From album
Blur
Blur · 1997 · Track 4
Details
TonalidadD
Compás4/4
Tempo150 BPM
Duración3:27
ÁlbumBlur
Año1997
ISRCGBAYE1200380
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The story behind
When approaching the song M.O.R. by Blur, we encounter an interesting nod to musical experimentation. The harmonic structure of this track has its roots in two songs by David Bowie from the album Lodger: Boys Keep Swinging and Fantastic Voyage. At that time, Bowie and his collaborator Brian Eno explored the idea of creating several musical pieces using the same chord progression. M.O.R. not only draws inspiration from that concept but also celebrates it, incorporating the call-and-response melody and dynamics of Boys Keep Swinging into its chorus. In fact, both Bowie and Eno received credit for M.O.R. after legal intervention. The title, which appears in the lyrics, means "middle of the road," an expression that alludes to something conventional or of generalized tastes.
This track, released on September 15, 1997, was part of Blur's self-titled album. In the United Kingdom, it reached number 15 on the singles chart and appeared on the charts in Australia, Canada, and the United States. The music video for M.O.R., directed by John Hardwick, was filmed in Sydney, Australia. The narrative follows the adventures of the band members, or rather, of stunt doubles wearing balaclavas who are trying to evade the police. Originally, the idea was to use masks of the band members to simulate them performing the dangerous scenes themselves, but when the representations didn't look good, balaclavas were chosen instead. The video also features stunt choreographer Grant Page as a helicopter pilot and actor Noah Taylor as a truck passenger. Curiously, the "actors" in the video are anagrams of the band members they represent, such as "Dan Abnormal" for Damon Albarn. The music was composed by Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James, and Dave Rowntree, while the lyrics were written solely by Albarn.
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