‘Connection’: the truth behind Elastica’s Britpop anthem
The Britpop boom of the mid-1990s saw the streets of London littered with a deluge of young rock bands hoping to capitalise on the success of giants like Blur and Suede. Among the great exports of Britpop were Elastica, the group formed by ex-Suede members Justine Frischmann and Justin Welch. Leaning more heavily into a grunge sound, in contrast to the clean-toned optimism of their contemporaries in the Britpop scene, Elastica’s defining track came with 1994’s ‘Connection’.
Earning Frischmann and the band their second top 20 hit, ‘Connection’ quickly became one of the 1990s’ most iconic tracks. In many ways, the song eclipsed England’s blossoming Britpop scene, emerging as one of the only songs to emerge from London’s underground scene to transcend the Atlantic, becoming a hit in the US. The song also formed a highlight of Elastica’s Mercury Prize-nominated debut album, which quickly rose to the top of the UK album charts upon its release in 1995.
The story behind Elastica’s defining track is a contentious one. Lyrically, the song is themed around the abandonment of one’s hopes and dreams in the vain hope of creating a romantic connection. It stands to reason, therefore, that the track could have been inspired by the intraband romances, namely with Suede frontman Brett Anderson or Blur’s Damon Albarn – who is the subject of ‘Stutter’, another track featured on their eponymous debut.
Ultimately, the exact meaning of ‘Connection’ remains unknown; with Frischmann never fully explaining the inspiration behind the song, it is entirely possible that it was merely written as a generic pop-rock track with romantic overtones. Although the frontwoman has often taken part in interviews about her time with the group, the topic of ‘Connection’ is rarely brought up due to the controversy surrounding the band’s plagiarism of the song’s main riff.
The guitar riff, which was actually created on a keyboard, was directly lifted from post-punk icons Wire and their track ‘Three Girl Rhumba’. Britpop was known for begging, borrowing and stealing influences from elsewhere, with Oasis’ Noel Gallagher regularly accused of plagiarism, taking inspiration from the likes of Nirvana, Green Day and, of course, The Beatles. However, Elastica’s use of Wire’s riff is much more blatant and unavoidable.
Elastica’s first hit single, ‘Line Up’, also borrowed heavily from the post-punk stylings of Wire, leading the group to be forced into an out-of-court settlement in order to avoid a lengthy court battle over royalties. Although, somewhat unjustly, Wire did not receive songwriting credits for ‘Connection’, the dispute around the track provided newfound appreciation for the band, leading to reissues of their first two albums.
Despite their contentious case of plagiarism, Elastica’s debut album remains one of the greatest products of the Britpop era. Their follow-up, 2000’s The Menace, was widely overlooked, given the waning popularity of many Britpop acts as music moved onto the garage rock revival. However, the album did act as inspiration for the next generation of daring young artists, predicting the rise of acts like Peaches and M.I.A.