1990 saw the end of an era--- the reign of Margaret Thatcher as prime minister had finally concluded. Thatcher was the archetype conservative leader; she has been described as the philosophic soul mate of Ronald Reagan. She strongly encouraged and created a capitalist economy that favoured big business. Thatcher found no relevance in issues of society. Her partnership with Ronald Reagan brought together two conservative nations. Their free-market enthusiasm and ire for communism made them the perfect pair; Thatcher even allowed the U.S. to station missiles in the UK during the cold war. For a generation of Americans and Britons tired of conservative rule, the outlook of the future became grim and torpid for the American youth or buoyant in the hands of the youth in Great Britain.
America found its future with Seattle based Grunge bands. The apathetic attitude toward society found its niche with an American generation. The popularity of Grunge inhibited the success of bands of a differing genre. It began to infiltrate the global airwaves. Britain already felt constricted by the invasion of foreign ideology, now the British culture was threatened by America. Brett Anderson of Suede claimed, “‘ You’re hit head-on in this world by this huge rush of Americana. The whole world is culturally devoured by America.’” 1 Damon Albarn found Grunge to be culturally irrelevant to English life. The extraneous message of Grunge and its invasion into English life became a cultural embodiment of the political discontent in England.
The increasing desire to rid the United Kingdom of Grunge came to a head in 1992. As the years progressed, the popularity of the ideas manifested in Britpop can be seen as a response to the political strife and the infiltration of foreign concepts into British policy.
England joined the European Community in 1973. The EU had slowly created and executed policies that would join its member nations into one market. The 1990 Dublin Summit marked the beginning of push for a single monetary unit of Europe. The idea for a single monetary unit was strongly opposed by then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher-- the Euro would eliminate national currency, and create a single economy for Europe, essentially creating a “United States of Europe” as phrased by Helmut Kohl. A few months after the Dublin Summit, “Thatcher surprises the City by announcing that the Sterling will join the exchange rate mechanism of the EMS. She is forced out of office a month later.” 2 The English were not ready to lose such a fundamental part of their national and social identity, even to integrate into a grand Europe.
The dithering integration of Europe appeared to be an undertone in the campaigns of Labour and Tory leaders following Thatcher’s departure. Both parties used messages of hope and nationalism to gain voters. Tory candidate John Major ran a “Back to Basics” campaign. He wanted to return to the conservatism that made Britain great. “‘ I want Britain to be seen as strong, not only in our eyes, but the eyes of others….’” 3 In a speech Major made to the Conservative Group for Europe he described the future of Britain as a “country of long shadows on country grounds, warm beer, invincible green suburbs….” 4 The clearly English characteristics Major spoke of are analogous to the Britpop manifesto.
Similarly, the Labour Party tried to appeal to the youth. The vision of the English future was in the hands of the youth. They made the 1992 party anthem “All Together Now” by popular acid-house band The Farm. “The Farm were very politically orientated, carrying a strong socialist message and were dubbed the 'Soul of Socialism'.”5 Margaret Thatcher privatised business in lieu of the socialist form of economy. Labour saw a need to return British companies to British government. “All Together Now” vocalised Labour’s desire to re-unite the U.K.
Between these two parties the foundation of Britpop can be found. The youth needed to re-establish their culture by finding inspiration in their innate surroundings and finding influence from bands of the past. These foundations run similar to the political campaigns of each party. Bands went “back to basics” by following the musical formula of The Beatles, The Kinks, and David Bowie, penning songs about the minutiae of life in England, and infusing the basic rock with Madchester dance beats. The youth were exhibiting hope for the future--- a future that was in their hands. There was only one problem---the popularity of American Grunge music.
The blatant angst and apathy resonant in Grunge music gave an American generation a voice. During Blur’s tour of the United States in 1992, the voice was clearly saying there was no room for an indie band from England. “‘ The youth had founds its voice,’ says Alex James, “And we were just wrong, wrong, wrong.’” 6 The dismal peregrination in the States manifested a longing for the familiarity of English life. Upon Blur’s homecoming the London group Suede found fame in songs about “quintessential britishness.” Brett Anderson, the lead singer for Suede, who had a “ fascination with London... and a propensity for singing in his own accent” 7Anderson saw the need for music to reflect his culture. Both Blur and Suede recognised the need to reclaim the British airwaves with songs about everyday British life.
The grim hope for the future and the apathetic brush-off of society are the essence of Grunge. Nirvana came to embody all things Grunge; lyrics of disillusionment and ennui overlying distorted guitars and quasi-punk musical arrangement. With lyrics like “I’m worse at what I do best”, “Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile”, and “Oh well, whatever, nevermind” “Smells Like Teen Spirit” became an anthem for a generation of self-loathing and apathy (not to mention it dominated global airwaves). The single peaked at number six on Billboard and reached number seven on the UK singles chart.
The songs common to Britpop (pre-Oasis) were masked with social commentary strictly adherent to English life; up-tempo electric beats reminiscent of the Madchester Rave scene of the late1980s, and an underlying message of optimism. Blur released Modern Life Is Rubbish in 1993. Damon Albarn “…toyed with idea of naming Blur’s next album England v. America.” The song “For Tomorrow” is the archetype for Britpop. The guitar hook, the catchy chorus of “La la la la...Holding on for tomorrow oh oh oh oh.” melodically characterise this as Britpop. The lyrics are of sanguinity and reference hackneyed life in London.
Musically Britpop was effervescent with catchy hooks and dance beats, although Oasis focused on three chord guitar riffs. Grunge featured mired guitar cloaked with distortion and feedback. Lyrics of Grunge music were usually delivered in yells, whereas the vocals of Britpop highlighted the singers English accent. There was also an entirely different outlook on the lyrical content. Grunge expressed lethargy and distress. Britpop was beguiling and hopeful. The B-side “I Hate Myself and Want to Die” released by Nirvana in 1994 contained lyrics such as “Broken heart and broken bones/Think of how a castrated horse feels/One more quirky clichéd phrase/You're the one I wanna refill” A few months later Oasis released a song entitled “Live Forever”. The contrast of “I Hate Myself and Want to Die” and “Live Forever” epitomise the conflict between Grunge and Britpop. “Live Forever” can be interpreted as an opposition to “I Hate Myself and Want to Die” and all that Grunge stood for. The ambiguity of hope and the embracement of life and love contrasts with obvious disdain for life and society ensconced in Grunge music.
"At the time . . . it was written in the middle of grunge and all that, and I remember Nirvana had a tune called 'I Hate Myself and I Want to Die', and I was like . . . 'Well, I'm not fucking having that.' As much as I fucking like him [Kurt Cobain] and all that shit, I'm not having that. I can't have people like that coming over here, on smack, fucking saying that they hate themselves and they wanna die. That's fucking rubbish.” 8
During and interview with a Life magazine journalist, Noel Gallagher, lead guitarist of Oasis, made the comment: “‘I hope the pair of them catch AIDS and die….’” (Harris 251) Them referring to Damon Albarn and Alex James of Blur. The zenith of Britpop saw a national struggle--- the chart battle of 1995, dubbed “The Battle of Britpop”. This “Battle” demonstrates the success of the origins of Britpop. Blur and Suede set out to eliminate the influence of Grunge in the UK. Now the battle was between London art schoolers Blur and Oasis, working class kids from Manchester who “just wanted to be as big as The Beatles”.9 The Battle of Britpop is emblematic of the victory of finding a national identity---there were now variations to what it was to be English.
The explosion of Britpop fostered a movement known as Cool Britannia. Not only was music relaying the mannerisms of “quintessential Englishness”, but film, fashion, and art became popular. London was now the city to liven in. “On 4 November, Newsweek ran a cover story headlined ‘London Rules.’ ‘London is a hip compromise between the nonstop newness of Los Angeles and the aspic-preserved beauty of Paris - sharpened to New York's edge.’”10 England was no longer the dreary country across the pond
Britpop was no longer a response to Grunge, or a collateral to the political discord, it was the foundation for political campaigns and policy. Tony Blair carried his 1997 campaign on the Cool Britannia movement. Britpop paved the way for Tony Blair to 10 Downing Street. It re-ignited an English pride being stifled by the conservatives. In 1994 the “government was moving ahead with its plans to encourage the creation of internal markets within the health system and to re-shape education…. more closely resembling American higher education.”11 The conflict of the transition to the Euro was seen as trifling. “Growth is up, inflation is down, and good news is all around in “Cool Britannia,” so why bother with the European Monetary Union now?”12
Britpop succeeded in “getting rid of grunge” in the UK and creating a British identity. At the apex of Britpop the “quintessential Englishness” was the identity to have and experience. By revamping music of the 1960s and adding everyday commentary to lyrics Blur, Suede, Oasis, and the other acts created the identity sought after by politicians, the youth, and Great Britain. The crusade against Grunge music embodied the political and social issues occurring in Great Britain before the conception Britpop. The movement at the surface was to abolish Grunge music in the U.K. but at the heart it brought unity and hope to a nation, struggling to find itself in the midst of conservative rule and impending integration.
1 p.36 Harris, John. Britpop! Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock. Cambridge: Da Capo, 2004.
2 Millar, Peter. "Britain: Does He Know Where He's Going?." The European (1997): 8+. SIRS.
3 p. 68 Harris, John. Britpop! Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock. Cambridge: Da Capo, 2004.
4 p. 69 Harris, John. Britpop! Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock. Cambridge: Da Capo, 2004.
5 "Famous Bands From Liverpool." BBC. BBC. 18 Mar 2008
6 p. 71 Harris, John. Britpop! Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock. Cambridge: Da Capo, 2004.
7 p. 36 Harris, John. Britpop! Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock. Cambridge: Da Capo, 2004.
8 "Lock the Door". Stop the Clocks [bonus DVD]. Columbia, 2006.
9 Youngs, Ian. "Looking Back at the Birth of Britpop." BBC 15 SEP 2005 1-3. 04 FEB 2008
10 p. 326 Harris, John. Britpop! Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock. Cambridge: Da Capo, 2004.
11 Cronin, James. "Britain:Steady Hands, Unsteady Course?." Current History (1994): 375-379. SIRS.
12 Bucholz, Todd. "I'm U.K., Euro Not!." Worth (1999): 83-84. SIRS.
