Britpop is the name given to the music of several British groups who became successful in the mid-1990s, and whose music consciously pays homage to British groups of the 1960s such as the BEATLES, the KINKS and the WHO. The main Britpop bands are OASIS, who refer back to the Beatles; Blur, whose idols are the Kinks; and Pulp, who are more influenced by the early 1970s, glam-rock sounds of David BOWIE. All these bands demonstrate a strong awareness of British identity in the lyrics and musical style of their songs, and in their sense of dress. While some critics regard the Britpop bands, especially Oasis, as unimaginative and derivative, others have hailed Britpop as a renaissance of the British “beat” groups who, starting with the Beatles, took America by storm in the 1960s. Some are also of the opinion that the term “Britpop” actually means very little in itself and is merely a handy marketing label.
In the 1960s, British beat groups developed their own pop music based on American rock’n’roll and rhythm and blues, but also incorporated elements of British street style. For example, in their early days the Beatles dressed in a “mod” style—with collarless suits and long hair—a fashion that was unknown in America until that time. Meanwhile, the Kinks, the Who, and the Small Faces pointedly sang in British accents, often making reference to British places and lifestyles in their songs. The Kinks and the Small Faces in particular were exaggeratedly English, while observing the changes in, and anachronisms of the English class system. For example, the Kinks sported the red hunting jackets of the English upper class while their number one single “Sunny Afternoon” wryly described the descent of an aristocrat bankrupted by the tax man. Similarly, the Small Faces gently poked fun at the generation gap among the English working class in “Lazy Sunday Afternoon.”
Two decades later, in a reaction against the dominant, highly Americanised sound of grunge groups such as NIRVANA and Pearl Jam, bands like Oasis and Blur offered a distinctly English image and sound—rooted in the 1960s but updated for the 1990s. Several strands within British youth culture also contributed to the emergence of Britpop: the rebellious minimalism of 1970s punk rock; the early 1990s’ trend for rapid recycling of fashions from the 1960s and 1970s; and the perennial interest of art-school bands like Blur in sociological observation.
Oasis presented an image of the beer-drinking, soccer-loving “new lad,” with anoraks and designer sports clothing, while Blur wore sneakers and posed on motor scooters. Both groups had a guitar-driven sound, just like the Beatles (who in turn had modelled themselves on such American guitar pop groups as Buddy HOLLY and the Crickets). Blur’s 1994 album Parklife was particularly focused on the contemporary British working class—celebrating London life in songs about dog racing, discos, and pubs—all delivered in a broad Cockney accent.
As the 1990s progressed, Britpop became a catchall term covering any new, young, singles-oriented British group, rather than describing a distinct British musical direction. Thus groups with styles as diverse as the punk-pop of Supergrass and the neo-psychedelic rock of Kula Shaker became known as Britpop. The result was that the term became increasingly meaningless and began to fall out of use. On Blur’s 1997 album Blur, the group dropped their references to the Kinks and to British street life, creating a sound that was closer to American alternative groups such as Pavement. For many, this appeared to signal the beginning of the end of Britpop.
James Tuverson
SEE ALSO:
BRITISH BEAT MUSIC; INDIE BANDS; PUNK ROCK; ROCK’N’ROLL; SEX PISTOLS.
Holorny, Linda. Blur: An Illustrated Biography
(New York: Omnibus Press, 1996);
Krugman, Michael. Oasis: Supersonic Supernova
(New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 1997).
Blur: Parklife; Oasis: Definitely Maybe; What’s the Story
(Morning Glory)?; Pulp: Different Class.