Rocktrospectiva: Blur's Brilliant "Charmless Man" Turns 30

Released on 29 April 1996 "Charmless Man" was the 4th., studio album by English rock band Blur, and it was the fourth track on their fourth studio album, The Great Escape (1995). It was produced by Stephen Street and released by Food Records and Parlophone on 29 April 1996 in the United Kingdom as the fourth and final single from that album. The single reached number five on the UK Singles Chart and also charted in Australia, France, Iceland, and Ireland. 

The accompanying UK B-sides, "The Horrors", "A Song" and "St. Louis", continued the dramatic change in style for Blur first evidenced on the "Stereotypes" single, being stark and raw, foreshadowing the stylistic shift that would realize itself on their eponymous follow-up album.

The inspiration for the song was a visit by Damon Albarn to his grandmother in Lincolnshire. He stopped off at Grantham railway station and when inside the gentlemen's toilet, he noticed a piece of graffiti on a similar theme to the song's title. 

Reviews praised the single considered probably the best track off "The Great Escape",This should restore Blur's status as a more-than-convincing chart band." Even Morrissey quoted the single by saying he liked it at the time.  

The music video for "Charmless Man" was directed by British film writer and director Jamie Thraves. It starts with a man (the Charmless Man, played by Jean-Marc Barr) running down a dark street with a makeshift bandage or wrapping on his right hand, while cross cut edits show Blur playing in a music hall. 

Track List: 

1. UK 7-inch and cassette single

• Charmless Man
• The Horrors 

2. UK CD Single

• Charmless Man
• The Horrors
• A Song
• St. Louis 

3. European CD Single

• Charmless Man
• The Man Who Left Himself