‘This Is A Low’: How the shipping forecast inspired a Blur classic
Just as the 1960s was awash with musical innovation, the 1990s were a vital decade for new sounds. Genres such as grunge, shoegaze, hip-hop and trip-hop reached their peaks, and movements such as Britpop came to define the era.
With an emphasis on British culture, Britpop emerged in the mid-1990s, with bands such as Oasis and Blur leading the charge. Whether you prefer one or the other, both bands were incredibly popular, encapsulating the decade with their relatable lyricism and distinctive personas, which cemented the bands as ‘voices of the people’.
Blur started in 1988, taking inspiration from the emerging shoegaze scene, which included bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Ride and Slowdive. Their debut album, Leisure, reflected this, although they soon brought greater pop influences into their sound. Parklife, the band’s third album, became one of the decade’s most vital releases, with tracks such as ‘Girls & Boys’, ‘Parklife’, ‘To The End’ and ‘End of a Century’, achieving chart success.
Guitarist Graham Coxon recalled making the album to The Guardian, explaining, “The album was the convergence of a lot of influences: Alex [James] wanted to be in Duran Duran, I wanted to be in Wire, and Damon [Albarn] wanted to be … I don’t know. There were songs on the album we were excited about, but I was surprised it got so many awards. One or two would have been all right.”
Parklife is full of characters and observations, and the track ‘This Is A Low’, takes inspiration from Radio 4’s Shipping Forecast a long-held tradition that has become a staple of British culture. Albarn sings about an imagined trip across the sea, using the weather term “low” to communicate feeling down, “This is a low/ But it won’t hurt you/ When you’re alone/ It will be there with you.” He also references the classic theme ‘Sailing By’ as he sings, “Sail on by with the tide/ And go to sleep.”
Recalling the song’s creation, producer Stephen Street told Q Magazine, “We’d recorded the music, but the lyrics had been pushed to one side. I kept nagging Damon to finish it but he wasn’t sure. Eventually, his inspiration came from a piece of wrapping paper on a present Alex James had given him.”
“It had all the shipping regions on it with fantastic names like Cromarty, Fisher, Dogger and Lundy. The song was down to a bit of wrapping paper and gentle persuasion from me,” Street said before adding, “It was the perfect final track for the album.”
Listen to the song below.
