Those Certain Songs: ‘Coffee and TV’ – Blur (1998)

There are certain songs that just resonate with you. Whether that song recreates a moment in time or is just one that you really like, these songs are the songs that helped create the person you are and were a constant companion in the journey called life.

Today we continue exploring those songs in my life and what they mean to me.   This is Those Certain Songs.

The Song:

Title: Coffee and TV

Artist: Blur

Album: 13

The Lyrics:

What it means to me:

When this song came out I had already graduated High School really didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life.  I had just returned home from a failed stint in the military (Asthma + Basic Training in the 90’s, you do the math) and I was facing an attempt to restart my life once again.  Having returned home to live with my parents, a fate that was as financially necessary as much as it was embarrassing, I set out to find a way to get the hell out of dodge once and for all.

During this time I discovered the band Blur, or should I say rediscovered them seeing that I had heard them prior, and soon fell in love with the third track on what would become my favorite album in their discography.  How I rediscovered this band was very fitting for the time, it was through a music video.

You see every summer I would be asked to house sit for a friend of the family who had a ton of animals. I won’t get into it now but these folks had a virtual zoo. The benefit of doing this was that I got a week away from my family (and all the difficulties there) to not only house sit but to literally live somewhere else.  This place had it all, a good PC, The internet (trust me, that was a big deal in the 90’s), cable television, plenty of food and, better yet, I got paid for my efforts.  One of the channels that was on regularly was MTV and one evening I heard the opening notes to a song and soon found myself fascinated over the adventures of a little milk carton searching for the missing boy on his side. (the video is above if you haven’t watched it yet) Instantly, Coffee & TV spoke to me.  Here was the story of a lost little milk carton who is attempting to find his place in the world and braving this big bad world no matter what the costs. Through his mission to find the boy on his side, the milk carton experiences much of life’s difficulties, trust, love, finding purpose and more only to  sacrifice himself to the very mission he set out for.

At it’s core this was a song not only about belonging but finding your way in life as you run up against the hardships that life throws at you along the way.  Instantly, this tune became a part of my personal soundtrack as Graham Coxon sang about the very thing I was feeling at the time. I was on a mission myself, to find the lost person stamped on my side and, at that time, I too was pretty lost.  It would take a while for me to finally find my way, a move to a new place, a few more failed relationships, a few more jobs that didn’t quite fit, but eventually I found someone who looked like that kid I was searching for.  He had grown up a bit, may have grown a beard or cut his hair, but when I looked closely I recognized him for who he was.  Me.

The song itself is a wonderful tune on an equally wonderful album.  If you haven’t listened to it in it’s entirety, I highly recommend Blur’s album 13.  I am sure you will find a song on there that speaks to you as well.

Late to the Game 10/17/2020 (originally 2/8/2020)

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed Those Certain Songs.  If you would like to read more about music you can find my Music Reviews Here.

Additionally, I have a weekly series called Key Movies Of My Life that comes out every Thursday and also check out some retro tv goodness with the ongoing series Retro TV Reviews. 

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