Country House - Release and 'battle' With Oasis

Release and 'battle' With Oasis

"Country House" received a great deal of media attention when Blur's label Food Records moved the original release date to the same day as Oasis's "Roll with It". The British media had already reported an intense rivalry between the two bands and this clash of releases was seen as a battle for the number one spot, dubbed the 'Battle of Britpop'.

In the event, "Country House" won the 'battle', attaining the No. 1 spot while "Roll with It" came in at No. 2 and having marginally fewer sales. However, the sales for Blur's album The Great Escape were lower than those for Oasis's album (What's the Story) Morning Glory.

"Country House" features the lines "He's got morning glory/And life's a different story", a line often assumed to be an allusion to the title of Oasis's album Morning Glory. In fact, Blur recorded the song before Oasis had completed, let alone released, their album. Other explanations have included a reference to the Jamiroquai song "Morning Glory", released in 1994, or a jibe at Julian Cope, who, like Dave Balfe, was formerly a member of The Teardrop Explodes, and was known for using LSD. It may, however, simply have been a reference to the British slang term for waking up with an erection.