Friday, April 10, 2009

Retrovideo Friday: "Popscene, all right..."

Welcome to the first installment of Retrovideo Friday. This is a new feature where I plan on posting a music video from "back in the day," along with a little history lesson behind what you're watching. Each post will vary from time to time, either featuring an actual music video or a live performance of a song that strikes my fancy. The songs featured may seem like completely obvious choices, or they might be a little obscure... either way, sit back and relax because it's time for a little flashback.

This Week's Pick: "Popscene" by Blur (Year: 1992)

This is an early track by recently-reunited Blur, famous for their role in the Britpop era and that "Woohoo song" (Song 2). Though "Popscene" is a fan favorite, it wasn't all that successful at first, charting in the 30s on the UK Singles Chart back in 1992. The song can be found on US pressings and Japanese reissues of the band's second album Modern Life is Rubbish, but it has never appeared on a UK Blur LP.

Despite the track's slightly sad past, it's one of my favorite earlier Blur tunes thanks to its frenetic pace and insanely infectious horns. There's still something incredibly fresh about it, which makes me wonder why it was such a flop when it was first released as a single. Anyway, Blur have had the last laugh considering their success and the song's immense popularity with fans, so it looks like everything balanced out at the end.

Watch "Popscene" below. Word of warning: while the song itself still sounds great, the video is definitely very dated and almost dizzying to watch. But ultimately, it's probably all part of its charm!

1 comment:

  1. Damon = human pogo stick. <3

    I love the mini velvet dress that woman was wearing. So 90s!! All that was missing was a choker. I'm looking at you, Melissa Scully. ;-)

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