Brit Pop! Blur vs Oasis

A phase of heightened pride in British culture, called "Cool Britannia" was influenced by 'Swinging London' from 1960s pop culture, and spanned from the mid to late 1990s. This pop culture sensation was roughly in line with the conservative UK government of John Major in the 1997 UK general election. The triumph of Britpop and artists like Oasis, Blur, and the Spice Girls demonstrated a newfound sense of hope in the UK after the turbulent years of the 1970s and 1980s. This contributed to not only a heightened sense of national pride in the UK but also a re-branding of the UK internationally. The term "Cool Britannia" is a play on the chorus of the patriotic song "Rule, Britannia!" from Great Britain. With the arrival of Cool Britannia came Brit Pop! A musical movement that ultimately emphasized Britishness. With the Union Jack seen everywhere that theme is hard to miss. It had a brighter and more charming tone to the music than the then-trendy dark American grunge sound or the shoe-gaze sound of Britain. 

The rise and fall of Britpop was also very fast-paced, it came out of nowhere and died just as quickly. Though many Brit-pop musicians are seen as legends and continue to make impressive music after the fall of the musical genre (such as Damon Albarn from Blur later forming the Gorillaz), it was a genre stuck in time that will be forever remembered and listened to by all music fans. 

Influence

Brit-pop was more a cultural movement than a musical movement but the music quality did not falter. Bands took inspiration from glam and punk rock of previous decades as well as the 80s New Wave music. There is clear inspiration from The Kinks, The Animals and The Beatles in many Britpop songs. The Beatles notably is heard in Oasis and The Kinks influence is heard in Blur.