3 Beloved Britpop Songs That Helped To Define the Genre

In the 1990s, music thrived. There were new genres of music bubbling up and solidifying all over the place. In the Pacific Northwest, there was grunge. In Southern California, there was Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s version of “gangsta” rap. And in England, there was Britpop, the bright form of rock music that was made famous by groups like Oasis and Blur.

Here below, we wanted to explore three songs from the musical style that helped define the genre. A trio of beloved tracks that have since stood the test of time and continue to keep the sound alive. Indeed, these are three popular Britpop songs that helped define the style.

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“Supersonic” by Oasis from Definitely Maybe (1994)

The song that put the British-born band Oasis on the map. This was the group’s debut single released on their debut album, the 1994 offering Definitely Maybe. Those who saw the band’s 2016 documentary Oasis: Supersonic know the story: The band needed a single and so Noel Gallagher went into a room by himself and wrote the song in a matter of minutes. Then the band recorded it in a day and boom, they had a hit. Sometimes pressure can really make diamonds. And on the track, Noel’s brother, lead vocalist Liam Gallagher, sings,

I need to be myself
I can’t be no one else
I’m feeling supersonic, give me gin and tonic
You can have it all, but how much do you want it?
You make me laugh
Give me your autograph
Can I ride with you in your BMW?
You can sail with me in my yellow submarine

“Girls & Boys” by Blur from Parklife (1994)

Before Damon Albarn was writing songs with his cartoonish band Gorillaz, he was fronting the Britpop group Blur. This song was the band’s debut single from their third album Parklife, released in 1994. The song was inspired by a vacation where Albarn noticed lots of men and women flirting and being physical with one another. And that very much came through on the song. And on it, Albarn sings,

Street’s like a jungle
So call the police
Following the herd
Down to Greece
On holiday
Love in the nineties
Is paranoid
On sunny beaches
Take your chances
Looking for

Girls who want boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they’re girls
Who do girls like they’re boys
Always should be someone you really love

“Common People” by Pulp from Different Class (1995)

Another song driven by the idea of passion and physical contact, this song from Pulp hit No. 2 on the UK Singles chart. If it were released in another decade it might be called new wave music. But as it was out around the same time as Blur and Oasis, it got put together with the Britpop label. But a rose by any other name would sound as sweet, no? And on this song, Pulp’s lead singer Jarvis Cocker offers,

She came from Greece, she had a thirst for knowledge
She studied sculpture at Saint Martin’s College
That’s where I
Caught her eye
She told me that her Dad was loaded
I said, “In that case, I’ll have rum and Coca-Cola.”
She said, “Fine”
And then in thirty-seconds time she said

“I wanna live like common people
I wanna do whatever common people do
Wanna sleep with common people
I wanna sleep with common people like you.”
Well, what else could I do?
I said, “I’ll… I’ll see what I can do.”

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