The Universal

Everyone mentioning the National Lottery is spot on. Damon has said himself that the song is in fact about the lottery and his belief that it was a bad thing. The song is basically predicting his, our and in turn the whole country's downfall due to people believing everything they hear such as "tomorrow's your lucky day" and becoming motivated by the most impossible and unlikely dreams. The lyrics can be said to be prophetic in where British culture was going at the time, so I think people mentioning New Labour have a point, even if the song wasn't strictly political.

I think Tonyk hit on something with the mention of the National Lottery as that is what the song has always put me in mind of. The lottery is an illusion that makes ordinary working class life more bearable. People are convinced that "it really really really could happen". Each week they're dissapointed but it doesn't shake their optimism. "As the days they seem to fall through" people just let the days go, rolling on their optimism to the next week. It's a symbol of the inertia in modern life where instead of working to improve their lives people are just resigned to their dissatisfaction with the world and get through it by pinning their hopes on near impossible dreams that require the minimal ammount of effort on their part such as winning the lottery.

I think this is another of the plethora of Blur songs about modern life, and how generally mundane it is. It's semi-ironic that this song was recently used in a car commercial, but still a great, great, great song, possibly Blur's best.

OK, this song is referencing the win by Labour (Red) of control of the British government from The Conservative Party (Blue).

Old men wearing rose-tinted goggles: They have seen this before (when Labour was last in power), and they are reminiscing ("This can't be heaven, I've seen it before").

The Red Man - Was Blue 15 years ago, now Red, and looks so unhappy as to suggest he will be shifting allegiances again soon.

Alex and the Droogs? The 'new' government - a leader and his mob.

Anyone else any thoughts?

One of my favorite songs of blurs and the music video referring is to the film clockwork orange is a masterpiece and goes with the song very welI.I think its about Prozac...

Of the two guys drinking together, the man in the monochromatic outfit was definitely gay. I believe the point was that, because they both took 'The Universal', the straight man couldn't tell that his friend was hitting on him, while the gay man couldn't see that his love interest wasn't returning the favor.

The four pictures were (I believe there were four)..

1. A hat on top of a pair of legs, which could either mean that that the future's new civilians will look classy and sophisticated from the outside (it was a top hat), but will have no 'brains' or 'heart', or possibly just that they can't think for themselves and the hat was necessary for the viewer to notice the intentional lack of a head and torso.
2. A set of handcuffs that one of the links was undone, which could either mean that the people feel as if they are free, but the shackles are still there and can be reapplied at any time, or maybe they just symbolized freedom and only one being undone was a stylistic choice. (not important for this point)
3. A fetus above a cocktail glass, literally to be taken as "drinking your life away", or possibly "drinking away any ability to start a new life".
4. A magnet and a person, obviously meaning "human attraction".

Despite the fact that Damon can easily tell that the gay friend is going to make a move that night, even winking right before it happens, neither person can see it in the other from literally feet away from each other. Damon's also under the influence of the drug (he can't fully smile and when he does, it doesn't seem quite right), but is self aware. The users of The Universal have become so devoid of emotion that they can't even sense love if it isn't shoved right in their faces, maybe because it numbs them, maybe because it helps them choose to forget.

The point is that, while being completely numb to emotions makes life easier to manage and control, it doesn't lead to a satisfying life. Damon's practically bashing a possible future generation, "the Prozac generation".

..oh, and one more thing, since none of you realized it yet. Notice that even though the old men were very happy with the real world in their force-fed happiness (notice how their glasses are specifically rose colored), once they found out it wasn't what they were told happiness is, they were immediately unhappy. It was practically "Wow, this is great! ..wait a second, I recognize this place. This isn't true happiness! (outrage)".

wonderfully beautiful, i think its saying that anything could happen in the future, be it good or bad, you just have to deal with it.

definitely the best blur song..

definitely blurs greatest song ever

may i ask what the universal is?