Beetlebum

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title: "Beetlebum" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1996-songs", "1997-singles", "blur-(band)-songs", "food-records-singles", "music-videos-directed-by-sophie-muller", "number-one-singles-in-scotland", "parlophone-singles", "song-recordings-produced-by-stephen-street", "songs-about-drugs", "songs-about-heroin", "songs-written-by-alex-james-(musician)", "songs-written-by-damon-albarn", "songs-written-by-dave-rowntree", "songs-written-by-graham-coxon", "uk-singles-chart-number-one-singles"] description: "1997 single by Blur" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beetlebum" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1997 single by Blur ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]

Field	Value
name	Beetlebum
cover	Blur_Beetlebum_CD1.jpg
type	single
artist	Blur
album	Blur
released
genre
* Pop rock{{cite web	url
* dream pop{{cite web	url
* indie pop{{cite web	url
length	5:05
lyricist	Damon Albarn
producer	Stephen Street
prev_title	Charmless Man
prev_year	1996
next_title	Song 2
next_year	1997
misc
type	single
file	Beetlebum.ogg
::

| 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 = | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre =
• Pop rock
• dream pop
• indie pop | length = 5:05 | label =
• Food
• Parlophone | composer =
• Damon Albarn
• Graham Coxon
• Alex James
• Dave Rowntree | lyricist = Damon Albarn | producer = Stephen Street | prev_title = Charmless Man | prev_year = 1996 | next_title = Song 2 | next_year = 1997 | misc = | type = single | file = Beetlebum.ogg "Beetlebum" is a song by English 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. 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." He has stated in an interview with MTV that the song describes a complicated emotion, sort of "sleepy" and sort of "sexy".

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." Producer Stephen Street later commented, "I didn't know Beetlebum was about heroin. I thought it was just something he’d made up!" 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."

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." 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'."

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".

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"). 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. 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. UK CD1

1. "Beetlebum"
2. "All Your Life"
3. "A Spell (For Money)"

UK CD2

1. "Beetlebum"
2. "Beetlebum" (Mario Caldato Jr. mix)
3. "Woodpigeon Song"
4. "Dancehall" UK limited-edition 7-inch red vinyl single
5. "Beetlebum"
6. "Woodpigeon Song"

Japanese CD single

1. "Beetlebum"
2. "All Your Life"
3. "Woodpigeon Song"
4. "A Spell (For Money)"

Personnel

• Damon Albarn – lead vocals, synthesizers, acoustic guitar
• Graham Coxon – electric guitar, backing vocals
• Alex James – bass guitar
• Dave Rowntree – drums

Charts

Weekly charts

::data[format=table] | Chart (1997) | Peak position | Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) | Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40) | Italy Airplay (Music & Media) | Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade) | Spain (AFYVE) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 9 | | | | | | | | 2 | | | | | | | | 2 | | | | | | | | 21 | | | | | | | | 2 | | | | | | | ::

Year-end charts

::data[format=table]

Chart (1997)	Position	Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)	UK Singles (OCC)
26
61
::

Certifications

Release history

::data[format=table]

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.	Japan	United Kingdom
16 January 1997	CD
20 January 1997
::

References

References

1. Trendell, Andrew. (23 March 2015). "Blur's 14 all-time greatest hits, ranked".
2. Wolf, Erika. (6 February 2022). "It Wasn't Easy, But Nothing Is: Blur's Eponymous Fifth Studio Album 'Blur' Turns 25 (Anniversary Retrospective)".
3. (10 February 2022). "Revisiting Blur's eponymous fifth album on its 25th anniversary".
4. Andrew Smith. (10 March 2002). "Interview: Justine Frischmann: Elastica limits". [[The Guardian]].
5. (19 January 2010). "[[No Distance Left to Run (film)". Pulse Films.
6. "Is Blur's Beetlebum their most heartbreaking single?".
7. "Remembering when Moby remixed Blur's hit single 'Beetlebum'".
8. MTV Blurography – Broadcast December 1996
9. (20 January 2017). "Beetlebum // 20 Years On".
10. (14 February 2022). "My Life In Vinyl: Stephen Street".
11. Draper, Jason. (20 January 2023). "Beetlebum: Behind The Song That Saved Blur's Career".
12. (14 June 2018). "The Life of Blur". Omnibus Press.
13. (2021-03-04). "Does Rock 'N' Roll Kill Braincells?! – Stephen Street".
14. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Review: – ''Blur''".
15. Jones, Alan. (1 February 1997). "The Official UK Charts".
16. (12 September 1997). "Not just a pretty face". List Publishing Ltd.
17. (1997). "Beetlebum". [[Food Records]], [[Parlophone]].
18. (1997). "Beetlebum". Food Records, Parlophone.
19. (1997). "Beetlebum". Food Records, Parlophone.
20. (1997). "Beetlebum". Food Records, Parlophone.
21. (15 February 1997). "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles".
22. (31 January 1997). "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (30.1. – 5.2. '97)". [[DV (newspaper).
23. (1 March 1997). "Major Market Airplay: Italy".
24. "Tipparade-lijst van week 9, 1997". [[Dutch Top 40]].
25. Salaverri, Fernando. (September 2005). "Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002". Fundación Autor-SGAE.
26. (2 January 1998). "Árslistinn 1997 – Íslenski Listinn – 100 Vinsælustu Lögin". [[DV (newspaper).
27. (17 January 1998). "Top 100 Singles 1997".
28. "ビートルバム {{!}} ブラー". [[Oricon]].
29. (18 January 1997). "New Releases: Singles".

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