"Badhead" by Blur is written from the perspective of a broken-hearted individual after a night of heavy drinking. Despite their attempts to drown their sorrows, they wake up the next day to find their feelings of despair and loneliness are still very much there. During a gig at the East Anglian Railway Museum in the band's hometown of Colchester in Essex in 2009, frontman Damon Albarn explained that "Badhead" is "about hangovers." He added: "Not that we want to encourage that kind of behavior." This song follows on from "Bank Holiday" on Parklife. Bank holidays are national public holidays in the UK. This tracklisting choice is a humorous nod to the fact that Brits often spend bank holidays drinking and subsequently nursing hangovers.
Drummer Dave Rowntree called "Badhead" one of his "all-time favorite Blur songs." Writing on X (formerly Twitter) in 2020, Rowntree added: "I love the huge chorus and the brass, and the melancholic feel."
British indie artist Declan McKenna appears to reference the brass fanfare that opens this song on his 2023 single "Sympathy."
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