Popscene

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1992 single by Blur

title: "Popscene" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1992-singles", "1998-singles", "blur-(band)-songs", "songs-about-pop-music", "songs-written-by-damon-albarn", "songs-written-by-graham-coxon", "songs-written-by-alex-james-(musician)", "songs-written-by-dave-rowntree", "1992-songs", "food-records-singles"] description: "1992 single by Blur" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popscene" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1992 single by Blur ::

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

FieldValue
namePopscene
coverPopscene.jpg
typesingle
artistBlur
B-side
released
genre* Britpop
* pop-punk{{Cite podcasturl
* post-punk<ref name"Bradley 2014"
length3:15
labelFood
producerSteve Lovell
prev_titleBang
prev_year1991
next_titleFor Tomorrow
next_year1993
misc
::

::callout[type=note] the song by Blur ::

| name = Popscene | cover = Popscene.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = Blur | B-side = | released = | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = * Britpop

"Popscene" is a song by English rock band Blur, released as a non-album single on 30 March 1992. Despite its relatively low chart placing, it has since become critically praised and regarded as one of the pioneering songs of the Britpop genre.

Recording

The song was first played live in late 1991, and recorded at Matrix Studios in Holborn with producer Steve Lovell. The lyrics showed frontman Damon Albarn's distaste for the music business, complaining that there were too many insignificant indie bands.

Musically, it was different to the style seen on the group's first album Leisure and featured heavily flanged guitars, a Can influenced drumbeat, and brass from session players the Kick Horns. The band considered "Popscene" to be the loudest and best thing they had worked on at that point.

Reception

The single reached No. 32 on the UK Singles Chart, and was panned by both Melody Maker and NME. The Beastie Boys, guest reviewing for NME, suggested the record would sound better played at 33rpm instead of 45. The low chart placing came as a confidence blow for the band, who were £60,000 in debt. Food Records boss Andy Ross later said "we were totally devastated ... we thought it was a brilliant single." The band have since said that the popularity of American grunge music contributed to the single's failure, as they felt the song had a very British feel. Guitarist Graham Coxon said "It was Nirvana that really fucked 'Popscene' up."

Sylvia Patterson from Smash Hits rated the song two out of five. She wrote: "[The song] starts off like the Inspiral Carpets in a car crash and ends up exactly like Mancunian punk-poppers from yesteryear The Buzzcocks. A bizarre commotion from hell. Not very good either."

The experience of recording "Popscene" led the band to believe they should simply play music in their own style and not worry about trends. The "Britishness" of "Popscene" carried over to the group's second album, Modern Life Is Rubbish. The song was not released on the British version of the album, though it was added as an extra track in the United States and Japan. In Australia, "Popscene" was not released until 1998, when it was issued as a double A-side with "On Your Own"; it reached No. 69 on the ARIA Singles Chart.

The song has since become a fan favourite and is still performed live. Retrospective critical reaction to "Popscene" has been positive. Jonathan Holden, writing in the Rough Guide To Rock, declared the single to be "excellent" and that its "punky, energetic and brass-fulfilled pop" was out of place in 1992. John Harris considers the track as one of the first ever Britpop songs, and a starting point for the movement. The song had never been included on a UK Blur album, until 2009 when it was released on the compilation Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur.

Track listings

All songs were written by Albarn, Coxon, James and Rowntree. 7-inch and cassette

  1. "Popscene" – 3:12
  2. "Mace" – 3:24

12-inch

  1. "Popscene" – 3:12
  2. "I'm Fine" – 3:01
  3. "Mace" – 3:24
  4. "Garden Central" – 5:58 CD
  5. "Popscene" – 3:12
  6. "Mace" – 3:24
  7. "Badgeman Brown" – 4:47

Production credits

Charts

::data[format=table] | Chart (1992) | Peak position | |---|---| ::

::data[format=table] | Chart (1998) | Peak position | Australia (ARIA) with "On Your Own" | |---|---|---| | 69 | | | ::

References

Bibliography

References

  1. (28 March 1992). "New Releases: Singles".
  2. Molanphy, Chris. (May 12, 2023). "Champagne Supernova Edition". [[Slate (magazine).
  3. Bradley, Larry. (November 4, 2014). "The Alternative Jukebox". [[Cassell (publisher).
  4. Patterson, Sylvia. (1 April 1992). "New singles".
  5. Blegg, Doug. (13 January 2012). "The Dust Bin : Blur 'Popscene' (video)". Death and Taxes Magazine.
  6. (21 May 2009). "Blur to release comeback compilation". The Guardian.
  7. Wade, Ian. (2009). "Review of Blur – Midlife". BBC Music.
  8. Ryan, Gavin. (2011). "Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010". Moonlight Publishing.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

1992-singles1998-singlesblur-(band)-songssongs-about-pop-musicsongs-written-by-damon-albarnsongs-written-by-graham-coxonsongs-written-by-alex-james-(musician)songs-written-by-dave-rowntree1992-songsfood-records-singles