Cast your mind back a decade – yes, I’ll give you a minute to adjust to 2005 being that long ago – and there’s a good chance the familiar chimes of ‘Feel Good Inc’ will come rushing back, perhaps alongside some repressed memories of the Crazy Frog.
This genre-mashing lead single from the acclaimed Demon Days is still the most commercially successful song to date from Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz, and was positively inescapable at the time of its release, racking up impressive radio airplay, sticking around the charts for an impressive 39 weeks, and compelling random members of the public to belt out “feeeel gooood”.
An absorbing marriage of alternative rock and hip-hop, featuring verses from none other than influential rap trio De La Soul, ‘Feel Good Inc’ is one of those songs that just works, and effortlessly too. Perhaps this is heard best in the line “Love forever, love is free / let’s turn forever you and me”, where the former Blur frontman’s pop songwriting shines through at the same time as the backing beat begins to increase in tempo.
Though it’s by no means their be-all-and-end-all, this track showcases just how good this musical project could be at their best, and can probably be considered their finest work. Well, after ‘Dirty Harry’, perhaps.
If you have the need to feel good, it’s about time you listened to this song again.
Words by Benedict