Graham Coxon Remembers Recording Blur's "13": The Day Madonna Walked Into the Control Room

Blur guitarist Graham Coxon has revisited the making of the band's 1999 album "13" in a new interview with Rolling Stone, recalling the album's producer William Orbit — and the day Madonna turned up unannounced at the London studio. Orbit died at his home on July 23 at age 69; his death was made public on August 7, with no cause disclosed. As reported by NME, Coxon described Orbit as a "genius" with an anarchic taste in sound.

Inside the "13" sessions

Blur decided to bring Orbit on board for "13" after hearing his eight-minute remix of their 1997 track "Movin' On." The timing put him fresh off producing Madonna's 1998 album "Ray Of Light," when he was one of the most in-demand producers in the world.

Coxon said he "instantly liked William" and sensed an obsessiveness in his musical approach that suggested the collaboration would be interesting — the band quickly realized the whole process was going to be chaotic. He called Orbit "a bit of a mad genius."

The day Madonna showed up, Coxon was noodling on guitar in the studio's live room and only noticed her when he looked up into the control room and saw her standing there. His reaction, he said, was "Oh shit" — he hesitated over whether to go say hello, and eventually the whole band went over to greet her.

The jam that became "Beautiful Stranger"

Coxon recalled that during the "13" sessions, Blur improvised over a rhythm track Orbit had put together, but it never turned into a song. Later that year, Madonna released "Beautiful Stranger," produced by Orbit, for the soundtrack to "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me." Coxon recognized it immediately as that same track. The song earned Madonna and Orbit their third Grammy together.

Following Orbit's death, Madonna wrote a tribute saying, "in many ways you were my Ray Of Light," signing off with "Goodbye Billy Bubbles" and calling herself lucky to have known him. Earlier this year, Orbit had mentioned working on a possible follow-up to "Ray Of Light" and reaching out to Madonna about it, only to get "nil response" — though he stressed "zero hard feelings," adding that "she made my career."

What Coxon is doing now

"13" was the last Blur album Coxon played on as a full-time member before his return for 2015's "The Magic Whip." He's currently working on the third album from his band The Waeve, formed with Rose Elinor Dougall, and is set to play a run of UK solo shows later this year. In the same interview, Coxon said he's considering paying tribute to Orbit during those dates: "We might even play a Blur song connected to William Orbit."