Coffee & TV

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“Coffee & TV”
“Coffee & TV” cover
Single by Blur
from the album 13
Released June 28, 1999
Format 12" vinyl, cassette, 2 x CD
Recorded 1998
Genre Indie rock
Britpop
Length 5:58 (album version)

5:18 (single edit)
Label Food (UK)
EMI
Producer William Orbit
Blur singles chronology
"Tender"
(1999)		 "Coffee & TV"
(1999)		 "No Distance Left to Run"
(1999)

"Coffee & TV" is a song by the British rock band Blur. The verses are sung by the band's guitarist, Graham Coxon; the lyrics are credited to Coxon and are concerned with his attempt at giving up drinking.[citation needed] The music is credited to Damon Albarn, who also sings the chorus. The song appears on the band's sixth studio album, 13, released in 1999; and was also released as a single in the same year. The single reached #11 in the UK singles chart. Blur manager Chris Morrison believed that it was deprived of a top 10 place after some sales figures weren't recorded.[1] Its musical style is an anomaly in comparison with the rest of 13, and is similar to Blur's earlier, Britpop days.

The single edit of the song also appeared on Blur's Best Of compilation, released in 2000. In addition, it was featured on the Cruel Intentions soundtrack.

The edit of the singles cuts off the instrumental part after the fade out and runs about 40 seconds shorter than the album version.

Contents

[edit] Video

The music video for "Coffee & TV" was directed by Hammer & Tongs. It first aired in June 1999. It features a milk carton character named Milky made by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.[citation needed] It was also seen in the "Pine Barrens" episode of The Sopranos. The milk carton used in the video was sold at an auction in 1999.[2]

Animated milk carton from Coffee & TV video.
Animated milk carton from Coffee & TV video.

The video is about a walking, animated milk carton who goes in search for guitarist Graham Coxon, who has gone missing. The milk carton faces many hazards on his journey including a near-miss with a string trimmer. The milk carton gets a break when he is given a ride from a motorcyclist. He is dropped off downtown and asks around for Coxon, but comes up empty. He then goes to lady of the night "Big Suzy" for answers but is scared away when she attempts to pounce on him. He falls in love with a female strawberry milk carton but she is crushed to death by a passer-by's foot. The milk carton continues his search down a dark alley and, looking through a window, finds Coxon, who is playing "Coffee & TV" with Blur. The window falls into the room together with the milk carton. Coxon discovers him and takes the bus back home to meet up with his worried family. Once outside the bus, Coxon later drinks from the milk carton - in essence, killing him, and drops him in a dustbin. The milk carton waves goodbye and then goes to heaven where he is reunited with his love, the strawberry milk carton.

The video won several awards in 1999 and 2000 including Best Video at the NME Awards and the MTV Europe Awards. In 2005, it was voted the 17th greatest music video of all time in a poll by Channel 4. In 2006, Stylus Magazine ranked it #32 in their list of the Top 100 Music Videos Of All Time.

The Israeli company Tnuva, which specializes mostly in dairy products, uses a nearly identical character named Tnuvi (Hebrew: תנובי‎) in advertisements for its milk product line.

[edit] Track listing

  • CD1 (CDFOODS122)
  1. "Coffee & TV"
  2. "Trade Stylee (Alex's Bugman Remix)"
  3. "Metal Hip Slop (Graham's Bugman Remix)"
  • CD2 (CDFOOD122)
  1. "Coffee & TV"
  2. "X-Offender (Damon / Control Freak's Bugman Remix)"
  3. "Coyote (Dave's Bugman Remix)"
  • Cassette (TCFOOD122)
  1. "Coffee & TV"
  2. "X-Offender (Damon / Control Freak's Bugman Remix)"
  • 12" (12FOOD122)
  1. "Coffee & TV"
  2. "Trade Stylee (Alex's Bugman Remix)"
  3. "Metal Hip Slop (Graham's Bugman Remix)"
  4. "X-Offender (Damon / Control Freak's Bugman Remix)"
  5. "Coyote (Dave's Bugman Remix)"

[edit] Samples

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Blur boss demands chart re-run - BBC News Online
  2. ^ Blur auction boosts community coffers - BBC News Online
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Blur
Damon Albarn · Graham Coxon · Alex James · Dave Rowntree
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