Editing Blur (band) (section)

===Britpop years, 1992–1995===
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After discovering they were £60,000  in debt, Blur toured the United States in 1992 in an attempt to recoup their financial losses.<ref>Harris, 2004, p. 66</ref> The group released the single "[[Popscene]]" to coincide with the start of the tour. Featuring "a rush of punk guitars, '60s pop hooks, blaring British horns, controlled fury, and postmodern humor",<ref>{{cite web|first=Stephen Thomas|last=Erlewine|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/pop-scene-mt0012008673|title=Popscene' song review|work=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=16 June 2008}}</ref> "Popscene" was a turning point for the band musically.<ref>Harris, 2004, pp. 67, 77</ref> However, upon its release it only charted at number 32. "We felt 'Popscene' was a big departure; a very, very English record", Albarn told the ''NME'' in 1993, "But that annoyed a lot of people ... We put ourselves out on a limb to pursue this English ideal and no-one was interested."<ref name="shite">Harris, John. "A shite sports car and a punk reincarnation". ''NME''. 10 April 1993.</ref> As a result of the single's lacklustre performance, plans to release a single named "Never Clever" were scrapped and work on Blur's second album was pushed back.<ref>Harris, 2004, p. 68</ref>

During the two-month American tour, the band became increasingly unhappy, often venting frustrations on each other, leading to several physical confrontations.<ref>Harris, 2004, p. 73</ref> The band members were homesick; Albarn said, "I just started to miss really simple things ... I missed everything about England so I started writing songs which created an English atmosphere."<ref name="shite" /> Upon the group's return to Britain, Blur (Albarn in particular) were upset by the success rival group [[Suede (band)|Suede]] had achieved while they were gone.<ref>Harris, 2004, pp. 73–75</ref> After a poor performance at a 1992 gig that featured a well-received set by Suede on the same bill, Blur were in danger of being dropped by Food.<ref>Harris, 2004, p. 78</ref> By that time, Blur had undergone an ideological and image shift intended to celebrate their English heritage in contrast to the popularity of American [[grunge]] bands like [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]].<ref>Harris, 2004, p. 79</ref> Although sceptical of Albarn's new manifesto for Blur, Balfe gave assent for the band's choice of [[Andy Partridge]] (of [[XTC]]) to produce their follow-up to ''Leisure''. The sessions with Partridge proved unsatisfactory, but a chance reunion with Stephen Street resulted in him returning to produce the group.<ref>Harris, 2004, p. 82</ref>

Blur completed their second album ''[[Modern Life Is Rubbish]]'' in December 1992, but Food Records said the album required more potential hit singles and asked them to return to the studio for a second time. The band complied and Albarn wrote "[[For Tomorrow (song)|For Tomorrow]]", which became the album's lead single.<ref>Harris, 2004, pp. 82–83</ref> "For Tomorrow" was a minor success, reaching number 28 on the charts.<ref>Harris, 2004, p. 90</ref> ''Modern Life Is Rubbish'' was released in May 1993. The announcement of the album's release included a press photo which featured Blur, dressed in a mix of [[Mod (subculture)#Fashion|mod]] and [[skinhead]] attire, posing alongside a [[English Mastiff|mastiff]] with the words "British Image 1" spraypainted behind them. At the time, such imagery was viewed as nationalistic and racially insensitive by the British music press; to quieten concerns, Blur released the "British Image 2" photo, which was "a camp restaging of a pre-war aristocratic tea party".<ref>Harris, 2004, pp. 88–89</ref> ''Modern Life Is Rubbish'' peaked at number 15 on the British charts,<ref name="UKChart">{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/blur/|title=Blur Single & Album Chart History|work=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=9 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022195217/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/blur/|archive-date=22 October 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> but failed to break into the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], selling only 19,000 copies there.<ref>Duffy, Tom. "SBK, Blur focus on U.S. market". ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''. 28 May 1994.</ref>

The success of ''[[Parklife]]'' (1994) revived Blur's commercial fortunes. The album's first single, the disco-influenced "[[Girls & Boys (Blur song)|Girls & Boys]]", found favour on [[BBC Radio 1]] and peaked at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart,<ref>Harris, 2004, p. 141</ref> and number 59 in the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] where it remains the band's highest-charting single.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/blur/chart-history/hsi/|title=Blur: Billboard Hot 100 chart history|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=10 June 2022}}</ref> ''Parklife'' entered the British charts at number one and stayed on the album charts for 90 weeks.<ref>Harris, 2004, p. 142</ref> Enthusiastically greeted by the music press—the ''NME'' called it "a Great Pop Record ... bigger, bolder, narkier and funnier [than ''Modern Life is Rubbish'']"—''Parklife'' is regarded as one of Britpop's defining records.<ref>Dee, John. "Blur – ''Parklife''". ''NME''. April 1994.</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Stephen Thomas|last=Erlewine|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/parklife-mw0000624951|title=Parklife review|work=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=16 June 2008|archive-date=22 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622024243/https://www.allmusic.com/album/parklife-mw0000624951|url-status=live}}</ref> Blur won four awards at the [[1995 Brit Awards]], including Best Band and Best Album for ''Parklife''.<ref>Harris, 2004, p. 192</ref> Coxon later pointed to ''Parklife'' as the moment when "[Blur] went from being regarded as an alternative, left field arty band to this amazing new pop sensation".<ref name="totalguitar">Tuxen, Henrik; Dalley, Helen. "Graham Coxon interview". ''[[Total Guitar]]''. May 1999.</ref>

Blur began working on their fourth album ''[[The Great Escape (Blur album)|The Great Escape]]'' at the start of 1995.<ref>Harris, 2004, p. 222</ref> Building upon the band's previous two albums, Albarn's lyrics for the album consisted of several third-person narratives. James reflected, "It was all more elaborate, more orchestral, more theatrical, and the lyrics were even more twisted ... It was all dysfunctional, misfit characters fucking up."<ref>Harris, 2004, pp. 223–24</ref> The release of the album's lead single "[[Country House (song)|Country House]]" played a part in Blur's public rivalry with Manchester band [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] termed the [[The Battle of Britpop|"Battle of Britpop"]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/only-in-britain/blur-beat-oasis-in-chart-battle/|title=When Blur beat Oasis in the battle of Britpop|work=The Telegraph|date=26 August 2016|access-date=9 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308135725/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/only-in-britain/blur-beat-oasis-in-chart-battle/|archive-date=8 March 2021|url-access=subscription|url-status=live}}</ref> Partly due to increasing antagonisms between the groups, Blur and Oasis released their new singles on the same day, an event the ''NME'' called "The British Heavyweight Championship". The debate over which band would top the British singles chart became a media phenomenon, and Albarn appeared on the ''[[ITV News at Ten|News at Ten]]''.<ref name=liveforever>''Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop''. Passion Pictures, 2004.</ref> At the end of the week, "Country House" ultimately outsold Oasis' "[[Roll with It (Oasis song)|Roll With It]]" by 274,000 copies to 216,000, becoming Blur's first number one single.<ref>Harris, 2004, p. 235</ref>

''The Great Escape'', which Albarn told the public was the last instalment in the band's Life Trilogy, was released in September 1995 to ecstatic reviews.<ref>Harris, 2004, pp. 238–239</ref> The ''NME'' hailed it as "spectacularly accomplished, sumptuous, heart-stopping and inspirational",<ref>Cigarettes, Johnny. "Blur – ''The Great Escape'' review". ''NME''. September 1995.</ref> while ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'' argued "Blur are the very best that '95 Britpop has to offer and this is a most gong-worthy sound, complete with head-slicing guitars, catchy tunes and very funny words".<ref>{{cite web|first=Will|last=Birch|url=http://www.willbirch.com/Blur%20-%20The%20Great%20Escape.htm|title=Roll up! Roll up! Blur - The Great Escape - Food Records|work=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|date=October 1995|access-date=9 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215172200/http://www.willbirch.com/Blur%20-%20The%20Great%20Escape.htm|archive-date=15 February 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Entering the UK charts at number one,<ref>{{cite web|first=Stephen Thomas|last=Erlewine|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/blur-mn0000758444|title=Blur: Biography|work=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=22 October 2012|archive-date=27 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240427032241/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/blur-mn0000758444|url-status=live}}</ref> the album sold nearly half a million copies in its first month of sale.<ref>Harris, 2004, p. 241</ref> However, opinion quickly changed and Blur found themselves largely out of favour with the media once again. Following the worldwide success of Oasis' ''[[(What's the Story) Morning Glory?]]'' (which went quadruple platinum in the United States), the media quipped "[Blur] wound up winning the battle but losing the war."<ref>{{cite web|first=Stephen Thomas|last=Erlewine|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/country-house-mt0007054053|title=Country House' song review|work=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=16 June 2008}}</ref> Blur became perceived as an "inauthentic middle class pop band" in comparison to the "working class heroes" Oasis, which Albarn said made him feel "stupid and confused".<ref name=liveforever /> Alex James later summarised, "After being the People's Hero, Damon was the People's Prick for a short period ... basically, he was a loser – very publicly."<ref name="select">Maconie, Stuart. "The Death of a Party". ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]''. August 1999.</ref>