The Universal

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Not to be confused with the single called "The Universal" by Small Faces 1968.
“The Universal”
“The Universal” cover
Single by Blur
from the album The Great Escape
Released 13 November 1995
Format 7" vinyl (jukebox only), cassette, 2 x CD
Recorded 1995
Genre Britpop
Length 3:59
Label EMI, Food Records
Producer Stephen Street
Blur singles chronology
"Country House"
(1995)		 "The Universal"
(1995)		 "Stereotypes"
(1996)

"The Universal" is a song by British band Blur and is featured on their fourth studio album, The Great Escape. It was released 13 November 1995 as the second single from that album, charting at #5 in the UK Singles Chart (see 1995 in British music).

In keeping with the song's science fiction theme, the single's cover art is an allusion to the opening shot of 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the music video, directed by Jonathan Glazer, is a tribute to the movie A Clockwork Orange, with the band dressed up in costumes similar to Alex and his droogs. Both films were directed by Stanley Kubrick.

The song has increased in stature since its release; this is proved by it being voted second best of all Blur singles on blurtalk.com Singles Vote. In addition, on Rate Your Music the song is often in the Top 25 for 1995 as well as being in the Top 500 of all time.

Contents

[edit] Music video

The band is presented in imitation of the opening scenes from the 1971 film A Clockwork Orange. Blur star as the gang of Droogs, with Damon Albarn apparently as Alex (complete with the famous eyeliner makeup effect). They are dressed in off-white, much like the walls of the film's famous milk bar, which is fairly faithfully replicated. During the video they appear in two places, firstly slouching on a couch admiring the other patrons, and secondlly on the bar's stage performing the song.

The patrons in the milk bar differ from those in the film. They consist of different groups; a lone female executive-type entertains her male business colleagues by exploiting their sexual interest in her; two odd men entirely coloured red and blue conduct a stilted (subtitled) conversation; and two male colleagues – one of them in a priest in a vicar's dog collar – become increasingly drunk on cocktails, laughing more and more hysterically until a final shock moment...


The golf ball-shaped speaker featured in the video broadcasting across high-rise housing estates was sold in a charity auction in 1999.[1]

[edit] Track listings

  • CD1 CDFOODS69
  1. "The Universal"
  2. "Ultranol"
  3. "No Monsters in Me"
  4. "Entertain Me" (The Live It! remix)
  • CD2 CDFOOD69: "The Universal II - Live At The Beeb"
  1. "The Universal" (live)
  2. "Mr Robinson's Quango" (live)
  3. "It Could Be You" (live)
  4. "Stereotypes" (live)
  • Cassette TCFOOD69
  1. "The Universal"
  2. "Entertain Me" (The Live It! remix)
  • 7" FOODLH69
  1. "The Universal"
  2. "Entertain Me" (The Live It! remix)
  • Note: the 7" vinyl edition was pressed for use on jukeboxes and was not issued commercially.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Auction takes Blur back to their roots - BBC News Online

[edit] External links

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Blur
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