You’d assume Blur’s biggest hits paid the bills, but for bassist Alex James, his most lucrative song wasn’t a Britpop classic at all.
James has long claimed that ‘Vindaloo,’ the boisterous 1998 England World Cup anthem he co-created with actor Keith Allen and artist Damien Hirst under the joke-band name Fat Les, earned him more money than his work with Blur.
As unlikely as it sounds, there is some logic behind it.
Released ahead of the 1998 FIFA World Cup, ‘Vindaloo’ became a football staple almost overnight. More than 25 years later, it still returns every time England heads to a major tournament, generating fresh royalties from TV broadcasts, radio play, sports coverage, pubs and stadiums.
Unlike Blur, where earnings were split between band members, labels and management, Fat Les was a much smaller operation. James reportedly held a far larger share of the royalties, meaning every play carried more weight.
That doesn’t mean ‘Vindaloo’ has earned more than Blur’s entire catalogue. James has generally referred to his personal earnings rather than total revenue.
After all, songs like ‘Song 2’ continue to generate serious money through film, television, advertising and video game licensing.
Still, it’s one of music’s stranger financial twists: a football chant recorded as a joke may have become more valuable to one member than a career spent in one of Britain’s biggest bands.
Not bad for four minutes of shouting “Vindaloo, vindaloo, vindaloo, vindaloo, nah nah.”
