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“Song 2”
Single by Blur from the album Blur
Released	7 April 1997
Format	7" vinyl, CD
Recorded	1997
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	2:00
Label	Food Virgin Records America
Producer	Stephen Street
Blur singles chronology
"Beetlebum" (1997) "Song 2" (1997) "On Your Own" (1997)

"Song 2" is a song by Blur, and the second single released from their fifth album Blur in April 1997. It is among the most well-known songs the band has recorded, particularly in the United States, where it remains their biggest hit to date. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... This is an album cover. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Blur were an English rock band that formed in Colchester in 1989. ... Blur is the fifth album by Blur, first release in 1997. ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... In music, a single is a short (usually ten minutes or less) record, usually featuring one or two tracks as A-sides, often accompanied by several B-sides—usually remixes or other songs. ... A CD single is a music single in the form of a compact disc. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Alternative music redirects here. ... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Virgin Records was a British recording label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, and Nik Powell in 1972. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Stephen Street is a music producer best known for his work with The Smiths in the 1980s and Blur in the 1990s. ... Blur were an English rock band that formed in Colchester in 1989. ... Beetlebum is a song by English band Blur and was released as the lead single from the bands eponymous fifth album, Blur. ... On Your Own is a song by Blur. ... Blur were an English rock band that formed in Colchester in 1989. ... Blur is the fifth album by Blur, first release in 1997. ...

The song is said to be a tribute to Bob Nastanovich's role in seminal indie rock band Pavement (possibly to his many yells on Pavement songs and live shows), but bears more similarity to Nirvana-like grunge, of which some consider it to be a parody^[1]. Bob Nastanovich was the auxiliary musician in the indie band Pavement (band). ... Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music often used to refer to bands that are on small independent record labels or that arent on labels at all. ... Pavement was an American indie rock band in the 1990s. ... This article is about the American grunge band. ... Grunge music (sometimes also referred to as the Seattle Sound) is an independent-rooted music genre that became a commercially successful offshoot of hardcore punk, thrash metal, and alternative rock in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ...

Information

Damon Albarn stated at the song's debut live performance at the RDS in Dublin in June 1996 that "This one's called 'Song 2', 'cos we haven't got a name for it yet". The working title ended up sticking. Coincidences surrounding the number two eventually became associated with the song: it was the second track on the album, was the second single from the album to be released, and reached #2 in the UK singles chart, is exactly two minutes long, (Two minutes and two seconds on iTunes, but the coincidence still stands, moreso) and is also the 2nd track on their compilation Blur: The Best of. Further, the song placed #2 on Triple J's Hottest 100 for 1997 in Australia. Damon Albarn, (born March 23, 1968 in Leytonstone, London), is an English singer-songwriter who gained fame as the lead singer and keyboard player of rock band Blur. ... The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) was founded in 1731 by members of the Dublin Philosophical Society in their Trinity College Dublin rooms as the Dublin Society. ... For other uses, see Dublin (disambiguation). ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... “British Hit Singles” redirects here. ... This article is about the iTunes application. ... Blur: The Best of is a greatest hits compilation by Blur released on CD, cassette tape, MiniDisc, double 12 vinyl record, DVD and VHS. The CD album includes 18 of Blurs 23 singles from 1990 to 2000. ... Double J redirects here. ... The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual text message or internet based poll of the listeners of the Australian youth radio station Triple J, to determine their favourite song of the year. ...

Reception

In the UK, "Song 2" built upon the success of Blur's prior #1 single "Beetlebum", reaching, fittingly enough, #2 in the charts. It was also the band's biggest hit in the USA, reaching #6 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks. Though it is decidedly atypical of Blur's trademark style, in America it is the song most closely associated with the band. Beetlebum is a song by English band Blur and was released as the lead single from the bands eponymous fifth album, Blur. ... Billboard can refer to: Billboard magazine Billboard (advertising) Billboard antenna In 3D computer graphics, to billboard is to rotate an object so that it faces the viewer. ... Modern Rock Tracks is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American...

The song became quite popular upon its release in 1997 on college and modern rock radio stations in the USA. Due to its catchy chorus, mainly the word "Woohoo", it has been licensed worldwide on numerous occasions. Its first and most notable appearance came as the title music for the hit video game FIFA '98. It has been used in numerous advertisements, including commercials for the Pentium II, the Nissan Sentra, television spots for the film Starship Troopers, and is often heard in football (soccer), ice hockey, and baseball stadiums when goals or runs are scored. For one season, the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League played this song every time they scored a goal in a home game. The Carolina League's Wilmington Blue Rocks play the song each time a run is scored while one of their mascots, Mr. Celery, dances on the field.^[2] The song also gained recognition in Canada, as the theme for the Labatt Brewing Company. Famously, the American military requested to use the track at the launch of a new stealth bomber ^[3], but the band refused to allow this, as Albarn is an anti-war campaigner. ^{[4] [5]} The song also features in the Episode "Stanley's Cup" (Season 10, Episode 14) of the sitcom South Park. Modern rock is term commonly used to describe a rock music format found on American commercial radio. ... Intel Pentium II Logo The Pentium II is an x86 architecture microprocessor by Intel, introduced on May 7, 1997. ... Starship Troopers is a 1997 film directed by Paul Verhoeven, written by Edward Neumeier, and starring Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer and Denise Richards. ... Soccer redirects here. ... Ice hockey, known simply as hockey in areas where it is more common than field hockey, is a team sport played on ice. ... This article is about the sport. ... The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... NHL redirects here. ... The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic region of the United States. ... The Wilimington Blue Rocks are a minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, previously Kansas City Royals. ... Labatt Brewing Company Ltd. ...

Video

The video for this song was directed by Sophie Muller, and it features the band playing in a small, secluded room with loud speakers behind them. During the choruses a strong wind seems to blow in the room. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Cover versions

The song has been covered by a number of artists, including:

• During live performances by American bands Weezer, Wallflowers and Plain White T's.
• Plain White T's recorded a version which is on the Fearless Records compilation Punk Goes 90s.
• Neo-Nazi band Kremator does a cover called Song 88.
• AFI covered the song as the traditional first song of MTV's 2007 New Years special.
• My Chemical Romance for Radio 1's Live Lounge.
• British rapper Plan B covers the song during his live performance, adding in his own rapping verse before the first proper verse of the song.
• French bands Dionysos and Louise Attaque covered the song during Taratata (TV). You can also find a concert performance on their live DVD's: Y'a-t-il quelqu'un ici from Louise Attaque and Monsters in Live from Dionysos
• Brock Landers sampled the songs with his dance songs S.M.D.U.
• The German Punk Band Die Toten Hosen played this song on their 2005 concert "Heimspiel" in Düsseldorf.
• By David Desrosiers, Matt Brann and Craig Wood In An Avril Lavigne's Show.
• By Earl Okin on his 2002 CD Sex Symbol & Musical Genius

This video bears striking resemblances to Blur's video for Popscene. For the albums, see Weezer (1994 album) and Weezer (2001 album). ... The Wallflowers formed in 1990, in Los Angeles, California. ... Plain White Ts are a rock band, originating from Lombard, Illinois. ... Plain White Ts are a rock band, originating from Lombard, Illinois. ... Fearless Records is a punk rock-oriented record label that, according to their website, has been signing artists since 1994. ... Punk Goes 90s is the latest compilation of the Punk Goes. ... AFI, in recent years short for A Fire Inside, is an American band from Ukiah, California. ... My Chemical Romance are an American rock band formed in 2001. ... Foo Fighters - DOA Arctic Monkeys - Love Machine (originally by Girls Aloud) Snow Patrol - Run The Kooks - Crazy (originally by Gnarls Barkley) Razorlight - Golden Touch Corinne Bailey Rae - Munich (originally by Editors) The Automatic - Gold Digger (originally by Kanye West, featuring Jamie Foxx) Editors - All Sparks Boy Kill Boy - Maneater (originally... Plan B (real name Ben Drew, b. ... Bacchus by Caravaggio Dionysus, the name of a god, is occasionally confused with one of several historical figures named Dionysius. ... Louise Attaque is a French musical group founded in 1994. ... Andreas Frege (Campino) Andreas Meurer (Andi) Andreas von Holst (Kuddel) Kuddel and Andi Die Toten Hosen is a German punk band from Düsseldorf. ... David Philippe Desrosiers (August 29, 1980) is a Québécois musician best known as the bassist and backing vocalist for pop punk band Simple Plan. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Avril Lavigne Whibley,[7] better known by her birth name of Avril Lavigne (IPA: ), (born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian rock/punk-pop singer, musician and actress. ... Earl Okin (1947) is a London musician best known for his Bossa Nova interpretations of Jazz and Pop standards. ... This article is about the song by Blur. ...

Track listing

• 7" FOOD93

1. "Song 2"
2. "Get Out of Cities"

• CD1 CDFOODS93

1. "Song 2"
2. "Get Out of Cities"
3. "Polished Stone"

• CD2 CDFOOD93

1. "Song 2"
2. "Bustin' + Dronin'"
3. "Country Sad Ballad Man (Acoustic Live Version)"

• International CD

1. "Song 2"
2. "Get Out of Cities"
3. "Polished Stone"
4. "Bustin' + Dronin'"

Chart positions

“British Hit Singles” redirects here. ... Modern Rock Tracks is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. ... The Mainstream Rock Tracks chart is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music but are not modern rock (that is, alternative) stations, which are counted in the Modern Rock Tracks chart. ... The Hot 100 Airplay is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. ...

References

1. ^ allmusic
2. ^ [1]Wilmington Blue Rocks
3. ^ [2] - Strange News From Another Star
4. ^ Britpop rebel with a cause says no new nukes - The Guardian
5. ^ Massive Effort! - nme.com