BRITPOP
What is Britpop?
A type of music that was made famous during a “1st
wave” by bands such as Oasis, Pulp, Suede and Blur. It
started in the early nineties and finished in 1997 when
Princess Diana died.
In recent years there has been a “2nd wave” of Britpop
bands such as The Zutons, Kaiser Chiefs, The Feeling,
Razorlight, Keane, Radiohead, The View, The Fray.
The music is characterised by British bands that
use:
• distorted guitars
• a lack of lead guitar
• simple vocal lines
• lyrics about everyday life.
This is the only thing that distinguishes them
from other bands during that era.
Where did Britpop come from?
“The Eighties were naff. Naff politics and naff music –
Thatcher, Wham and Spandau Ballet. The charts were
full of posers, and British popular culture generally felt
like synthetic rubbish. I sat in suburbia, smoking, listing
to The White Album and Let it Bleed; waiting for
something to happen” John Dower, Live Forever
Britpop and its influences
Listen to the music & choose 3 phrases that best describe what you hear
1970s
Late 1980s
Early 1980s
Reaction against establishment
Punk
Blues x folk
Simple
Angry
Electric guitar
1990s
Grunge
1960s
Repetitive beat
Off beat
barre chords
Busy bass line
Rave x indie
End of post war strictness
1960’s - The Beatles
The Beatles were the most influential band of the
20th Century
Their music was a cross between folk and
blues and used rhythm guitars. They moved
away from music that focused on lead
guitars. They often use people and places in
their music: Michelle, Eleanor Rigby, Penny
Lane, Strawberry Fields
Britpop uses the
guitar driven sound
that has no lead
guitar. It often people
and places: Layla, Don’t
look back, (Oasis)
Charmless Man (Blur)
1960’s - The Who
The Who are one of the most
influential groups in rock music.
The aggressive music was made by
the combination of Pete Townsend
(guitarist), John Entwistle (bass)
and Keith Moon, (drums).
• The music was written for rebellious British
youths called Mods, it expressed their feeling
that older people "just don't get it".
• He reportedly wrote “My Generation” on a
train and is said to have been inspired by the
Queen Mother who is alleged to have had
Townsend's hearse towed off a street in
Belgravia because she was offended by the
sight of it during her daily drive through the
neighbourhood
1970’s - David Bowie
Bowie represents a type of music that
was a reaction against the
establishment. Other bands include
the Sex Pistols, The Clash (Punk) and
Madness (MOD).
• The music was related to Reggae and Ska
which was often about repression and
freedom
• The music often sounded very angry and
sometimes included shouting.
• The music used syncopation – the main
chords were played on beats 2 & 4 rather
than 1 & 3. This was done in part to help
create an angry sound.
“The importance of being Idle” (Oasis) is an example
of playing off beat.
Early 1980’s – U2
U2 were a popular Irish band in
the early 1980’s and had good
success in the charts.
During the 80’s there was greater
emphasis placed in being an
individual and that one person can
make a difference.
In 1985 Bob Geldof organized a worldwide series
of concerts called “Band Aid”. Chart topping
bands/artists performed at to raise money for the
African famine. The song: "Do They Know It's
Christmas," became the best-selling U.K. single of
all time, and inspired a similar 1985 U.S. single
"We Are The World." Geldof was nominated for
the Nobel Peace Prize and was knighted by the
Queen.
Indie
Indie = independent records
Not a genre or style but a group of different bands that
had signed up to small record label that were typically
run out of homes or garages and sold by mail-order or
a through a chain of independent record shops.
Originally Geoff Travis set up a record shop in London
selling only local bands music – a network of similar
shops was established. The music they sold was
nicknamed “indie”.
Late 1980’s - Rave
In the late 1980’s rave culture hit the
UK with the birth of acid house music.
Manchester became the rave capital.
The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays
were frequent ravers and started to
incorporate some of the features into
their Indie style music.
Early 1990’s – Grunge Attack!
• The key thing that led to the rise of bands like Oasis
and Blur was what was happening in the USA:
GRUDGE!
What is Grunge?
- type of rock music that uses very heavy distortion,
strong guitar riffs and heavy drumming
- it grew out of Seattle with bands like Nirvana and
Pearl Jam
What happen then?
A number of things all collided at the right time to help
bring Britpop to the forefront:
1. When Kirk Cobain died
(suicide/murder/drug overdose)
a vacuum was opened in the
record industry that needed to
be filled.
2. The UK was on the verge of major political
change – a new sense of optimism.
3. British bands were writing music that was British.
On the verge of major political change …
On the verge of major political change …
On the verge of major political change …
Politics & Social Issues reflected in music:
Listen to “Cigarettes & Alcohol” by Oasis, what
is the message that they are trying to get
across?
- the appeal of cigarettes, alcohol, drugs and
partying as a remedy to the triviality of working
class life.
Look at these Lyrics:
"Is it worth the aggravation to find yourself a
job when there's nothing worth working for“
“You could wait for a lifetime … to spend your
days in the sunshine
So you might as well do the white line".
- Do you think that the song sets out to hold up
these activities as some positive ideal?
Politics & Social Issues reflected in music:
Listen to “Live Forever” by Oasis , what do
you think the song is about?
- It’s about old friends laughing at jokes and
stories that puzzle them.
- Lyrics: "We see things they'll never see"
- Backlash against Nirvana’s song: “I Hate Myself
and Want to Die
Politics & Social Issues reflected in music:
Listen to “Country House” by Blur, what do
you think the song is about?
The song is about a man who
retires to an expensive
country house to escape the
pressures of the city and
loses the idea of normality.
Although this isn’t about one person it is
interesting that there was a long history of bitter
rivalry between Oasis & Blur – this song is about
Noel Gallagher who moved to the country from
Manchester – you can hear the words “He’s got
Morning Glory” which was the title of an Oasis
album.
Politics & Social Issues reflected in music:
Listen to “Rock ‘N’ Roll Star” by Oasis , what is
the message that they are trying to get
across?
• refer to his dreams and aspirations to
become a rock star
• his hopes to move away from Manchester
Noel Gallagher said: "I'm pretty much summed up
everything I wanted to say in "Rock 'N' Roll Star",
"Live Forever" and "Cigarettes & Alcohol", after
that I'm repeating myself, but in a different way".
How to write a song in the style of
Britpop …. Structure
Match the words with their correct definition:
Intro
The part that is repeated.
Outro
The part that builds the “story”.
The words change each time.
Middle 8
The bit at the end that usually
fades out. Very important for
radio.
Bridge
Two to four lines that build into
the chorus.
Chorus
Usually between ½ bar – 2 bars
that link the verse and chorus or
middle 8
Verse
The introduction.
Pre-chorus
Eight bars of instrumental
Song writing in the style of Britpop
Task 1: Design your structure, using an intro, outro,
verses, choruses, middle 8s and bridges.
This may change later on as you add lyrics
Write how many bars each section is going to
last for in these boxes
Play through these chords:
C
Dm
Em
E
F
G
CEG
DFA
EGB
EG#B
FAC
GBD
G/F
Em/D
C/B
B
Bm
Am
FBD
DGB
BEG
BDF#
BDF
ACE
Decide which ones you are going to use for each
section:
Write your lyrics:
Social Statement ~ writing about human failings &
political issues
The Need to Escape ~ writing about the need to
escape from routine
Friendship ~ reflecting a personal statement
Read some newspaper articles, highlighting
some key words that you can use in your
song