Editing Song 2 (section)

==Background==
According to [[Graham Coxon]], "Song 2" was intended to be a joke on the record company.<ref name="produce">{{cite web |title=Inside The Song with Graham Coxon from Blur - "Song 2" | date=8 January 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEy5LBHq6OQ  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/OEy5LBHq6OQ| archive-date=13 December 2021 |url-status=live|publisher=Produce Like a Pro |access-date=12 January 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> [[Damon Albarn]] had recorded an acoustic demo of the song which was slower and contained the song's distinctive "woo-hoo" chorus in whistle form. Coxon then suggested that they pump up the speed and perform the song loudly, with Coxon deliberately seeking out an amateurish guitar sound.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Meaningless Meaning Behind Blur’s Joke-Gone-Right, "Song 2" |date=25 April 2025|url=https://americansongwriter.com/the-meaningless-meaning-behind-blurs-joke-gone-right-song-2/|website=American Songwriter|author-last1=Donovan|author-first1=Thom}}</ref> From there, Coxon told Albarn to tell the record company that they wanted to release the song as a single to "blow the flipping record labels' heads off".<ref name="produce" /> To Coxon's surprise, record executives reacted positively. When asked if the band had any idea of the song's commercial appeal, Coxon replied, "We'd just thought it was way too extreme".<ref name="produce" />

The track was originally nicknamed "Song 2" as a working title which represented its slot in the tracklist, but the name stuck.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 December 2013 |title=Countdown {{!}} Hottest 100 - Of All Time {{!}} triple j |website=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |url=https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hottest100_alltime/countdown/cd_61-70.htm |access-date=22 October 2023 |archive-date=19 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219230044/https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hottest100_alltime/countdown/cd_61-70.htm |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> The song is two minutes and two seconds long, with two verses, two choruses and a hook featuring Albarn yelling "woo-hoo!" as the distorted bass comes in. It is the second song on [[Blur (Blur album)|Blur's self-titled album]], as well as ''[[Blur: The Best Of]]'', and was the second single released from the former album.<ref name="cbc" />

Some writers have stated that the song is intended to be a parody of the [[grunge]] genre,<ref name="cbc">{{cite web |last1=Lau |first1=Melody |date=7 April 2017|title=Woo hoo! 20 things you may not know about Blur's 'Song 2' |url=https://www.cbcmusic.ca/posts/18325/blur-song-2-20-year-anniversary |website=CBC Music |access-date=9 September 2018}}</ref><ref name="sg">{{cite web |last1=DeVille |first1=Chris |title="Song 2" Turns 20 |url=https://www.stereogum.com/1918698/song-2-turns-20/franchises/the-anniversary/ |website=Stereogum|date=10 February 2017 }}</ref> while others state that it was a parody of radio hits and the music industry with a [[punk rock]] chorus.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Paulas |first1=Rick |title=Woo-hoo! 20 Years Ago, Blur's 'Song 2' Became an Unlikely Sports Anthem|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/woo-hoo-20-years-ago-blurs-song-2-became-an-unlikely-sports-anthem/|website=Vice Sports|date=7 April 2017 |access-date=9 January 2019}}</ref>