Songfacts®:

• "Chemical World" by Blur is about the intense feelings of emptiness that come with modern living. The song features several characters dealing with these emotions, including an unhappy checkout girl, a peeping tom and his exhibitionist neighbor, and a group of townies who "stick together so they never get lonely." Through these various characters, frontman Damon Albarn explores how contemporary society lacks fulfillment and how we cope with this deep sense of meaninglessness.
• Albarn wrote "Chemical World" after Blur's American label, SBK Records, requested a song that would appeal to Stateside audiences. The band recorded a demo with the ironic working title "Americana" before getting Stephen Street to produce a more polished version of "Chemical World." SBK Records didn't like Street's production and asked Blur to rerecord the song with Butch Vig, best known for his work with Nirvana. The band refused, so SBK Records put the demo version of "Chemical World" on the American issue of Modern Life Is Rubbish.
  
  Continuing with the American theme, the single cover art for "Chemical World" features a Ferrari F40 and a mustang horse in front of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.
• The official music video for "Chemical World" was directed by Dwight Clarke. It shows Blur relaxing alongside cows, horses and rabbits in a lush green field. The sky is also drenched in psychedelic colors. The video went on to be featured on MTV's iconic animated series Beavis and Butt-Head.
• According to bassist Alex James, the British comedian Eddie Izzard is a huge fan of "Chemical World." He wrote in his 2007 memoir Bit of a Blur: "It wasn't a smash, but there were some good signs. Eddie Izzard, my favorite comedian, mentioned in an interview that he listened to that song before he went onstage."
• In 1993, Blur embarked on the Sugary Tea Tour across the UK to promote Modern Life Is Rubbish. The tour, which marked a turning point for the band following their critically panned shows in the US, was named after a lyric in "Chemical World":
  
  Feeling lead, feeling quite light-headed
  Had to sit down and have some sugary tea
  In a chemical world, in a chemical world
  It's very, very, very cheap
• "Chemical World" was released as the second single from Modern Life Is Rubbish after "For Tomorrow." It peaked at #28 on the UK chart. It also reached #27 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, making it the only single from the album to chart in America.
  
  Discussing the meaning behind the album title, Albarn told NME in 1993: "Modern life is the rubbish of the past. We all live on the rubbish: it dictates our thoughts. And because it's all built up over such a long time, there's no necessity for originality anymore. There are so many old things to splice together in infinite permutations that there is absolutely no need to create anything new."