50 Fun Facts About Blur

Who plays drums in Blur?

Rowntree had joined Albarn's band Circus in October 1988, before Alex James arrived and the name changed to Seymour.

Which Manchester band were Blur's chart rivals in the 1995 'Battle of Britpop'?

The two singles were released on the same day; NME billed it as the British Heavyweight Championship.

In which year was Blur formed?

Alex James joined Albarn's band Circus that December and the group became Seymour.

Which instrument does Alex James play in Blur?

James later became better known for making cheese on his Cotswolds farm.

What is the title of Blur's 1991 debut album?

It drew on Madchester and shoegaze sounds and reached number seven in the UK despite mixed reviews.

How many Blur studio albums in a row topped the UK chart, Parklife through The Magic Whip?

Only Leisure and Modern Life Is Rubbish missed the top; The Ballad of Darren later kept the run going.

Which Blur track is known for its 'woo-hoo' hook and heavy use in US sports and games?

It runs two minutes and two seconds and was track two on a self-titled album; the working title simply stuck.

What was the band called before they took the name Blur?

The name came from J. D. Salinger's Seymour: An Introduction; Food Records disliked it and supplied a list of alternatives.

Which record label signed Blur in March 1990?

Food's A&R man Andy Ross had seen the band play as Seymour in November 1989.

Which band did Blur open for on a British tour from March to July 1990?

They used the dates to test new songs before releasing She's So High that October.

Roughly how many copies did Country House sell in the Battle of Britpop week?

Oasis's Roll With It managed 216,000 in what was the best week for UK singles sales in a decade.

Which Oasis single went head-to-head with Country House in August 1995?

The NME cover of 12 August 1995 billed the clash as the British Heavyweight Championship.

Which 1995 album closed what Albarn called Blur's 'Life Trilogy'?

It sold nearly half a million copies in its first month, then the press turned on the band.

Which English actor delivers the spoken-word verses on the single Parklife?

He had originally been approached to recite a poem for The Debt Collector, which became an instrumental instead.

Which producer worked on Blur's early hits and the Britpop-era albums?

Street returned for The Magic Whip in 2015 after Orbit produced 13.

Which XTC member briefly produced sessions for Blur's second album before being replaced?

The Partridge sessions went badly; a chance reunion with Stephen Street put him back in the producer's chair.

Which producer, known for his remix work, produced Blur's 1999 album 13?

The band picked him after admiring his remix on the Japan-only collection Bustin' + Dronin'.

Where did Blur record most of their self-titled 1997 album after early sessions at home?

The band wanted distance from the Britpop scene; the album's lead single Beetlebum still went straight to number one.

Which Blur single was the lead single from the 1997 self-titled album?

Both the album and the single debuted at number one in the UK despite predictions of commercial suicide.

Which country did Blur tour in 1992 to recoup a £60,000 debt?

The homesick two-month tour pushed Albarn toward writing deliberately English songs.

Which 1992 single did Blur release to coincide with that American tour?

It stalled at number 32 and its failure delayed work on Modern Life Is Rubbish.

Which song did Food ask Blur to add as a potential hit to Modern Life Is Rubbish?

It became the album's lead single and reached number 28.

What was Blur's first single, released in October 1990?

It reached number 48; the follow-up There's No Other Way went top ten and made them pop stars.

Which Blur single is their highest-charting hit on the US Billboard Hot 100?

It peaked at number 59 on the Hot 100, though Song 2 was the bigger US radio hit.

Which art college did Albarn, Coxon and James attend?

The 2009 reunion included a five-star-reviewed show back at the college.

Blur's first live show in 1989 took place in the goods shed of which kind of venue?

It was the East Anglian Railway Museum at Chappel & Wakes Colne in Essex.

Which band member left during the sessions for Think Tank in 2002?

He appears on only one track of the finished album; former Verve guitarist Simon Tong filled in on tour.

Which former Verve guitarist toured with Blur in 2003?

Tong also went on to play with Albarn in Gorillaz and The Good, the Bad & the Queen.

In which Moroccan city were parts of Think Tank recorded?

The sessions moved from London to Morocco and then to Devon.

In 2002 Blur recorded a song meant to be played by which spacecraft on landing?

The lander was lost after reaching Mars in 2003, so the call sign was never heard from the surface.

Which animated band did Damon Albarn create with Jamie Hewlett?

The project began while Blur were on a break after the 13 tours.

Which Elastica frontwoman's split from Albarn coloured the lyrics of 13?

They had been together for eight years; the gospel-tinged Tender opened at number two.

Which 1999 single was the first Blur release with Coxon on lead vocals?

Its number 11 peak prompted manager Chris Morrison to demand a chart re-run.

Blur's 2009 reunion was announced with a concert at which venue?

They returned there in 2012 for the Olympic closing-ceremony show.

What honour did Blur receive at the 2012 Brit Awards?

That August they also headlined a Hyde Park show for the Olympics closing ceremony.

The Magic Whip was conceived over five days in which city after a cancelled tour?

Albarn said the result was urban, not pastoral; it was Blur's highest-charting US album at number 24.

What is the title of Blur's ninth studio album, released in 2023?

The Narcissist was its lead single; the album arrived between two Wembley Stadium shows and a European festival run.

Where did Blur play their two-night 2023 comeback headline shows?

Paul Weller and The Selecter supported on the second night.

Which US festival did Blur play in 2024 after a late call and a five-minute decision?

Albarn's visible frustration with a quiet crowd during Girls & Boys made headlines.

What was Parklife's working title before the dog-track cover was chosen?

The planned cover was a fruit-and-vegetable cart; Albarn called it Food boss David Balfe's final contribution.

Which British pastime is shown on the Parklife cover?

Most booklet shots were taken at Walthamstow Stadium, though the cover itself was not.

Parklife lost the 1994 Mercury Prize to which act?

Blur got their revenge at the 1995 Brits, winning four awards including Best British Album.

Which Martin Amis novel did Albarn cite as a major influence on Parklife?

Albarn described the record as the travels of a 'mystical lager-eater' commenting on the world.

In 2010 the Parklife cover appeared on what?

It was one of ten classic British album covers in the Royal Mail set, unveiled by Jimmy Page.

Who directed the Song 2 music video?

The set copied the one from the Popscene video; the band are thrown against the walls by the volume.

According to Coxon, Song 2 was originally intended as what?

Executives loved it; it went to number two in the UK and became a stadium fixture.

Where did Song 2 peak on the UK Singles Chart?

It was also number two on NME's singles of 1997 and Triple J's Hottest 100 that year.

Which Blur member wrote and sang the Parklife track Far Out?

Alex James also wrote the lyric; every other lyric on the album is Albarn's.

In the Parklife video, the narrator and Albarn play what kind of salesmen?

It was a homage to the film Tin Men, shot beside The Pilot pub on the Greenwich Peninsula.

Before which club's home matches is Parklife played?

Both Daniels and Albarn support the club.