On this day in 1995, Blur emerge victorious in a chart battle that the media dubbed ‘The Battle of Britpop’.
Back in the early ’90s, Britain was giving birth to a brand new style of music that would eventually become dubbed ‘Britpop’ Characterised by catchier and more upbeat sound than its predominantly American cousin, alternative rock, Britpop would become one of the defining sounds of the ’90s.
While groups such as Pulp and Suede were often considered some of the genre’s biggest names, it was the intense rivalry between Blur and Oasis that would dominate much of the musical press.
As Oasis represented the working class area of Manchester, Blur tended to become popular in the trendier London scene, proving that it wasn’t just a musical rivalry that the two had, but also somewhat of a cultural one as well.
In August of 1995, the scene was set for a major battle. With the two bands getting ready to release their next record, August 14 happened to be the day that both acts would release a new single. With Blur’s ‘Country House’ and Oasis’ ‘Roll With It’ being prepped to hit the stores, this was set to determine once and for all just who the most popular of the two bands were.
In the end, Blur emerged victorious from the battle, with ‘Country House’ selling 274,000 copies compared to Oasis’ 216,000 with ‘Roll With It’, with both tracks occupying the top two spots on the English chart.
In the long term though, Oasis would become the more commercially successful of the two, with their record (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? selling 347,000 copies in its first week alone and setting them on a path towards longterm success. Blur, on the other hand, saw a huge amount of success with The Great Escape, but didn’t quite manage to achieve the level of global and longevity that Oasis did.
Check out Blur’s ‘Country House’:
