The 1990s saw a second golden era in British popular music, after a dry spell of almost three decades, with the advent of what was dubbed Britpop. But while the new craze brought England’s alternative music to the mainstream, its inspiration harkened back to the melodic, guitar-driven British pop rock of the ‘60s – think The Beatles and The Kinks. (These are the biggest pop hits by The Beatles.)
But Britpop was much more than a musical genre – more than England’s answer to the grunge music scene in the United States or the U.K.’s own shoegaze style. Essentially, Britpop was the soundtrack of an era marked by a distinctive pride in British culture, expressed through the so-called Cool Britannia movement – which also took its cues from the ‘60s, inspired by that decade’s own cultural signifier, “Swinging London.”
The movement’s “big four” – Oasis, Blur, Suede, and Pulp – filled the airwaves and topped the U.K. charts from about 1993 to 1999. The genre faded in the late ‘90s, giving way to post-Britpop bands like Coldplay, Starsailor, and Travis, but Britpop lives on in the hearts and minds of a generation. (See the 100 best pop albums of all time.)
To determine the 25 most popular Britpop songs, 24/7 Tempo reviewed performance data on the Official UK Top 40 chart, compiled by the Official Charts Company. Britpop songs were ranked based on a custom index score composed of the peak position and total number of weeks spent on the chart. The chart is based on official song downloads, CD sales, vinyl sales, audio streams, and video streams. Only songs included in the Official Charts Company’s list of the top 50 best-selling Britpop songs were considered.
25. Catatonia, “Mulder And Scully”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: January 31, 1998
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #3
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 11
24. Bluetones, “Slight Return”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: February 3, 1996
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #2
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 11
23. Stereophonics, “Just Looking”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: March 6, 1999
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #4
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 12
22. Blur, “Country House”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: September 9, 1995
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #57
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 2
21. Oasis, “All Around The World”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: January 24, 1998
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #1
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 11
20. Oasis, “Shakermaker”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: July 2, 1994
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #11
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 62
19. Ocean Colour Scene, “The Day We Caught The Train”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: June 15, 1996
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #4
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 11
18. Oasis, “Supersonic”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: April 23, 1994
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #31
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 60
17. Manic Street Preachers, “A Design For Life”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: April 27, 1996
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #2
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 14
16. Pulp, “Common People”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: June 3, 1995
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #2
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 14
15. Verve, “Lucky Man”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: December 6, 1997
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #7
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 17
14. Blur, “Song 2”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: April 19, 1997
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #2
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 7
13. Blur, “Tender”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: March 6, 1999
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #2
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 11
12. Oasis, “Stand By Me”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: October 4, 1997
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #2
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 22
11. Blur, “Country House”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: August 26, 1995
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #1
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 12
10. Oasis, “Cigarettes & Alcohol”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: October 22, 1994
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #7
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 79
9. Cornershop, “Brimful Of Asha”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: August 30, 1997
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #1
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 15
8. Verve, “The Drugs Don’t Work”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: September 13, 1997
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #1
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 20
7. Oasis, “Live Forever”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: August 20, 1994
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #10
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 68
6. Oasis, “Roll With It”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: August 26, 1995
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #2
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 48
5. Oasis, “Some Might Say”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: May 6, 1995
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #1
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 81
4. Oasis, “Don’t Look Back In Anger”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: March 2, 1996
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #1
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 46
3. Verve, “Bitter Sweet Symphony”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: June 28, 1997
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #2
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 56
2. Oasis, “Whatever”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: December 31, 1994
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #3
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 112
1. Oasis, “Wonderwall”
> Entered UK Top 40 chart: November 11, 1995
> Peak position on UK Top 40 chart: #2
> Total weeks on UK Top 40 chart: 86