It is August 1995 in Manchester and everyone is talking about Oasis, a relatively new Britpop band quickly rising to fame. Four hours south of Manchester, the much bigger city, London is talking about Blur, an already established force in the British music scene.
These two bands would go on to have a year-long run of petty back-and-forth competition on the charts. With two record breaking albums, “Parklife” by Blur and “Definitely Maybe” by Oasis, the bands spiraled into fame and recognition all across England, and eventually, the whole world.
In 1991 Blur released their debut album, “Leisure”, featuring hit songs like “She’s So High” and “Bad Day”. Three years later, Oasis released their own debut album “Definitely Maybe”.
According to Radio X, in 1994, both bands were in a transitional period. Blur was still basking in the fame of “Parklife” and fans of Oasis were eager for the release of the second album, “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?”
The growing anticipation on both sides set the stage for a rivalry that would soon dominate the charts.
On Aug. 14, 1995, Blur released their single “Country House”, and Oasis released their single “Roll With It”, marking the beginning of what became known as the Britpop chart war – a battle that would last all the way to 1996. According to Radio X, the results were unveiled on Sunday, Aug. 20: “Country House” outsold “Roll With It” by 274,000 copies to 216,000.
Although Blur may have won the battle, Oasis arguably won the war. Oasis gained more international recognition and currently have over 27 million monthly listeners on Spotify, while Blur has over 10 million.
Both bands have made a lasting impact on music. Oasis influenced the sounds of artists like Coldplay, The Killers, Fontaines D.C., and Sam Fender by their emotional and yearning tracks. Blur influenced bands like Arctic Monkeys, The Frattelis, and The Kooks. In songs by The Frattelis, one can hear similar guitar work as Graham Coxon: fuzzy guitar sounds, and upbeat chord progressions.
For readers who do not know one band or even both, listening to their music provides a view to one of the most iconic rivalries in British music history. No matter if someone prefers Blur’s more experimental tracks or Oasis’s classic tracks, the Britpop battle remains a defining moment in 1990s music/pop culture.