When I think about music in context, the first album that comes to my mind is “Think Tank” – the seventh studio album by the English rock band Blur, released in 2003.
The release of “Think Tank” came out around the time of strong geopolitical events, including the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The United States and its allies invaded Iraq in March 2003 justifying it under the claim that Iraq’s possession of WMDs was a threat to the world, though there was no evidence for that (Bush, 2003). “Think Tank” was released two months later that year. While the album itself does not necessarily have lyrics mentioning the Iraq War, it is easy to connect the context of its release (as well as the situation in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks) to some of its contents. Blur’s lead singer, Damon Albarn, had also been known for getting political in his lyrics and public commentary. As mentioned in an episode of The Culture Show in 2014, he has been a pacifist since early childhood due to the intercultural nature of the place where he grew up. The desire to speak up and restore justice quite often brought him troubles growing up [1]. Which makes it fair to expect the album to be at least somewhat political.
Indeed, it can be spotted even in the title. Furthermore, for the album’s visuals, the band collaborated[2] with Banksy, who is known for their political activism in the majority of the artworks.
Many songs on the album, such as Out Of Time and We’ve Got A File On You, have Middle Eastern instruments or elements, bringing listeners’ minds to the topic sonically. (Though it’s worth mentioning it was around the time when their bass player Alex James called Albarn “the blackest man in west London” which caused a public discussion around him and cultural appropriation[3]).
The album is imbued with war-themed lyrics like “I could be lying on an atom bomb”, “… if we go and blow it up then we will disappear” or “jets are like comets at sunset” just to name a few.
Another event that shaped the album was Graham Coxon (the guitarist and co-founder) leaving the band and Blur beginning to fall apart.[4] Damon’s attempts to save the band show in lyrics like “… now it seems that we’re falling apart/ But I hope I see the good in you come back again” in Sweet Song and “This is a ballad for the good times” along with “Everybody’s stopped believing/ But you know you’re not alone/ You can be with me” in Battery in Your Leg.
“Think Tank” is an exact example of how both external and internal factors shaped the lyrical content and aesthetics of a release.
Bush, G. W. (2003). Address to the Nation on Iraq. The White House. Retrieved from https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030319-17.html
[1] The Culture Show. “Damon Albarn: Solo.” Www.youtube.com, 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIMWTsj0hiA Accessed 23 Nov. 2023.
University of Oxford. “Think Tanks.” Www.careers.ox.ac.uk, www.careers.ox.ac.uk/think-tanks
[2] “Bad Meaning Good, 2002.” Banksy Explained, 18 Apr. 2021, banksyexplained.com/bad-meaning-good-2002/
[3] Sullivan, Caroline. “Damon’s Big Adventure.” The Guardian, 22 Dec. 2000, www.theguardian.com/culture/2000/dec/22/artsfeatures Accessed 22 Nov. 2023.
[4] Uncut. “Blur – Album by Album, by Stephen Street, William Orbit and Ben Hillier.” UNCUT, 25 Apr. 2014, www.uncut.co.uk/features/blur-album-by-album-by-stephen-street-william-orbit-and-ben-hillier-9494/ . Accessed 24 Nov. 2023.