16 January 1997 |CD |rowspan="2"|{{hlist|Food|Parlophone}} |{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/143957/products/262248/1/|title=ビートルバム {{!}} ブラー|trans-title=Beetlebum {{!}} Blur|publisher=Oricon|language=ja|access-date=28 November 2023}} |
|---|
| scope="row"|United Kingdom
|20 January 1997 |{{hlist|7-inch vinyl|CD}} |{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1997/Music-Week-1997-01-18.pdf|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=31|date=18 January 1997|access-date=13 June 2021}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Blur}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Music videos directed by Sophie Muller
Category:Number-one singles in Scotland
Category:Song recordings produced by Stephen Street
Category:Songs written by Alex James (musician)
Category:Songs written by Damon Albarn
Category:Songs written by Dave Rowntree