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M.O.R.

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For other uses, see MOR (disambiguation).

"M.O.R."
Single by Blur
from the album Blur
B-side
Released15 September 1997
Recorded1996
GenreAlternative rock, glam rock, indie rock
Length3:27 (Album version)
LabelFood, Virgin
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Stephen Street
Blur singles chronology
"On Your Own"
(1997) 		"M.O.R."
(1997) 		"Tender"
(1999)
Music video
"M.O.R." on YouTube

"M.O.R." is a song by English rock band Blur, from their eponymous album Blur. "M.O.R." reached number 15 in the UK singles chart on its release as a single in 1997.

The song's chord progression was borrowed from David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging" and "Fantastic Voyage". On the album Lodger Bowie and collaborator Brian Eno carried out a musical experiment in which multiple songs were written with the same chord progression, of which "Boys Keep Swinging" and "Fantastic Voyage" were the two that surfaced. M.O.R is both a continuation of, and tribute to that experiment, as its chorus also lifts the melody and call-and-response vocals from Boys Keep Swinging (Bowie and Eno both received credit for "M.O.R." after legal intervention).[3]

"M.O.R." itself stands for "middle of the road", which appears in the lyrics.

Music video

The song's music video was directed by John Hardwick and is considered[by whom?] one of the most expensive videos the band ever made. It was shot in Sydney, Australia, and follows the misadventures of the band members (or rather, stuntmen in balaclavas pretending to be them) as they try to escape from the police. It was intended that the stuntmen wear masks of the band members to make it appear that the band were performing their own stunts, but the masks created for the video were such poor representations that the decision was made to use balaclavas instead.[4] The video also features cameos by stunt choreographer Grant Page as a helicopter pilot, and actor Noah Taylor as a truck passenger. It is included in the Blur: The Best of DVD/VHS released on 30 October 2000. The 'actors' in the video are all anagrams of the member of the band they play. They are as follows:

  • Dan Abnormal – Damon Albarn
  • Trevor Dewane – Dave Rowntree
  • Morgan C. Hoax – Graham Coxon
  • Lee Jaxsam – Alex James

"Dan Abnormal" was an alias also used by Albarn whilst playing keyboards on the first Elastica album, as well as the title of a track on The Great Escape.

Track listing

All lyrics by Albarn. All music by Albarn / Coxon / James / Rowntree.

Notes:

  • The UK and US 'Road versions' are different, the US version using the same take as is used on the video and UK promo CD while the UK version is mis-printed and an edited version of the track on the album (the same as the Alan Moulder Mix on the US promo).
  • The Alan Moulder Mix is an edited version of the track from the album (and same as the UK Road Version on the standard UK release).
  • The UK 7" is on orange vinyl.
  • "I Love Her (Demo)" appeared on the first ever Fan Club CD, but has a slightly different mix for the Japanese market.
  • The remix of "Movin' On" also appears on "Bustin' + Dronin'", however the Moby remix is exclusive to this single, with a different Moby remix on "Bustin' + Dronin'"

Personnel and credits credits

  • "Bustin' + Dronin'" and "Swallows in the Heatwave" produced by Blur
  • "M.O.R." (road version) and "Dancehall" produced by Stephen Street
  • Damon Albarn – vocals
  • Graham Coxon – guitar, vocals
  • Alex James – bass guitar
  • Dave Rowntree – drums

Charts

Chart (1997) Peak
position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[5] 45
UK Singles (OCC)[6] 15
US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles 14

References

  1. ^ http://www.davidbowie.com/news/bowies-influence-becomes-bit-blur-37171
  2. ^ http://www.davidbowie.com/news/bowies-influence-becomes-bit-blur-37171
  3. ^ Azad, Bharat (14 August 2007). "Is Damon Albarn the new David Bowie?". the Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  4. ^ Conversation with the director, 1997
  5. ^ "Blur – M.O.R.". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  6. ^ "Blur: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 June 2014.

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