A BLUR SONG A DAY: Country House

So here it is, the chink in the armor. Now, honestly I think Country House is a fine Blur song. In fact, when they first debuted it at the Mile End concert (which was broadcast live on Radio 1) I loved it. I think it's the combination of the video and the song together that really makes this cringey. There's a redemptive part at the end when the camera pans out to show them playing a board game in a block of flats. That should've been the entire video. It would have been a bit subversive then (they're stuck in a council flat singing about country houses). But oh no, they had to get Keith Allen in to act out the song word for word.

Damien Hirst proves himself to be about as imaginative as a diamante skull as he not so cleverly interprets the lyrics into a craptastic video. I mean for serious?
"ooh they say country house, I'll show a country house, ahh herbal baths, better get those clawfoot tubs in, rat race you say? we'll have them playing Mousetrap"

There's a slew of cheeky English references, the Benny Hill chasing girls bit, Keith Allen's entire existence, Matt Lucas' bald head bobbing about...and perhaps the most heinous (and random) moment: Blur doing a Bohemian Rhapsody breakdown.

Alex looks well into it, he seems very enamored with the pig, and totally willing to pull the silly faces.
Dave looks happy just to be getting a bath.
Damon performs his front man duties with enthusiasm.
And I believe you can see the actual moment when Graham's soul is destroyed.

But, for all that, Country House is still a brilliant song if you just scrub any memory of the video from your mind.