77. ‘To The End’

Single, released 31/5/94. Also on ‘Parklife’. Produced by Stephen Hague, John Smith and Blur.

By now it was clear that Blur were a consummate pop group. They could swagger. They could cajole. They could make the listener laugh, tap a toe, even take a surrogate drug trip. ‘To The End’ revealed another facet of their burgeoning talent: they could, almost effortlessly, break your heart. If ‘This Is A Low’ (see 80) is ‘Parklife’s masterpiece, ‘To The End’ runs it desperately close. When the band first heard Damon play it on the piano, all were convinced of its brilliance. A demo was recorded at Matrix, with Justine Frischmann singing the French parts.

To create a soaring, epic feel, Stephen Hague (Pet Shop Boys, New Order) was used rather than Street. ‘To The End’ was recorded at RAK Studios on a three-day sabbatical from Maison Rouge. In truth, the band’s demo was so good that Hague kept most of it, including 95 per cent of Damon’s vocal. The string section is not the trusty Dukes, but Audrey Riley’s string section (This Mortal Coil, Marc Almond). The drums are looped, the vibraphone is very real and the song’s meandering ambience may be down to the unexpected long bar line (five bars of 4/4). Hague plays the accordion, although it is barely audible in the finished mix. For the whispered “jusqu’à la fin” bits, various chanteuses were mooted, including Charlotte Gainsbourg – daughter of Serge – and Françoise Hardy (with whom a version was later recorded at Abbey Road and released as a French-only single) before the band plumped for Laetitia Sadler of Stereolab.

Musically exceptional, ‘To The End’ also boasts one of the best performances – and lyrics – from Damon who recorded the vocal while stoned; one would never know. For the lyric, he sheds his usual devices of narrative and character study and opts for a human reflection on a relationship. But there is still a crucial ambiguity: is ‘the end’ the termination of an affair? Or is it the long-awaited end of some period of trial and difficulty? Or something else? It’s hard to say. The mood is achingly romantic yet infinitely sad. “Dirty words”, “collapsing in love”, “drinking far too much” and “neither of us mean what we say” are mesmerizing inversions of the standard love song sentiments, incontrovertibly brilliant, ‘To The End’ will outlive most pop songs written this decade. When Alex heard the finished mix he cried – a response with which many fans will sympathize.