End of a Century

Last updated

"End of a Century"
End of a Century.jpg
Single by Blur
from the album Parklife
B-side
  • "Red Necks"
  • "Alex's Song"
Released7 November 1994 (1994-11-07)
Genre Britpop
Length2:46
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Stephen Street
Blur singles chronology
"Parklife"
(1994)		"End of a Century"
(1994)		"Country House"
(1995)
Music video
"End of a Century" on YouTube

"End of a Century" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur. Released in November 1994 by Food Records, it was the last single to be released from their third album, Parklife (1994). The song reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart, considered a disappointment by Andy Ross of Food. [1] Damon Albarn later stated that "End of a Century" may not have been the best choice for the album's fourth single, and that "This Is a Low" would have been a better alternative.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Lyrical content

Damon Albarn stated that the song is about "how couples get into staying in and staring at each other. Only instead of candle-light, it's the TV light." The opening line, "she said there's ants in the carpet", refers to an infestation of ants that Albarn and his then-girlfriend Justine Frischmann suffered in their then-home in Kensington. [1] The lyrics seem to emphasise the then upcoming millennium change and the fact that people contemplate the future rather than take care of the present.[ citation needed ] Producer Stephen Street saw the song as "Damon getting the art of songwriting really sorted". [1]

Critical reception

Terry Staunton from Melody Maker wrote, "The fourth gem from Parklife in this, the year of the Blur. Forging the best bits of mid-era Beatles with wry Ray Davies observation, this has more charm than a lorryload of Lucy Claytons and should sound fantastic on the radio." [2]

Music video

The video is a live performance recorded at Alexandra Palace.[ citation needed ] As with their later video to "Tender", it uses the audio track of the live performance, rather than overdubbing the audio of the studio take.

Track listings

  1. "End of a Century" (Albarn, Coxon, James and Rowntree; lyrics by Albarn) – 2:47
  2. "Red Necks" (Albarn, Coxon, James, Rowntree; lyrics by Coxon) – 3:04
  1. "End of a Century" (Albarn, Coxon, James, Rowntree; lyrics by Albarn) – 2:47
  2. "Red Necks" (Albarn, Coxon, James, Rowntree; lyrics by Coxon) – 3:04
  3. "Alex's Song" (James) – 2:42

Personnel

Charts

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
United Kingdom7 November 1994
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 [13]
Japan21 December 1994Mini-CD
 [14]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Cavanagh, David; Stuart Maconie (July–August 1995). "How did they do that?". Select.
  2. ↑ Staunton, Terry (5 November 1994). "Singles". Melody Maker . p. 42. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  3. ↑ Blur (1994). End of a Century (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Parlophone, Food Records. FOODS 56.
  4. ↑ Blur (1994). End of a Century (UK cassette single sleeve). Parlophone, Food Records. TCFOOD 56.
  5. ↑ Blur (1994). End of a Century (UK, European & Australian CD single liner notes). Parlophone, Food Records. CDFOOD56, 7243 8 81823 2 4.
  6. ↑ Blur (1994). End of a Century (Japanese mini-CD single liner notes). Parlophone, Food Records. TODP-2488.
  7. ↑ "Blur – End of a Century" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  8. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 11, no. 48. 26 November 1994. p. 15. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  9. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (25.6. '95 – 1.7. '95)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 24 June 1995. p. 26. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  10. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  11. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  12. ↑ "Árslistinn 1996". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1996. p. 16. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  13. ↑ "Single Releases". Music Week . 5 November 1994. p. 23.
  14. ↑ "エンド・オブ・ア・センチュリー | ブラー" [End of a Century | Blur] (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved 20 January 2024.
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