This Is a Low
Encyclopedia
"This Is a Low" is a song by English alternative rock
band Blur
for their third studio album, Parklife
.
and is in 4/4 time
. In total, the song contains two verses, two choruses, a guitar solo
and two further choruses. The music commences with a four-chord guitar progression, before moving straight into the first verse. The music is based in the mixolydian mode
, highlighted by the fact the V chord (B minor) is minor instead of major.
The song's lyrics reference a low-pressure area of weather hitting Britain. The lyrics are based on the Shipping Forecast
, with references made to the various areas surrounding the country. In the lyric "sail on by with the tide", passing reference is also made to the tune Sailing By
, which ends each day's broadcast of BBC Radio 4
. According to bassist Alex James
in his 2007 autobiography Bit of a Blur, "Damon was struggling with the words. For Christmas I brought him a handkerchief with a map of the shipping forecast regions on it... you can never tell where the muse is going to appear. It went on to become Blur's most popular song". The song was a promotional single in 1995.
The song also mentions one of the most westerly point on British mainland, Land's End
: "the Queen, she's gone round the bend, jumped off Land's End", as well as Blackpool
(and its famous lights) and The Thames.
compilation album. "This Is a Low" was the only album track included on the album, selected ahead of some a-side
s. The tracklisting was selected by the band members. Its popularity is further highlighted by the above quote from bassist Alex James.
The song has been performed live many times, most notably as the final song at Blur's most famous concert, Mile End stadium
gig of 1995 , as well as Glastonbury
1994, where the song was voted by fans on the festival's website to appear on the compilation DVD Glastonbury Anthems
. It was performed by Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon as their first reunited performance as Blur at the 2009 NME Awards
.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandjazzmusic/4808570/NME-Awards-Blurs-Damon-Albarn-and-Graham-Coxon-reunite-on-stage.html
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
for their third studio album, Parklife
Parklife
Parklife is the third studio album by the English alternative rock band Blur, released in April 1994 on Food Records. After disappointing sales for their previous album Modern Life Is Rubbish , Parklife returned Blur to prominence in the UK, helped by its four hit singles: "Girls & Boys", "End of a...
.
Music and lyrics
The song is in the key of E majorE major
E major is a major scale based on E, with the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps .Its relative minor is C-sharp minor, and its parallel minor is E minor....
and is in 4/4 time
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
. In total, the song contains two verses, two choruses, a guitar solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
and two further choruses. The music commences with a four-chord guitar progression, before moving straight into the first verse. The music is based in the mixolydian mode
Mixolydian mode
Mixolydian mode may refer to one of three things: the name applied to one of the ancient Greek harmoniai or tonoi, based on a particular octave species or scale; one of the medieval church modes; a modern musical mode or diatonic scale, related to the medieval mode.-Greek Mixolydian:The idea of a...
, highlighted by the fact the V chord (B minor) is minor instead of major.
The song's lyrics reference a low-pressure area of weather hitting Britain. The lyrics are based on the Shipping Forecast
Shipping Forecast
The Shipping Forecast is a four-times-daily BBC Radio broadcast of weather reports and forecasts for the seas around the coasts of the British Isles. It is produced by the Met Office and broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The forecasts sent over the Navtex...
, with references made to the various areas surrounding the country. In the lyric "sail on by with the tide", passing reference is also made to the tune Sailing By
Sailing By
Sailing By is a short piece of light music composed by Ronald Binge in 1963, which is used before the late Shipping Forecast on BBC Radio 4...
, which ends each day's broadcast of BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. According to bassist Alex James
Alex James (musician)
Professionally known as Alex James is an English musician, songwriter, journalist and cheesemaker. He is best known as the bass player and occasional vocalist of band Blur...
in his 2007 autobiography Bit of a Blur, "Damon was struggling with the words. For Christmas I brought him a handkerchief with a map of the shipping forecast regions on it... you can never tell where the muse is going to appear. It went on to become Blur's most popular song". The song was a promotional single in 1995.
Locations named in the song
This is a list of the shipping areas mentioned in the song (in context):- BiscayBay of BiscayThe Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
- "Around the Bay of Biscay and back for tea" - DoggerDogger BankDogger Bank is a large sandbank in a shallow area of the North Sea about off the east coast of England. It extends over approximately , with its dimensions being about long and up to broad. The water depth ranges from 15 to 36 metres , about shallower than the surrounding sea. It is a...
, ThamesRiver ThamesThe River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
- "Hit traffic on the Dogger Bank / Up the Thames to find a taxi rank" - TyneRiver TyneThe River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
, ForthRiver ForthThe River Forth , long, is the major river draining the eastern part of the central belt of Scotland.The Forth rises in Loch Ard in the Trossachs, a mountainous area some west of Stirling...
, CromartyCromartyThe Royal Burgh of Cromarty is a burgh in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland.-History:It was previously the county town of the former county of Cromartyshire...
, FortiesLong Forties200px|rightThe Long Forties is an area of the northern North Sea that is fairly consistently forty fathoms deep . It is located between the northeast coast of Scotland and the southwest coast of Norway, centred about 57°N 0°30′E...
- "Up the Tyne, Forth and Cromarty / There's a low in the High Forties" - MalinMalin HeadMalin Head , on the Inishowen Peninsula, County Donegal, is usually given as the most northerly headland of the mainland of Ireland . In fact, the most northerly point is actually a headland named Banba's Crown on the Inishowen Peninsula about 2 km to the northeast...
- "And on the Malin Head, Blackpool looks blue and red"
The song also mentions one of the most westerly point on British mainland, Land's End
Land's End
Land's End is a headland and small settlement in west Cornwall, England, within the United Kingdom. It is located on the Penwith peninsula approximately eight miles west-southwest of Penzance....
: "the Queen, she's gone round the bend, jumped off Land's End", as well as Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
(and its famous lights) and The Thames.
Reception
"This Is a Low" is often chosen as a stand-out track from the album, including as a selected highlight by Allmusic, who describe the track as a "swirling, epic closer" . It is also very popular within the band, this is proved by the surprise inclusion on Blur's Best OfBlur: The Best of
Blur: The Best Of is a greatest hits compilation album by English Britpop band Blur, first released in late 2000 and is the final Blur album by Food Records. It was released on CD, cassette tape, MiniDisc, double 12" vinyl record, DVD and VHS. The CD album includes 17 of Blur's 23 singles from 1990...
compilation album. "This Is a Low" was the only album track included on the album, selected ahead of some a-side
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
s. The tracklisting was selected by the band members. Its popularity is further highlighted by the above quote from bassist Alex James.
The song has been performed live many times, most notably as the final song at Blur's most famous concert, Mile End stadium
Mile End Stadium
Mile End Stadium, also known as the East London Stadium, is a multi-sports stadium situated in Mile End Park, east London, England. The stadium comprises an athletics stadium and a number of floodlit Astroturf football pitches and basketball courts....
gig of 1995 , as well as Glastonbury
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
1994, where the song was voted by fans on the festival's website to appear on the compilation DVD Glastonbury Anthems
Glastonbury Anthems
Glastonbury Anthems is a DVD featuring live performances from the Glastonbury Festival from 1994 to 2004. The performances on the DVD were voted for by fans on the official festival website...
. It was performed by Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon as their first reunited performance as Blur at the 2009 NME Awards
NME Awards
The NME Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine, NME .The first awards show was held in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of the magazine....
.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandjazzmusic/4808570/NME-Awards-Blurs-Damon-Albarn-and-Graham-Coxon-reunite-on-stage.html