Top 10 Britpop Anthems
If you're still partying like it's the 1990s, then you'll likely love today's list! Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we count down our picks for the top 10 Britpop anthems! For this list, we've looked at bands and songs that were at the forefront of the Britpop movement, which erupted toward the end of the last century. A British answer to the emerging Grunge genre in the USA, these songs speak to the working classes predominantly, and include heavy UK-specific cultural references.
Special thanks to our users Alex Myles, BestLlama and Jay Edwards for submitting the idea on our Suggestions Page at WatchMojo.comsuggest
Top 10 Britpop Anthems
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If you’re still partying like it’s the 1990s, then you’ll likely love today’s list! Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 Britpop anthems! For this list, we’ve looked at bands and songs that were at the forefront of the Britpop movement, which erupted toward the end of the last century. A British answer to the emerging Grunge genre in the USA, these songs speak to the working classes predominantly, and include heavy UK-specific cultural references.
#10: “Wake Up Boo! (1995) The Boo Radleys
Akoben X Florence - Don’t Wake Me Up (Lyric Video)
If there’s one song that underlines the optimism of this genre most clearly, it’s this one! Set within the switching of the seasons from summer to autumn, and featuring support from bubbly a capella backing vocals, this song became a top 10 single for the band off their highest charting album, Wake Up!. A blatant battle cry for all of Britpop, this band had achieved critical acclaim before this record, and massive popularity after it!
#9: “Connection” (1994) Elastica
The Great British guitar sound saunters through our next record as stylishly as it did in the ‘60s, ‘70s, or any other era we’d care to mention! Elastica may not have mounted as awesome an assault on the mainstream charts as some other bands of the time, but with “Connection” they laid down a record which really made its mark! It came closer than almost everything else to bridging the Britpop/Grunge gap, and it ensured that Elastica’s reputation stretched into the next century!
#8: “Tattva” (1996) Kula Shaker
With a Sanskrit title that can mean ‘reality’ or ‘truth’, this is a song that stays within the Britpop genre, but heavily bends its boundaries! Released on Kula Shaker’s debut album, it quickly became one of the band’s best-known records. “Tattva” has an obvious Eastern edge that sets it apart from other tracks of the era, however Crispian Mills’ accented tones ensure its ‘Britishness’ remains accentuated! An alternative, slightly psychedelic tune, it searches for the truth, and it finds the most fashionable of statements!
#7: “A Design for Life” (1996) Manic Street Preachers
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The Britpop pride of Wales, “A Design for Life” is the Manic Street Preachers’ signature, society critiquing tune! The first song written following the unsolved disappearance of guitarist Richey Edwards, it’s also credited as the track that enabled the Preachers to continue playing without their primary lyricist on board! Picking apart the problems with the British class system and putting the world to rights through the magnificent medium of rock ‘n’ roll “A Design for Life” is a blueprint for Britpop!
#6: “Animal Nitrate” (1993) Suede
Title Holder - Animal (Official Music Video)
Of course, not all Britpop was bouncy and full of the joys of summer, and our next record attempted to ‘put the record straight’ more than most. With “Animal Nitrate”, Suede combined the worlds of drug use, the working class and homosexuality to produce a provocative and challenging song that surprised even the band themselves when it earned mainstream airtime and success. Clearly there’s a lot to be said for a catchy chorus and memorable hook... It’s a sing-along social protest!
#5: “Alright” (1995) Supergrass
Chatrooms - It's Alright
When these guys weren’t getting “Caught by the Fuzz” they were feelin’ “Alright” and making us all feel the same! We’re back to the bouncy, with the one and only, first class Supergrass! Gaz Coombes and the boys somewhat stumbled onto their signature song, penning the feel-good verses in a matter of minutes, and collecting the piano patter in just a few moments more! “Alright” is everything that’s good about being young, and it encapsulates most of what Britpop’s all about!
#4: “Parklife” (1994) Blur
One of the most influential bands within the genre, a whole list of Blur songs might have made this catchy countdown... “Girls and Boys” was, for many, where Britpop all began... While “The Universal” was a glimpse into the future, over which Britpop quickly became quite obsessed! But, for a sheer ‘sound of the times’ tune, look no further than “Parklife”. This track inspired close inspection of the masses, a manifesto led by none other than actor Phil Daniels from the film “Quadrophenia”, and was a working class call to arms that we all listened to!
#3: “Common People” (1995) Pulp
Innersleeve Ep 70 Common Deer
Another inhabitant of Britpop’s upper echelons, Pulp’s “Disco 2000” was anthem enough, but frontman Jarvis Cocker and co. had an even cleverer, catchier, classier trick up their famously flamboyant sleeves! “Common People” was “Parklife” with even more satirical sense! Pulp knew the people that they represented, and they knew the people that they didn’t... Basically, if you watched ‘roaches climb the wall’ and your parents could do absolutely nothing to help you out, then this record was for you! And it was to be sung with pride!
#2: “Live Forever” (1994) Oasis
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Considered alongside Blur as the biggest and most successful Britpop act ever, Oasis also has a back catalogue that might have filled this countdown single-handedly. “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and “Wonderwall” are two especially timeless ‘90s records, but it ‘definitely maybe’ all started with “Live Forever”. From Liam’s opening snarl to Noel nailing the guitar solo, it’s as anti-grunge as it gets, and the shake-up that rock music was crying out for! After listening to this, who wouldn’t want to do as the title says?! Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: - “Brimful of Asha” (1997) Cornershop - “Girl from Mars” (1995) Ash - “Good Enough” (1996) Dodgy - “Slight Return” (1996) The Bluetones - “The Day We Caught the Train” (1996) Ocean Colour Scene
#1: “Bitter Sweet Symphony” (1997) The Verve
Fanfare please... From its open to its close, this record is about as iconic a British rock track as has ever been produced! The hook, the memorable lyrics, the forever parodied video accompaniment... It was the song that put The Verve on the map, although it didn’t put a lot in their pay packet. The orchestral piece is actually lifted from a Rolling Stones record, meaning that Mick Jagger made more off of “Bittersweet Symphony” than Richard Ashcroft did! An ironic realization of the song’s title, it tops our tree anyway! Do you agree with our list? Which Britpop anthem did we overlook? For more nineties-centric top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
