I’m back in uni! Yaaaaaaaaaay.

The three weeks back at home were good, well they were okay. It was nice being with the family but it did get very dull within a few days. Home just doesn’t compare to university. I am sorry, sis.

“Country Sad Ballad Man” is the third track from Blur’s self-titled album from 1997. Blur decided that they were done with the whole ‘Britpop’ scene by this time, and instead wanted to make some standard indie rock, Pavement influenced material instead of the character narratives that Damon Albarn had written for the last three albums.

I listened to “Blur” the whole way through during the late summer last year. I was lying in bed and was starting to fall asleep but I do remember hearing this tune. Coming after “Beetlebum” and “Song 2”, the first and second singles which I knew inside and out, “Country Sad” was the first that left me in the place where I had no idea what was going to come next.

It takes quite some time to start. A steady, ticking drum beat along with an mouth harp start things off sluggishly, and then the deep bass and almost mono-aural guitar comes in. It all sounds very enclosed and compact. Damon alternates his pitch going from high to sounding weary and tired, whilst singing about self-pity and isolating himself from society. Entertaining stuff.

Weary and tired is very much the atmosphere that “Country Sad” achieves; that is until Graham suddenly brings in the guitars for the last minute or so which raises spirits for a bit but in the end, this song is not one to listen to if you want to make yourself feel better about something.

If you’re disappointed with my ‘thesis’ on the song, here are some funny arrangements that you can change title too:

“Country Bad Salad Man”
“Country Mad Ballad-San”
“Country Mad Salad Ban”

………Those aren’t funny.