The Universal

Blur

About The Universal

"The Universal" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur and is featured on their fourth studio album, The Great Escape. It was released on 13 November 1995 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 is a tribute to the movie A Clockwork Orange, with the band dressed up in costumes similar to Alex and his droogs. Both films were directed by Stanley Kubrick. 


Year:
1995
3:58
75 
#2

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This is the next century 
The Universal is free 
You can find it anywhere 
Yes, the future has been sold 
Every night we are gone 
And to karaoke songs 
We like to sing along 
Although the words are wrong 

It really, really, really could happen 
Yes, it really, really, really could happen 
When the days seem to fall straight through you 
Just let them go 

No one here is alone 
Satellites in every home 
The Universal is here 
Here for everyone 
Every paper that you read 
Says tomorrow is your lucky day 
Well, here's your lucky day

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Blur

Blur are an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1988 as Seymour, the group consists of singer/keyboardist Damon Albarn, guitarist/singer Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure (1991) incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing. Following a stylistic change influenced by English guitar pop groups such as The Kinks, The Beatles and XTC, Blur released Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995). As a result, the band helped to popularise the Britpop genre and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a chart battle with rival band Oasis in 1995 dubbed "The Battle of Britpop". more »

1 fan

Written by: Damon Albarn, David Rowntree, Graham Leslie Coxon, Steven Alexander James

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


12 facts about this song

Song Background
"The Universal" is a song by British rock band, Blur. It was featured on their fourth studio album, "The Great Escape."
Release Date
The song was released as the second single from the album on 13 November 1995.
Chart Performance
"The Universal" reached number five in the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's eleventh top ten hit.
Music Video
The song's music video was influenced by Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film, "A Clockwork Orange."
Song Theme
The lyrics of the song are widely interpreted as a critique of a futuristic, dystopian society.
Live Performances
It is well known for its live performances, in which lead singer Damon Albarn typically uses a megaphone for portions of the song.
Orchestra Involvement
The use of an orchestra in the song was suggested by producer Stephen Street who felt that a militaristic sound was required to complete the song.
Critical Acclaim
Despite its relatively modest charting, it has since become one of Blur's most popular and critically acclaimed songs.
Advertisement Use
The song was used in British Gas's advertising campaign in 2009.
Future Concert Use
In the 2003 Charity concert atop a British Museum for War Child, Damon Albarn would use "The Universal" as the closing number.
Lyrics Inspiration
Albarn's songwriting was inspired by his fears of the fully automated, passionless future society.
Soundtrack Appearance
"The Universal" has been included in several TV and movie soundtracks, including "The Men Who Stare at Goats".

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    "The Universal Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/24869704/Blur/The+Universal>.

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