To celebrate the intern’s in-office dress up day, this week’s intern picks celebrate a legendary sub-genre movement to come out of Britain in the 1990’s, Britpop! Taking influence from bands like The Beatles, The Kinks, and other popular bands from the 60s and 70s, Britpop blessed us with bands like Blur, Suede, Pulp, and of course, Oasis. Check out the intern’s favorite Britpop songs, below!
Quinn’s pick – “Charmless Man” by Blur
Blur’s “Charmless Man,” released in 1996 as part of the band’s The Great Escape album, is a quintessential Britpop track. It is sharp, swaggering, and laced with irony. The song paints a vivid portrait of a man with everything on the surface—tailored suits, polished manners, the right social circles—but none of the substance underneath. Damon Albarn’s sardonic lyrics and vocal delivery are razor-sharp, skewering this hollow archetype with a mix of mockery and melancholy. The jaunty piano, catchy chorus, and Graham Coxon’s wiry guitar riffs give the track a polished, almost satirical brightness, disguising its cynicism with a catchy, polished grin.
Blur’s willingness to be critical and self-aware made them stand out. “Charmless Man” really nails what Britpop was all about. It takes a cheeky, critical look at British identity, class, and the everyday absurdities of life in the ’90s. When you read between the lines, it’s clever, catchy, and surprisingly emotional. It’s mourning a culture obsessed with image. I picked this song because it represents everything I love about Britpop: it’s loud, ironic, stylish, and unafraid to make fun of the culture that created it. Nearly three decades later, the charm (or lack thereof) still hits.
Listen to “Charmless Man” below!
Ashley’s Pick – “She’s Electric” by Oasis
My Britpop song of choice is “She’s Electric” by Oasis. With the (supposed) comeback tour of the century on the horizon, it seems timely to revisit the song that soundtracked my summer last year. This song is a jingly, washed-out portrait of the Gallaghers’ dream girl. Its luscious layers of electric guitar and playful falsetto choruses place me into a sun-soaked movie montage of excessive giggling, and hand holding. The album, “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?”, that this track appears on is jam packed with edgy Oasis classics. “She’s Electric” cuts through with shiny simplicity, revealing the band’s musical range while staying authentic to their Britishness.
Noel’s songwriting on this track is perfectly Britpop: a bit raunchy, a little cheesy, and fun to sing out loud. “But I quite fancy her mother / and I think that she likes me” and “She’s got one in the oven / but it’s nothing to do with me” contrasting the central line, “She is electric, can I be electric too?” make for a wonderful depiction of the conflict between the idea of a girl and the real thing. Humor can go wrong in songwriting, yet on this track it implies honesty, an important quality of my favorite songs. Starting my morning with my coolest pair of sunnies and this song is the recipe for a good day.
Listen to “She’s Electric” below!
Brandon’s Pick – “Lucifer” by A.G. Cook
If the album is named “Britpop,” than the songs must count as Britpop, right?
Rising out of the ashes of the now defunct record label “PC Music,” A.G. Cook blasts off with an impressive 24 track album, dominated by his futuristic production and familiar features. An album that reminisces on the past, savors the present, and glimpses into the future of pop music, Cook continues to serve as a foundational figure in the underground pop scene.
An obvious highlight from this album, “Lucifer,” sees the return of the infectious collaboration of Cook, Charli XCX, and Addison Rae. This song is as colorful and vibrant as the album cover itself, as Charli and Addison add their party-girl aesthetic to A.G. Cook’s masterful production, creating a song that will usher you into summer. It starts with Rae’s vocals, so mixed and filtered down, giving the impression that she’s singing from the other room. Cook follows, coming in with bouncing synths and a booming presence, as Charli sings of the toxic allure of exes, flings, and situationships.
My apologies to all Blur, Oasis, Pulp fans, and all who consider themselves Britpop enthusiasts, as I understand that, despite the album’s title, this is not a Britpop song. Nonetheless, a song as vibrant and electric as “Lucifer,” by A.G. Cook is worth a listen!
Listen to “Lucifer” below!
Quin’s Pick – “Girls & Boy” by Blur
My intern pick is “Girls and Boys” by Blur! I first heard this song when my best friend played it in my car last summer, and I’ve been hooked ever since. After this event, I feel like I’ve listened to this song a million times. When I was abroad last summer, it was coincidentally the very first song I heard in a taxi from the airport, and a part of me felt like that was fate. It is, in my opinion, maybe the perfect song for the summer. It feels like driving with your windows down on the way to the pool, with plans to go out later.
Immediately bouncy from the jump, the synths are infectious. Pair that with an incredibly groovy bassline and Damon Albarn’s ultra-British shout, and you have a recipe for a perfect Brit-pop song. The lyrics are a reminder that Summer is for slacking off and romantic escapades. I say that we all take a hint from Mr. Albarn and enjoy ourselves this summer!
Listen to “Girls & Boys” below!
