M.O.R.

"M.O.R." is a song by Blur, from their eponymous album, Blur. "M.O.R." reached #15 in the UK singles chart on its release as a single in 1997.

The song's chord progression was borrowed from David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging" and "Fantastic Voyage", and it is perhaps the most straightforward example of Bowie's influence on the band. On the album Lodger Bowie and collaborator Brian Eno carried out a musical experiment in which multiple songs were written with the same chord progression, of which "Boys Keep Swinging" and "Fantastic Voyage" were the two that surfaced. M.O.R is both a continuation of, and tribute to that experiment, as its chorus also lifts the melody and call-and-response vocals from Boys Keep Swinging (Bowie and Eno both received credit for "M.O.R.").

"M.O.R." itself stands for "middle of the road", which appears in the lyrics.

Music Video

The song's video was directed by John Hardwick and is considered one of the most expensive videos the band ever made. It was shot in Sydney, Australia, and follows the misadventures of the band members (or rather, stuntmen in balaclavas pretending to be them) as they try to escape from the police. It also features cameos by stunt choreographer Grant Page as a helicopter pilot, and actor Noah Taylor as a truck passenger. The video is included in the Blur: The Best of DVD/VHS released on October 30, 2000. The 'actors' in the video are all anagrams of the member of the band they play. They are as follows:

• Morgan C. Hoax - Graham Coxon
• Lee Jaxsam - Alex James
• Trevor Dewane - Dave Rowntree
• Dan Abnormal - Damon Albarn

Track listing

• 7"
• "M.O.R. (road version)"
• "Swallows in the Heatwave"
• CD
• "M.O.R." (road version)
• "Swallows in the Heatwave"
• "Movin' On (William Orbit remix)"
• "Beetlebum (Moby's minimal house remix)"
• US CD
• "M.O.R. (road version)"
• "Pop Scene" (live at Peel Acres)
• "Song 2" (live at Peel Acres)
• "Bustin' + Dronin'"
• US Promo CD
• "M.O.R. (road version edit)"
• "M.O.R. (Alan Moulder mix edit)"
• "M.O.R. (call out research hook #1)"
• "M.O.R. (call out research hook #2) (Moulder mix)"
• Japan CD
• "M.O.R. (road version)"
• "M.O.R. (karaoke version)"
• "I love her (demo version)"
• "Death of a Party" (live at MC Vredenburg, Holland 1997)
• Australia CD
• "M.O.R. (road version)"
• "Dancehall"
• "Country Sad Ballad Man" (live acoustic)
• "Song 2" (live at Peel Acres)
• "On Your Own" (live acoustic)
• Holland and Germany CD (Special limited live edition)
• "M.O.R." (live at Peel Acres)
• "Beetlebum" (live acoustic)
• "On Your Own" (live acoustic)
• "Country Sad Ballad Man" (live acoustic)
• "This is a Low" (live acoustic)

Notes:

• The UK and US 'Road versions' are different, the U.S. version using the same take as is used in the video while the U.K. version is closer in pace to the album version.
• The UK 7" is on orange vinyl.

Production Credits

• "M.O.R." (road version) and "Dancehall" produced by Stephen Street
• "Bustin' + Dronin'" and "Swallows in the Heatwave" produced by Blur