Song · Blur
“Beetlebum” by Blur
From the album Blur (1997)
“Beetlebum” by Blur appears on 10 radio countdowns from 4 stations between 1999 and 2025. It was first released in 1997 on the album Blur. Its best result is #55 on the Absolute Radio 100 Ultimate Britpop Anthems. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #5,356 alternative song of all time.
Watch
Video from YouTube (Blur). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Beetlebum" kicked off the self-titled Blur, the band's fifth album, as its lead single in 1997, and it sounds like a band deliberately sinking into the murk. Damon Albarn wrote the words about heroin and the drug experiences he shared with his then-girlfriend, Elastica's Justine Frischmann, and he pegged its mood as somewhere between sleepy and sexy; Rolling Stone later guessed the title nods to the phrase "chasing the beetle".
The music, credited to all four members, has a Beatles lean. Albarn sings and plays piano, Hammond organ, keyboards and acoustic guitar, Graham Coxon brings electric and acoustic guitar and backing vocals, Alex James plays bass and Dave Rowntree drums and percussion. Stephen Street produced, with John Smith engineering. For all the worry that it was too uncommercial, it entered the UK Singles Chart at number one, the band's second chart-topper.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1884 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 2000 |
| 2000 | 1885 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) | 2001 |
| 2001 | 1889 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) | 2002 |
| 2002 | 1874 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) | 2003 |
| 2003 | 1843 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) | 2004 |
| 2004 | 1844 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 2005 |
| 2005 | 499 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) | 500 |
| 2005 | 1834 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 1994 |
| 2023 | 711 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s | 893 |
| 2025 | 55 | Absolute Radio | Absolute Radio 100 Ultimate Britpop Anthems | 100 |
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Beetlebum" by Blur.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.