Blur's self-titled fifth album (1997) saw another stylistic shift, influenced by the lo-fi styles of American indie rock groups, and became their third UK chart-topping album. Its single "Song 2" brought the band mainstream success in the US for the first time. Their next album, 13 (1999) saw the band experimenting with electronic and gospel music, and featured more personal lyrics from Albarn. Their seventh album, Think Tank (2003), continued their experimentation with electronic sounds and was also shaped by Albarn's growing interest in hip hop and world music, featuring more minimal guitar work. Coxon left the band during early recording sessions for Think Tank, and Blur disbanded for several years after the end of the album's associated tour, with the members engaged in other projects.
In 2009, Blur reunited with Coxon back in the band and embarked on a European reunion tour. In the following years, they released several singles and compilations and toured internationally. In 2012, they received a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. Their eighth album, The Magic Whip (2015), was the sixth consecutive Blur studio album to top the British chart. The group have largely been on hiatus since the Magic Whip tour, but have announced plans to reunite in 2023 for various live dates.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blur_(band)
Studio albums
Leisure (1991)
Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993)
Parklife (1994)
The Great Escape (1995)
Blur (1997)
13 (1999)
Think Tank (2003)
The Magic Whip (2015)
The Ballad of Darren (2023)
Mr Briggs
Blur Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But he stays in his room
He's too cold to go out for his evening smoke
The lady down the hallway
Is deaf and dumb to what you say
She's too busy dreaming of chihuahua dog
Say goodbye
Slowly drift away
Mr Briggs needs sleep now
He's been up for a week
He can hear a buzz buzz buzzing in his head
He has a three-bar heater
But it can't keep him warm
If he bought another then he'd have three more
Say goodbye
Slowly drift away
To somewhere
Mr Briggs while on holiday
Never left his bed
Walked around in circles but only in his head
The lady down the hallway
Is running out of pills
She could pull herself together but she knows she never will
Say goodbye
Somewhere
The song "Mr Briggs" by Blur is a melancholic piece about an introverted man who is on holiday but chooses to stay in his room instead of exploring his surroundings. The opening lyrics describe how Mr Briggs is too cold to go outside for his evening smoke, indicating that his mental state might be mirroring the cold and empty atmosphere around him. The lady down the hallway is deaf and dumb to what anyone says to her, highlighting a sense of isolation among people living in such a confined space.
The chorus talks about slowly drifting away to somewhere, which could mean that the singer is trying to escape his mundane existence and seek something more meaningful. However, the repetition of the phrase "say goodbye" in each chorus signifies that this escape is not a permanent solution, but rather a temporary break from reality. The second verse portrays Mr Briggs as someone who has been up for a week and is plagued by a buzzing sound in his head. He has a three-bar heater, but it is not enough to keep him warm. If he bought another heater, he would have three more, which might suggest that he is trying to find comfort in material possessions instead of human connection.
The final verse talks about how Mr Briggs never left his bed despite being on vacation, and the lady down the hallway is running out of pills. She could pull herself together, but she knows she never will. The song ends on a melancholic note, with the phrase "say goodbye" repeated one last time.
Line by Line Meaning
Mr Briggs is on holiday
Mr Briggs is away from work and his usual routine.
But he stays in his room
He is not interested in exploring the surroundings and stays confined to his room.
He's too cold to go out for his evening smoke
He feels too uncomfortable to go out in the cold air for a smoke.
The lady down the hallway
There is a woman staying in the same hotel room as Mr Briggs.
Is deaf and dumb to what you say
She cannot hear or speak well, so she cannot understand what people are saying.
She's too busy dreaming of chihuahua dog
She is occupied with her own thoughts and is not interested in talking or interacting with anyone else.
Say goodbye
It's time to part ways.
Slowly drift away
Gradually move away from the current situation.
To somewhere
This could mean to a different physical place or mentally dissociating from reality.
Mr Briggs needs sleep now
Mr Briggs is exhausted and needs to rest now.
He's been up for a week
He has not slept for a week and is extremely sleep-deprived.
He can hear a buzz buzz buzzing in his head
He feels a constant ringing in his ears, possibly due to the lack of sleep and fatigue.
He has a three-bar heater
He has a heater in his room, but it is not enough to make him comfortable.
But it can't keep him warm
The heater is ineffective in keeping him warm.
If he bought another then he'd have three more
Buying another heater would not solve his problem as it would only add to the ineffective heating in his room.
Mr Briggs while on holiday
Mr Briggs is still on vacation and not at work.
Never left his bed
He remained confined to his bed for the entire vacation.
Walked around in circles but only in his head
He was lost in thought and did not physically move around much.
The lady down the hallway
The woman from earlier is still present in the hotel room.
Is running out of pills
She is running low on medication that she needs to take regularly.
She could pull herself together but she knows she never will
She could try to make an effort to take control of her situation, but she has resigned herself to a certain way of life and is not motivated to change it.
Say goodbye
Reiterated from earlier, it's time to part ways.
Somewhere
Reiterated from earlier, this could mean moving to a different place (physically or mentally).
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Damon Albarn, David Rowntree, Graham Coxon, Steven Alexander James
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind