10 Hard Rock Songs By Non-Hard Rock Artists

10. Bank Holiday - Blur

Blur's Britpop masterpiece Parklife is one of the essential pop releases of the 90's. The entire record is draped around the idea that everyday life is meaningless to the tune of fabulous pop songs. In an effort to capture the hustle and bustle of vacation, "Bank Holiday" shows the lads' suburban take on punk rock.

Starting off with a mezmerizing guitar riff from Graham Coxon, the song jerks around like a worn-out machine as Damon Albarn's vocal delivery fluctuates between apathetic and impassioned. While the effort seems farcical in the verses, the chorus is one of the most balls-to-the-wall sounds the band had achieved up to that point. What people don't catch though is the poignancy behind the raw aggression.

The whole song is meant to illustrate the idea of workers using their bank holiday to get plastered to forget about their troubles. As such, the verses act as the menial worker mindset, while the chorus is the nonstop party animal personality. Just when the track gets going, it's final riff builds to a climax only to have the song cut off, leaving the listener in a daze. In less than 2 minutes, Blur turned their musical satire into some of the most feral rock of the era.