My iPod #182: Blur - Chemical World

I undertook on a Blur marathon earlier this year. Putting my Premium Spotify account to good use, I decided to listen the band's discography. It was not a continuous action so marathon may not be the right word, but it took me a weekend to get from "Leisure" to "Think Tank". It was not just those original albums either; they included the bonus discs including B-Sides, demos and live material that accompanied each album as part of the "Blur 21" compilation. It was a lot of hours well spent. That 'event' also helped me to realise how much good music the band actually made. Before, I just had the Best Of compilation and thought that was fine, but the deep cuts are just as good. Buy albums. Compilations are useless. Blur is probably one of my favourite bands now, and it only took a weekend of their music to make me see the light.

That's enough of that.

"Chemical World" is a tune from the band's 'fuck you America' album "Modern Life Is Rubbish". It was also released as its second single in 1993.

Like many other songs I have on my iPod, this was one that I first heard/saw when its video played on MTV2. Then, I didn't think much of the song. That's how I feel with pretty much everything I listen to. But its chorus was quite memorable and embedded itself in my head, even though I had no idea what Damon was singing in the verses.

Fast forward a few years later and do what I describe in the opening paragraph, I couldn't wait for the song to start because it was the only song - apart from "For Tomorrow" that I would be familiar with. Well, that and "Sunday Sunday" but that's a different story.

Listening to the lyrics now, still not sure what it's about. I initially assumed it was a song about the environment seeing as it was called "Chemical World" and mentions of "putting the holes in". It may be about drugs - it's all very metaphorical.