What Is Britpop? A Genre Profile

While the term is shorthand for UK Pop music, the style Britpop connotes is specific to music in the 1990s, when England's biggest musical export was a loose affiliation of bands playing within the genre. Combining the pop hooks of British Invasion era bands like The Beatles, the anthemic drama of 1970s Glam Rock acts like David Bowie, and the grittier aesthetics of Punk and New Wave guitar groups such as The Jam, the typical Britpop band, employed both catchy radio-friendly melodies and a brand of rock perfect for tours of large arenas. The biggest of these bands would fulfill these twin potentials.

What became Britpop began in the late '80s and early '90s in the Madchester scene (a play on the name of Manchester, England, from which the style came). Stone Roses and The Happy Mondays were the most famous Madchester acts. These groups married danceable rhythms, hummable melodies, and a tough rock sound. Stone Rose's 1989 self-titled debut is considered a classic by critics and fans alike, NME once named it the greatest album of all time. Perhaps the first true Britpop band was Suede, who, with their 1993 debut, cast out the dance flavors of Madchester in favor of a concise style that would come to typify Britpop.

Britpop broke through with the arrival of its biggest band, Oasis, and their '94 debut, Definitely Maybe, which debuted at #1 on the UK charts. Led by brothers Liam and Ian Gallagher, Oasis epitomized the mixture of Beatlesesque hooks and rock grandeur at the foundation of Britpop. Also at the top of the scene in '94 were Blur. Their first two albums, Leisure and Modern Life Is Rubbish, had been moderately successful records mostly in line with the Madchester sound. With their third full-length, UK #1 Parklife, Blur became huge stars and expanded the palette of Britpop with synthesizers and varied songwriting.

In 1995, Britpop was king in England. Oasis' sophomore album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? sold 14 million copies in the UK alone, Blur hit #1 again with The Great Escape. Meanwhile, Pulp, whose career was slow to take off, became a major Britpop act with their chart-topping Different Class, Supergrass grabbed the top spot in the UK with their debut, I Should Coco, Radiohead added compositional complexity and darker moods to the Britpop pool and Elastica were the biggest female-led Britpop band, with their lean and catchy self-titled debut reaching #1 in England.

As it quickly it rose, Britpop was dead on the vine. By 1997, the style had become unpopular. This change could be attributed to the British music press, who have long been notorious for their fickle nature. Another likely factor is a general lack of interest in Britpop in the US marketplace. Not even Oasis' (What's the Story) Morning Glory? could top the charts in America. Without amassing support across the Atlantic, Britpop became a passing fad. Oasis' third album, 1997's Be Here Now, sold only half as well as its predecessor, and Blur took an artistic turn toward a less polished Indie Rock sound.

The style's major players continued to release albums into the 2000s, each tweaking their respective sounds in order to adjust to the times, and each finding relative success. Every Oasis album released since has reached #1 in the UK, while Blur and Pulp also remained big stars into the next decade. Today, the influence of Britpop is felt through British Trad Rock acts like Doves and Travis and moody anthemic rock acts like Coldplay, all of whom utilize that genre's patented blend of pop melodicism and the emotional pull of guitar rock. Britpop might be dead, but its creators and their followers are flourishing.

• Blur S/t
• Elastica S/t
• Oasis
• Radiohead OK Computer
• Supergrass Supergrass is 10

• Coldplay A Rush of Blood to the Head
• Doves The Last Broadcast
• Keane Under the Iron Sea
• Snow Patrol Final Straw