{{Short description|1996 single by Blur}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2014}} {{Use British English|date=June 2014}} {{Infobox song | name = Charmless Man | cover = Charmless Man 7.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = Blur | album = The Great Escape | B-side = {{ubl|"The Horrors"|"A Song"|"St. Louis"}} | released = {{start date|1996|4|29|df=y}} (UK) | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = * Britpop<ref name= "Erlewine 2024">{{cite web|first= Stephen Thomas|last= Erlewine|title= The 25 most essential Blur songs|website= The A.V. Club|date= May 4, 2024|url=https://www.avclub.com/blur-band-best-songs-ranked-1851455676|accessdate= May 5, 2024}}</ref> * baroque pop<ref name="Shipley 2023">{{cite news|first= Al|last= Shipley|title= Every Blur Album, Ranked|website= Spin|date= 21 July 2023|access-date= 16 December 2024|url= https://www.spin.com/2023/07/best-blur-albums/|quote=Such self-explanatory titles as ‘Charmless Man’ are supported by serrated, droll lyrics and irony-filled baroque-pop music...}}</ref> <!-- Do not add unsourced genres --> | length = 3:34 | label = * Food * Parlophone | writer = * Damon Albarn * Graham Coxon * Alex James * Dave Rowntree | producer = Stephen Street | prev_title = Stereotypes | prev_year = 1996 | next_title = Beetlebum | next_year = 1997 | misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|p1a_4CN4onA|"Charmless Man"}}}} }} "'''Charmless Man'''" is a song by English rock band Blur and is the fourth track on their fourth studio album, ''The Great Escape'' (1995). It was produced by Stephen Street and released by Food Records and Parlophone on 29 April 1996 in the United Kingdom as the fourth and final single from that album. The single reached number five on the UK Singles Chart and also charted in Australia, France, Iceland, and Ireland. The accompanying music video was directed by Jamie Thraves and features Jean-Marc Barr.
The accompanying UK B-sides, "The Horrors", "A Song" and "St. Louis", continued the dramatic change in style for Blur first evidenced on the "Stereotypes" single, being stark and raw, foreshadowing the stylistic shift that would realize itself on their eponymous follow-up album.
==Background== The inspiration for the song was a visit by Damon Albarn to his grandmother in Lincolnshire. He stopped off at Grantham railway station and when inside the gentlemen's toilet, he noticed a piece of graffiti on a similar theme to the song's title.<ref>Zoë Ball, ''The Radio 1 Breakfast Show'', BBC Radio 1, December 1998</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/songs-that-could-be-movies-blur/|title=Songs That Could Be Movies: Blur|last=Ashurst|first=Sam|date=2 July 2009|work=GamesRadar+|access-date=1 August 2022}}</ref>
==Critical reception== British magazine ''Music Week'' gave the song five out of five and named it Single of the Week, writing, "The fourth and final single from ''The Great Escape'' is probably its best track. This should restore Blur's status as a more-than-convincing chart band."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1996/Music-Week-1996-04-20.pdf|first=|last=|title=Reviews|magazine=Music Week|date=20 April 1996|page=10|accessdate=15 August 2021}}</ref> ''Music & Media'' described it as "sheer foolishness".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1995/MM-1995-09-30.pdf|title=New Releases: Albums — Album of the Week|magazine=Music & Media|volume=12|issue=39|date=30 September 1995|page=9|access-date=17 March 2025}}</ref> ''Smash Hits'' gave it four out of five, adding, "A tale of a bloke no-one likes. A wonderful, instant sing-a-long tune."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/smashhits90s/33442094704/in/album-72157680998272051|title=Albums: Best New Album|work=Smash Hits|date=13 September 1995|page=59|access-date=9 February 2025}}</ref>
Morrissey stated that he liked the song in an interview at the time.<ref name="moz in convo">{{cite book |last1=Woods |first1=Paul A. |title=Morrissey In Conversation: The Essential Interviews |date=1 October 2017 |publisher=Plexus Publishing |isbn=978-0-85965-874-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7sw2DwAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref>
==Music video== [[File:Jean-Marc Barr Cannes.jpg|thumb|Jean-Marc Barr (pictured 2002) played the Charmless Man in the music video]] The music video for "Charmless Man" was directed by British film writer and director Jamie Thraves. It starts with a man (the ''Charmless Man'', played by Jean-Marc Barr) running down a dark street with a makeshift bandage or wrapping on his right hand, while cross cut edits show Blur playing in a music hall. After the verse which is accompanied by piano, the band are playing in the man's apartment in his bathroom, whilst the man uses an electric toothbrush and uses some red wine as mouthwash. After becoming fully dressed, the man goes out into the corridor, where the band are again. After pushing Damon Albarn out of the way, he enters a lift. The band once again are there. They are also there in the foyer when the man leaves the lift. The members of the band hang around outside, when the man, frustrated at the band following him anywhere he goes, pushes Albarn over and kicks him.
After collecting his car from the valet, the man drives off, hoping to be free from the band. They appear at the roadside twice as the man drives down the street. At the third time, the band are standing in the middle of the road and the man drives straight into them, knocking them all over. Following this latest appearance by the band, he smashes the car windows with his fists in anger. He is then seen again running on the dark street, with his badly cut hand wrapped, at which point it becomes clear that the earlier scene of him running was out of time sequence. He staggers into the hall, once again finding it his fate to see the band performing in front of him. He can escape neither the band nor his own nature. In the final shot, the camera zooms in onto Albarn's face as the final notes are sung and played and he has a contemptuous smile on his face.
==Track listings== All music was composed by Albarn, Coxon, James and Rowntree. All lyrics were composed by Albarn. {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} * '''UK 7-inch and cassette single'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Charmless Man|others=Blur|year=1996|type=UK 7-inch single sleeve|publisher=Food Records, Parlophone|id=FOOD 77, 7243 8 82884 7 7}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Charmless Man|others=Blur|year=1996|type=UK cassette single sleeve|publisher=Food Records, Parlophone|id=TC-FOOD 77, 7243 8 82884 4 6}}</ref> # "Charmless Man" # "The Horrors"
* '''UK CD single'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Charmless Man|others=Blur|year=1996|type=UK CD single liner notes|publisher=Food Records, Parlophone|id=CDFOOD 77, 7243 8 82884 2 2}}</ref> # "Charmless Man" # "The Horrors" # "A Song" # "St. Louis"
* '''European CD single'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Charmless Man|others=Blur|year=1996|type=European CD single liner notes|publisher=Food Records, Parlophone|id=7243 8 82708 2 3}}</ref> # "Charmless Man" – 3:33 # "The Man Who Left Himself" – 3:21 {{col-2}} * '''French CD single'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Charmless Man|others=Blur|year=1996|type=French CD single liner notes|publisher=EMI Music France|id=7243 8 82757 2}}</ref> # "Charmless Man" – 3:34 # "It Could Be You" (live) – 3:19
* '''Australasian CD single'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Charmless Man|others=Blur|year=1996|type=Australasian CD single liner notes|publisher=Food Records, Parlophone|id=8827092}}</ref> # "Charmless Man" – 3:33 # "The Man Who Left Himself" – 3:21 # "Tame" – 4:47 # "Ludwig" – 2:24 {{col-end}}
==Personnel== * Damon Albarn – lead vocals, piano * Graham Coxon – electric guitar, backing vocals * Alex James – bass guitar * Dave Rowntree – drums
==Charts== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}
===Weekly charts=== {|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" !Charts (1996) !Peak<br/>position |- {{single chart|Australia|35|song=Charmless Man|artist=Blur|rowheader=true|accessdate=31 March 2018}} |- !scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1996/MM-1996-05-18.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=Music & Media|volume=13|issue=20|page=24|date=18 May 1996|access-date=30 May 2020}}</ref> | 16 |- {{single chart|France|33|song=Charmless Man|artist=Blur|rowheader=true|accessdate=31 March 2018}} |- !scope="row"|Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timarit.is/page/2939275#page/n29/mode/2up|title=Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (13.4. – 19.4. '96)|newspaper=Dagblaðið Vísir|language=is|page=38|date=13 April 1996|accessdate=2 October 2019}}</ref> | 6 |- {{single chart|Ireland2|25|song=Charmless Man|rowheader=true|accessdate=31 March 2018}} |- {{single chart|Scotland|6|date=19960511|rowheader=true|accessdate=31 March 2018}} |- {{single chart|UK|5|date=19960511|rowheader=true|accessdate=31 March 2018}} |} {{col-2}}
===Year-end charts=== {|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" !Charts (1996) !Position |- !scope="row"|Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timarit.is/page/2949469#page/n15/mode/2up|title=Árslistinn 1996|newspaper=Dagblaðið Vísir|language=is|page=16|date=2 January 1997|access-date=30 May 2020}}</ref> | 72 |} {{col-end}}
==Certifications== {{Certification Table Top}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Blur|title=Charmless Man|award=Silver|relyear=2004|certyear=2021|id=17484-388-1|access-date=10 September 2021}} {{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}
==Release history== {|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" !scope="col"|Region !scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Format(s) !scope="col"|Label(s) !scope="col"|{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |- !scope="row"|Australia |rowspan="2"|1996 |rowspan="2"|CD |{{hlist|Food|Parlophone}} | |- !scope="row"|France |EMI Music France | |- !scope="row"|United Kingdom |29 April 1996 |{{hlist|7-inch vinyl|CD|cassette}} |{{hlist|Food|Parlophone}} |<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1996/Music-Week-1996-04-27.pdf|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=35|date=27 April 1996|access-date=29 June 2021}}</ref> |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Blur}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Blur (band) songs Category:1996 singles Category:1995 songs Category:Food Records singles Category:Parlophone singles Category:Song recordings produced by Stephen Street Category:Songs written by Alex James (musician) Category:Songs written by Damon Albarn Category:Songs written by Dave Rowntree Category:Songs written by Graham Coxon