“Tender” (1999) – Blur * Written by Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon * 45: “Tender” / “All We Want” * LP: 13 * Produced by William Orbit * Label: Food (UK)/Virgin (US) * Charts: UK singles (#2)
In their final days as a steady hit single machine, the Britpop quartet Blur rolled out a seven-minute hippie throwback hymn backed by the London Community Gospel Choir. Lyrical distinctions, though, set it apart as a Gen X affair. The words in sixties folk-chant hits like John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance” or Delaney and Bonnie’s “Never Ending Song of Love” expressed a parent’s sentiments of giving, while this one’s “demons,” “ghosts,” and “screwing up my life” expressed a dependent’s sentiments of needing.