Feel Good Inc.

Feel Good Inc. (Noodle's Demo)
Feel Good Inc.
Feel Good Inc. (Demon Detour, with De La Soul)
Feel Good Inc. (Demon Days Live, with De La Soul)
Feel Good Inc. (Live with Holograms, 2005)
Feel Good Inc. (Escape To Plastic Beach Tour, with De La Soul)
Feel Good Inc. (Damon Albarn live with De La Soul & backing band The Heavy Seas, 2014)
Feel Good Inc. (De La Soul live, 2014)
Feel Good Inc. (De La Soul live with Damon Albarn, 2015)
Feel Good Inc. (Live with De La Soul, 2017)

"Change"

How did this happen? A group whom were pinned as flukes and one hit wonders got another huge worldwide hit. A hit which won them awards, expanded their fanbase and was performed on the Grammys with aging pop superstar Madonna. Time had caught up with the band (or maybe it was the song's use in iPod commercials) and "Feel Good Inc." put the band in the mix of many a 2000's era indie hit makers who teenagers pretend to listen to while only listening to the group's huge mainstream crossovers.

The song's original form is one of a rough demo Damon Albarn, Danger Mouse and the "Demon Days" band made. A lot of the tracks key players are there, James Dring's layers of drums, drum machine & handclaps dueling for center stage, Simon Tong's weird slide guitar lines, Damon's multiple acoustic guitars and of course the song's main focus, Jason Cox's funky bass groove. Later Damon fleshed out his vocals making them more solid, and adding in some crazy new wave synthesizers which gave the track a vibe similar to Tom Tom Club's "Wordy Rappinghood". Later, legendary rap pioneers De La Soul were invited to 13 Studios to deliver some raps on a track of their choice. Posdunos wanted to do a rap on "Kids With Guns", but Dave and Maseo wanted to do a rap on the rough demo that was "Feel Good Inc." The raps delivered by these two added the final touches on to the track we now know and love today.

What is there to be said about this track which hasn't been said before? It's a solid groove with tight production and fantastic vocal delivery from all three of the vocalists. It begins with evil laughter from Maseo and then the beat kicks in while Damon as 2D chants "feel good". It's almost as if he's brainwashing himself to be happy in the horrible fear the world of post-9/11 feels like. However unlike a majority of the songs off "Demon Days", this one seems solely seeped in the Gorillaz universe and not as much of a commentary as the other tracks. The song might literally be about a corporation (Feel Good Inc.) which has brainwashed the people of the town to be blissfully ignorant, but 2D sees the chaos around him, and it's driving him insane. When the acoustic guitars appear during the song's bridge, it feels as if 2D has found hope a way to get out. He puts all his hope in the "windmill", the product of man made labor and not corporate greed, as a sign that there is still good authenticity left in the world. But as soon as 2D seems ok, De La Soul come out to play.

Dave & Maseo's verse seem playful with all of their references to other cartoons like Care Bears and songs by bands like Queen. But Dave & Maseo represent the "big brother" type evil from the corporation watching over the town, George Orwell style. Lining the town up ("like ass cracks"), engaging in fascist type warfare ("chocolate attack"), telling them to never stop feeling good so they don't wake up to see the chaos and destruction around them. Maseo then lets out a powerful and maniacal laugh, celebrating the success of their evil wrong doing against the town. 2D tries to to brainwash himself again by chanting "feel good" but soon he retreats back to his "windmill" in order to maintain some sort of hope about the world around him.

While the instrumental during the bridge's final repeat becomes more anthemic and hopeful, 2D seems to have lost the hope he once had, much of the optimism is delivered by Noodle (aka Damon Albarn doing a falsetto), who has remained cheerful despite all that has happened. De La Soul then come back in to deliver one last verse a repeat of their call to feel good. Mateo lets out another big laugh as he realizes that he got 2D too, 2D chants "feel good" resigning his fate and conforming to the state of delusion he sees all around him. It's over, they finally broke him.

The track was a staple for the band's live shows, often played near the end as it is the band's biggest hit. However during the band's 2017 "Humanz Tour" the song was rarely played. Maybe Damon was tired of playing this song along with the big hit from his other band, Blur, "Song 2". Regardless of how he may feel, "Feel Good Inc." is a fantastic track which changed the game for the band, not only making them a staple in the alternative music world but becoming a constant on radio and party mixes for years to come.