Despite the band having big expectations for the single, guitarist Graham Coxon said 'going top five was a bit of a shocker', and Albarn confessed to having his first panic attack shortly after the single entered the charts. It was the same with Blur: they could put their hands to anything, and it would still sound like Blur.' The song indeed reached number five on the UK Singles Chart, Blur's first foray into the top 5. I felt the way I had when I produced the Smiths: that as long as Morrissey was singing on it, it would be the Smiths. Producer Stephen Street felt that while 'Girls & Boys' was not like Blur's previous songs, 'I thought it would be Top 5 – it was so downright basic. This song is written in the key of G minor. It's cool not being in your own song.' The vocals were recorded with a demo featuring only the keyboards. He said it was his favourite song on Blur: The Best Of because he 'isn't really in it. There's no morality involved, I'm not saying it should or shouldn't happen.' The music has a convergence of various pop and dance styles, summed up by bassist Alex James as 'Disco drums, nasty guitars and Duran Duran bass.' Drummer Dave Rowntree admitted he is not on the track, being replaced by a drum machine he programmed.

According to Albarn, the city had 'really tacky Essex nightclubs' and a rampant sexual scene among visitors, with 'All these blokes and all these girls meeting at the watering hole and then just copulating. That's quite a universal message, isn't it?'ĭamon Albarn was inspired to write the song while on holiday in Magaluf, Spain, with then-girlfriend Justine Frischmann, lead singer of Elastica.

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