"Song 2" is a song by English rock band Blur. It is the second song on their eponymous fifth studio album. Released physically on 7 April 1997, "Song 2" peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and number four on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. In the United States, it peaked at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart and number six on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. "Song 2" is certified triple platinum in the United Kingdom.

At the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, "Song 2" was nominated for Best Group Video, and Best Alternative Video. At the 1998 Brit Awards, the song was nominated for Best British Single, and Best British Video. In 1998, BBC Radio 1 listeners voted "Song 2" the 15th Best Track Ever. In 2011, NME placed it number 79 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".

Background

According to Graham Coxon, "Song 2" was intended to be a joke on the record company. Damon Albarn had recorded an acoustic demo of the song which was slower and contained the song's distinctive "woo-hoo" chorus in whistle form. Coxon then suggested that they increase the speed and perform the song loudly, with Coxon deliberately seeking out an amateurish guitar sound. From there, Coxon told Albarn to tell the record company that they wanted to release the song as a single to "blow the flipping record labels' heads off". The song is two minutes and two seconds long, with two verses, two choruses and a hook featuring Albarn yelling "woo-hoo!" as the distorted bass comes in. It is the second song on Blur's self-titled album, as well as Blur: The Best Of, and was the second single released from the former album. while others state that it was a parody of radio hits and the music industry with a punk rock chorus.

Genres and influences

Musically, the song has been labelled alternative rock, indie rock, or punk rock. PopMatters described the song as a "[pastiche] [of] Seattle grunge and grubby lo-fi indie rock". Rolling Stone Australia called it "frankly grunge-flavoured".

Critical reception and legacy

A reviewer from Music Week wrote: "This punky, new wavathon is more immediate than most of the cuts from their new album and all the better for the catchy 'woo-hoo' bits." David Sinclair from The Times noted "the American garageband banging and crashing" of the song. The song's intro has been called Graham Coxon's "finest moment". NME ranked "Song 2" at number two on its end-of-year list of the Top 20 Singles of 1997, and later listed it as one of the best songs from the 1990s. It was also ranked number two on Triple J's Hottest 100 for 1997 in Australia. The song has become a fixture in sports stadiums.

Commercial performance

In the UK, "Song 2" reached number two on the UK Singles Chart.

Live performances

On 20 October 2018, at the Demon Dayz Fest LA, Damon Albarn's other well-known band Gorillaz played the familiar "Song 2" theme but in characteristic Gorillaz style with dub/funk elements. While recognition was still dawning on the audience, Graham Coxon joined Gorillaz onstage and launched into his original riff before he and Gorillaz went on to perform the classic arrangement to an enthusiastic reception. Albarn played "Song 2" at the end of his only 2022 US solo performance to promote The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows. Before he began, Albarn commented that he was asked if he'd perform the song by Los Angeles Times journalist Mikael Wood, "before [Wood] cast [Albarn] into the social media abyss".

Track listings

All music was composed by Albarn, Coxon, James and Rowntree. All lyrics were written by Albarn.

UK CD1

  1. "Song 2" – 2:02
  2. "Get Out of Cities" – 4:02
  3. "Polished Stone" – 2:42

UK CD2

  1. "Song 2" – 2:02
  2. "Bustin' + Dronin'" – 6:13
  3. "Country Sad Ballad Man" – 4:59

UK 7-inch single and Italian CD single

  1. "Song 2" – 2:02
  2. "Get Out of Cities" – 4:02

French CD single

  1. "Song 2" – 2:02
  2. "Country Sad Ballad Man" – 4:41
  3. "On Your Own" – 4:10

Australian CD single

  1. "Song 2" – 2:02
  2. "Get Out of Cities" – 4:02
  3. "Polished Stone" – 2:42
  4. "Bustin' + Dronin'" – 6:13

Japanese mini-album

  1. "Song 2" – 2:02
  2. "Get Out of Cities" – 4:02
  3. "Polished Stone" – 2:42
  4. "Bustin' + Dronin'" – 6:13
  5. "Beetlebum" – 5:07
  6. "Beetlebum" – 5:07
  7. "Country Sad Ballad Man" – 4:59
  8. "On Your Own" – 4:26

Personnel

  • Damon Albarn – vocals
  • Graham Coxon – guitar, additional drums

|15

|-

!scope="row"|Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)

|3

|-

|-

!scope="row"|Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)

|12

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ 2013 weekly chart performance for "Song 2"

! scope="col"| Chart (2013)

! scope="col"| Peak<br />position

|-

|}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ 2023 weekly chart performance for "Song 2"

! scope="col"| Chart (2023)

! scope="col"| Peak<br />position

|-

!scope="row"|Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)

|14

|}

Year-end charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ Year-end chart performance for "Song 2"

! scope="col"| Chart (1997)

! scope="col"| Position

|-

!scope="row"|Australia (ARIA)

|42

|-

!scope="row"|Brazil (Crowley)

|82

|-

!scope="row"|Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)

|2

|-

!scope="row"|Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)

|54

|-

!scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)

|111

|-

!scope="row"|US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)

|97

|-

!scope="row"|US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)

|14

|}

Certifications

Release history

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

!scope="col"|Region

!scope="col"|Date

!scope="col"|Format(s)

!scope="col"|Label(s)

!scope="col"|

|-

!scope="row"|United States

|17 February 1997

|Alternative radio

|Virgin

|

|-

!scope="row"|United Kingdom

|7 April 1997

|

|rowspan="2"|

|

|-

!scope="row"|Japan

|8 May 1997

|CD

|

|}

Covers and sampling

In 1997, Electronic Arts used "Song 2" as the intro theme for the SEGA Saturn and Sony PlayStation versions of their soccer game FIFA: Road to World Cup 98. It was the first time a licensed song appeared in an EA Sports title. EA's European marketing executive Tom Stone recalled in 2023 that the company contacted the band about the rights to "Song 2", and Albarn agreed on the condition that the band receive free tickets to the 1998 FIFA World Cup final. The song also appeared in advertisements for Starship Troopers the same year.

My Chemical Romance played the song at BBC Radio 1. The cover was later featured on the album "Radio 1's Live Lounge", released on 11 October 2006.

In 2010, Japanese rock band The Brilliant Green covered the song on their album Blackout.

Big Time Rush's 2012 single "Windows Down" includes samples of "Song 2".

In 2014, Imagine Dragons played "Song 2" at Lollapalooza Brazil and again in 2016 at Reading Festival.

In 2024, the song was heavily sampled by UK Hip-Hop artist Jeshi in his track "Total 90", which was featured during ITV Sport's coverage of England's Euro 2024 semi-final.

In 2026, The Electric Mayhem covered the song for the soundtrack to the thrill ride Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

References