Song 2

While recording their self-titled fifth album in 1997, Blur set out to play a trick on their record company. According to guitarist Graham Coxon, the track that became "Song 2" was intended as a joke on the label. Damon Albarn had first recorded a slower acoustic demo, complete with the chorus's "woo-hoo" delivered in whistle form. Coxon then suggested they speed the song up and play it loudly, deliberately hunting for an amateurish guitar sound. He told Albarn to inform the record company that the band wanted it released as a single to "blow the flipping record labels' heads off". To his surprise, the executives reacted positively. Coxon later admitted the band had assumed the song was "way too extreme" to succeed commercially.

The track kept its working title, which simply marked its slot in the tracklist, and it runs two minutes and two seconds, with two verses, two choruses and Albarn yelling "woo-hoo!" as distorted bass enters. Released on 7 April 1997, it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and number four in Australia, and was later certified triple platinum in the United Kingdom. It earned nominations at both the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards and the 1998 Brit Awards.

Sophie Muller directed the music video, which showed the band performing in a small, secluded room with loud amplifiers behind them. During the choruses, the volume sent the members crashing against the walls and floor. In 2022, the band uploaded previously unreleased footage of the video being shot in a single take, released to mark the album's 25th anniversary.