The Universal Explained

The Universal
Cover:Blur - The Universal front single cover.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Blur
Album:The Great Escape
B-Side:
  • "Ultranol"
  • "No Monsters in Me"
  • "Entertain Me" (remix)
Genre:Pop[1]
Length:3:59
Label:
Composer:
Lyricist:Damon Albarn
Producer:Stephen Street
Prev Title:Country House
Prev Year:1995
Next Title:Stereotypes
Next Year:1996

"The Universal" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur and is featured on their fourth studio album, The Great Escape (1995). It was released on 13 November 1995 by Food and Parlophone as the second single from that album, charting at number five on the UK Singles Chart and number 12 in both Iceland and Ireland.

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.[2] Both films were directed by Stanley Kubrick.

Critical reception

Simon Williams from NME named the song Single of the Week, praising it as "rather brilliant". He wrote, "A ludicrously grandiose ballad that weeps spiritual buckets and sweeps the same swish floor as 'This Is a Low'. It's exotic! It has strings and things! It will turn your hard bastard spine into vodka jelly when they play it in an arena near you at Crimbo! And — crucially — it ends like 'The Orinoco Song' by The Wombles. As all songs should."[3]

Music video

A music video for the song was directed by English film director and screenwriter Jonathan Glazer.[4] The band is presented in imitation of the opening scenes from the 1971 film A Clockwork Orange, in the Milk Bar. Blur star as the quasi-Droogs, complete with Damon Albarn wearing eyeliner similar to the character Alex DeLarge.[2] They perform in the bar in all-white. Though the band do not engage in their usual vibrant stage demeanour, Damon Albarn frequently turns to the camera and gives a sly, crooked smile. Graham Coxon spends the majority of the video sitting against the wall, while playing his guitar. They also spend some time during the video sitting at a table, watching the people around them.[2]

The bar patrons consist of different groups; a male with two females are openly kissing. The man has lipstick all over his face; a lone female entertains male business colleagues by exploiting their sexual interest in her; two men, one identified as a 'red man' (dressed entirely in red) who used to be 'blue', conduct a stilted (subtitled) conversation; two other men – one of them wearing a vicar's clerical collar – become increasingly drunk on cocktails, laughing more and more hysterically until the clergyman tells his friend something to which the viewer is not privy, causing his friend to withdraw into stunned silence (a device similar to that used in Radiohead's promotional video for the song "Just" in the same year). There are also two old men who make a few comments (again subtitled) marvelling at the scene. Blur then walk down the aisle to exit the building. Damon Albarn stops them, then the clergyman moves in to kiss his friend.There are also scenes outside, showing high rise buildings, where people are gathered around a golf ball speaker atop a roof, listening.

The golf ball-shaped speaker featured in the video was purchased by Garth Crooks in a charity auction in 1999.[5]

Track listings

All music was composed by Albarn, Coxon, James, and Rowntree. All lyrics were written by Albarn.

  1. "The Universal" – 4:00
  2. "Ultranol" – 2:42
  3. "No Monsters in Me" – 3:38
  4. "Entertain Me" (The Live It! remix) – 7:19
  1. "The Universal" – 4:11
  2. "Mr Robinson's Quango" – 4:17
  3. "It Could Be You" – 3:17
  4. "Stereotypes" – 3:12
  1. "The Universal" – 3:53
  2. "Entertain Me" (The Live It! remix) – 7:14
  1. "The Universal" – 4:00
  2. "It Could Be You" (live at the BBC) – 3:17
  3. "Stereotypes" (live at the BBC) – 3:12
  4. "Entertain Me" (The Live It! remix) – 7:19

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1995–1996)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[12] 104
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[13] 31
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[14] 12

Year-end charts

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United Kingdom13 November 1995[16]
Japan20 December 1995CD[17]

Cover versions

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Stephen Thomas. Erlewine. The 25 most essential Blur songs. The A.V. Club. May 4, 2024. May 5, 2024.
  2. News: From Blur To Bowie, 18 Ingenious Music Moments Inspired By Stanley Kubrick Movies . 18 September 2019 . NME.
  3. Simon. Williams. Singles. NME. 11 November 1995. 43. 22 March 2024.
  4. Web site: Blur – "The Universal [version 1]" |publisher=mvdbase.com |access-date=28 June 2010 |archive-date=14 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514094127/http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=3747 |url-status=dead ].
  5. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/442694.stm Auction takes Blur back to their roots
  6. The Universal. Blur. 1995. UK CD1 liner notes. Food Records, Parlophone. CDFOODS 69, 7243 8 82554 2 4.
  7. The Universal. Blur. 1995. Australian CD single liner notes. EMI Records. 8 82554 2.
  8. The Universal. Blur. 1995. UK CD2 liner notes. Food Records, Parlophone. CDFOOD 69, 7243 8 82557 2 1.
  9. The Universal. Blur. 1995. UK cassette single sleeve. Food Records, Parlophone. TC FOOD 69.
  10. The Universal. Blur. 1995. European CD single liner notes. Food Records, Parlophone. 7243 8 82559 2 9.
  11. The Universal. Blur. 1995. Japanese CD single liner notes. Food Records, EMI Music Japan. TOCP-8770.
  12. Web site: Blur chart history, received from ARIA on 16 February 2022. Imgur.com. 21 June 2024. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column indicates the release's peak on the national chart.
  13. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 12. 48. 11. 2 December 1995. 30 June 2020.
  14. News: Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (9.12. '95 – 15.12. '95). Dagblaðið Vísir. is. 58. 9 December 1995. 5 November 2019.
  15. Top 100 Singles 1995. Music Week. 9. 13 January 1996.
  16. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 31. 11 November 1995. 29 June 2021.
  17. Web site: ユニバーサル ブラー. Universal Blur. Oricon. ja. 20 January 2024.