Background
A number of newspaper articles about the young middle classes' adoption of Estuary English appeared during the single's chart run, including one in The Sunday Times on the day the song entered the singles chart (although Daniels' accent is more obviously Cockney).
The song played a part in Blur's supposed feud with fellow Britpop band Oasis at the 1996 BRIT Awards when the Gallagher brothers, Liam and Noel, taunted Blur by singing a drunk rendition of "Parklife" (with Liam changing the lyrics to "Shite-life" and Noel shouting "Marmite") when the members of Oasis were collecting the "Best British Album" award, which both bands had been nominated for.
The track was written about the band's experience of Castle Park in Colchester, the town where the band lived.
Phil Daniels re-united onstage with Blur to perform a rendition of the song at the band's headline slot at Glastonbury Festival 2009 and at the band's concerts in Hyde Park, London in July 2009 and August 2012 and at the 2012 Brit awards.
Read more about this topic: Parklife (song)
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