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Common People

January 07, 2023

For the social division, see Commoner.
Not to be confused with Love of the Common People.

"Common People" is a song by English alternative rock band Pulp, released in May 1995 as the lead single off their fifth studio album Different Class. It reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart, becoming a defining track of the Britpop movement as well as Pulp's signature song.[1] In 2014, BBC Radio 6 Music listeners voted it their favourite Britpop song in an online poll.[2] In a 2015 Rolling Stone readers' poll it was voted the greatest Britpop song.[3]

"Common People"
Single by Pulp
from the album Different Class
B-side"Underwear"
Released22 May 1995 (1995-05-22)
Recorded18–24 January 1995
StudioThe Town House, London
GenreBritpop
Length5:50
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Chris Thomas
Pulp singles chronology
"The Sisters EP"
(1994) 		"Common People"
(1995) 		"Mis-Shapes" / "Sorted for E's & Wizz"
(1995)
Music video
"Common People" on YouTube

The song is a critique of gentrification, and the wealthy wanting to be "like common people" – ascribing glamour to poverty.[4] This phenomenon is referred to as slumming or "class tourism".[4] The song was written by the band members Jarvis Cocker, Nick Banks, Candida Doyle, Steve Mackey and Russell Senior. Cocker had conceived the song after meeting a Greek art student while studying at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London (the college and the student feature in the lyrics). He came up with the tune on a Casiotone keyboard he had bought in a music store in Notting Hill, west London.

Justin Myers of the Official Charts Company wrote, '"Common People" was typical Pulp – a biting satire of posh people "roughing it" and acting like tourists by hanging with the "common people". Jarvis delivered his scathing putdown with glee, in an iconic music video featuring actress Sadie Frost as the posh woman on the receiving end of Jarvis' acid tongue.'[1] Pulp first performed the song in public during the band's set at the Reading Festival in August 1994. A year later they performed it at Glastonbury Festival as the headline act. The song has since been covered by various artists. In 2004, a Ben Folds-produced cover version by William Shatner brought "Common People" to new audiences outside Europe.

Inspiration

The idea for the song's lyrics came from a Greek art student whom Pulp singer-songwriter Jarvis Cocker met while he was studying at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Cocker had enrolled in a film studies course at the college in September 1988 while taking a break from Pulp. He spoke about the song's inspiration in NME in 2013:

I'd met the girl from the song many years before, when I was at St Martin's College. I'd met her on a sculpture course, but at St Martin's you had a thing called Crossover Fortnight, where you had to do another discipline for a couple of weeks. I was studying film, and she might've been doing painting, but we both decided to do sculpture for two weeks. I don't know her name. It would've been around 1988, so it was already ancient history when I wrote about her.[5]

In a 2012 question-and-answer session on BBC Radio 5 Live Cocker said that he was having a conversation with the girl at the bar at college because he was attracted to her, although he found some aspects of her personality unpleasant. He remembered that at one point she had told him she "wanted to move to Hackney and live like 'the common people.' " Cocker used this phrase as the starting point for the song and embellished the situation for dramatic effect, for example reversing the situation in the song when the female character declares that "I want to sleep with common people like you" (Cocker said that in real life he had been the one wanting to sleep with the girl, while she had not been interested in him).[6] Taking this inspiration, the narrator explains that his female acquaintance can "never be like common people", because even if she gets a flat where "roaches climb the wall" ultimately, "if [she] called [her] dad he could stop it all", in contrast to the true common people who can only "watch [their] lives slide out of view".

A BBC Three documentary failed to locate the woman, who, Cocker stated, could have been in any fine art course but that "sculpture" sounded better.[7] The lyrics were in part a response by Cocker, who usually focused on the introspective and emotional aspects of pop, to more politically minded members of the band like Russell Senior. Furthermore, Cocker felt that 'slumming' was becoming a dominant theme in popular culture and this contributed to the single's rushed release. Cocker said "it seemed to be in the air, that kind of patronising social voyeurism... I felt that of Parklife, for example, or Natural Born Killers – there is that noble savage notion. But if you walk round a council estate, there's plenty of savagery and not much nobility going on."[8]

In May 2015, Greek newspaper Athens Voice suggested that the woman who inspired the song is Danae Stratou, wife of Yanis Varoufakis, a former Greek Finance minister. Stratou studied at St. Martin's between 1983 and 1988 and is the eldest daughter of a wealthy Greek businessman.[9] Greek newspaper Ta Nea contacted Stratou, who replied that "I think the only person who knows for whom the song was written is Jarvis himself!",[10] although the London Evening Standard reported that an email exchange with Varoufakis indicated that there was truth in the rumour.[11] Katerina Kana, a Greek-Cypriot who also studied at St. Martins during that time, has claimed since 2012 that the song was about her,[12] though Cocker has not commented on this.

Composition

Cocker came up with the tune on a small Casiotone MT-500 keyboard he had bought from the Music & Video Exchange shop in Notting Hill in west London. He thought the melody "seemed kind of catchy, but I didn't think too much about it".[13] When he played it at rehearsals to the other members of the band, most of them were unimpressed; Steve Mackey said it reminded him of Emerson, Lake & Palmer's 1977 hit single "Fanfare for the Common Man".[14] Keyboardist Candida Doyle was the only member of the group who spotted the potential of the tune, saying, "I just thought it was great straight away. It must have been the simplicity of it, and you could just tell it was a really powerful song then."[15] Cocker then wrote the lyrics inspired by his time in London. The song was first performed in public during the band's set at the Reading Festival in August 1994: Cocker revealed that he had written the majority of the lyrics the night before the band's performance, and he had trouble remembering them on stage the following day.[5]

The band realised they had "written something that had slight pretensions to anthemic"[16] and wanted to find a producer that could give them a big-sounding record. Veteran producer Chris Thomas was chosen and the single was recorded in a two-week period at The Town House in London.[17] The group used all forty-eight tracks of the studio, filling them with a variety of sounds from keyboards and even a Stylophone to create the anthemic sound they were looking for: Thomas remembered that the band "were just coming up with stuff all the time, it was just trying things on here and there."[18] To keep the single at around four minutes, the final verses that begin "Like a dog lying in a corner" were omitted, although they appear on the album version. These include the peak of the crescendo where Cocker reduces to an intense whisper and describes the life of "common people".[7]

The tune bears "more than a passing resemblance" to the song "Los Amantes" by the Spanish group Mecano, which came out in 1988. However, Pulp were not accused of plagiarism, despite the similarity.[19]

Music video

The accompanying music video featured an appearance from actress Sadie Frost and a dance routine improvised by Cocker on the day of shooting.[7] The video also features a homage to the "Eleanor Rigby" sequence in the animated film Yellow Submarine, with everyday people stuck in repeating loops lasting less than a second. The club scenes were filmed inside Stepney's Nightclub on Commercial Road in the East End of London. The nightclub still had its original décor, including a 1970s dance floor, and was described as a "cultural icon" when under threat of demolition in 2007.[20]

Sleeve artwork

"Common People" was released on two CD singles, one a 'day-time CD' and the other a 'night-time CD', both showing the band sitting in a café at different times of day. Four posters available on the band's 2011 tour showed a classic Pulp record sleeve, with photography notes beneath. For the poster of the "Common People" 'day-time' CD single it read:

LOCATION: Frank's Sandwich Bar, Addison Bridge Place, London W4 (eat-in and takeaway available)
TIME: 4:05pm, Wednesday 30 November 1994
PHOTOGRAPHER: Donald Milne
CAMERA: 1979 Hasselblad 500CM with 80mm lens
FILM STOCK: Fuji Super G-400 (pushed 2 stops)
DESIGN: The Designer's Republic™
ORIGINAL SLEEVE NOTES: "There is a war in progress, don't be a casualty. The time to decide whose side you're on is here. Choose wisely. Stay alive in '95."

Reception and legacy

"Common People" was a very popular song of the Britpop era with many critics praising Cocker's lyrics. The song was popular in the US music press. Larry Flick of Billboard wrote, 'Layered in the fabric of "Common People" are soft keyboard threads and a majestic weave of blazing guitars. All this and witty lyrics to boot.'[21] Music & Media commented, 'Playing with electro and indie guitar pop like Blur on "Girls & Boys", Pulp come close to Kim Wilde's "Kids In America" with the intro to the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy In The UK."'[22] Music Week gave the double single 5 out of 5, adding that the song "is epic-length Pulp".[23] Charles Aaron of Spin considered it to be "smarter than Blur, and slyer than Elastica". He exclaimed that "Pulp finally conquered the British charts with this exhilarating slag on class slumming."[24] He later ranked the song at number two in his pick of the singles of 1996.[25]

The song was Pulp's most popular single, and has featured on more than sixteen compilation albums since its original release. In 2006, an hour-long documentary on the song's composition and cultural impact was broadcast on BBC Three. In 2007, NME magazine placed "Common People" at No. 3 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever. Rock: The Rough Guide said that on the single's parent album Different Class, Cocker was "[s]tripping away the glamour from Britpop's idealization of the working class" (it had been performed on a TV programme called Britpop Now), and described the song as the centrepiece of the album and "one of the singles of the 90s".[26] In a poll by the Triple J in July 2009, the Pulp original was placed at number 81 in their "Hottest 100 Of All Time" from over 500,000 votes cast.[27]

In September 2010, Pitchfork listed "Common People" at No. 2 on their list of the Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s.[28] In April 2014, listeners of BBC Radio 6 Music voted it as their favourite 'Britpop' song in an online poll conducted by the station to celebrate 20 years since the start of the Britpop era. DJ Steve Lamacq said: "It is one of the defining records of Britpop because it seemed to embrace the essence of the time so perfectly."[2] In 2014, Paste also ranked "Common People" at No. 1 in its list of The 50 Best Britpop Songs.[29] In 2015, Rolling Stone readers voted it the greatest Britpop song in a poll.[3] As of October 2014 the single had sold 430,000 copies.[1]

In 2021, it was listed at No. 75 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Best Songs of All Time".[6]

Other Pulp versions

Different versions of "Common People" exist, including the recording from Pulp's headline act at Glastonbury Festival in 1995, a "Vocoda" mix and a radically different "Motiv8 club mix", which also appeared on the single "Sorted for E's & Wizz".[30] The Vocoda mix later featured on the 2-disc version of Different Class, which was released in 2006.

William Shatner cover version

In 2004, Ben Folds produced a cover version of "Common People" for the William Shatner album Has Been that brought the song to a new audience outside of the British Isles.[31] This version begins with an electronic keyboard Britpop or disco sound, but quickly moves into a drum kit and guitar-heavy indie rock style. Reviewers were pleasantly surprised by Shatner's spoken-word presentation of Cocker's tirade against class tourism as Shatner's previous work had been widely mocked by reviewers.[31][32] Folds abruptly replaces Shatner's voice with that of singer Joe Jackson, and then alternates and blends the two into a duet, bringing along a large chorus of young voices on the line "sing along with the common people", which finally replace Shatner and Jackson's vocals in the song's concluding crescendo.

In 2011, Cocker praised the cover version: "I was very flattered by that because I was a massive Star Trek fan as a kid and so you know, Captain Kirk is singing my song! So that was amazing."[33]

In a listeners' poll by Australian radio station Triple J, this cover version was ranked number 21 on their Hottest 100 of 2004. In 2007, a ballet called Common People, set to the songs from Has Been, was created by Margo Sappington and performed by the Milwaukee Ballet.

Other covers

In 2007, impressionist Rory Bremner performed a version of the song, as sung by David Cameron, on Channel 4's Bremner, Bird and Fortune.[34] A similar version was released during the 2010 General Election by a band under the name The Common People.[35]

American rock band My Chemical Romance covered "Common People" multiple times on stage during their 2010-11 World Contamination Tour. In an interview, lead singer Gerard Way explained that the song was important to him growing up because it "speaks to regular people."[36]

Australian music-based quiz show Spicks and Specks uses five rounds of different games chosen from a large repertoire of options, each named after a well-known song. One of these is "Common People", in which each team is given three celebrities and must figure out what they have in common.

UK dark wave band Libitina covered the song as "Gothic People", with subtly altered lyrics referencing clichés of the goth subculture.[37][38][39] In the Indian-themed BBC sketch show Goodness Gracious Me, a parody called "Hindi People" is sung.

In February 2019, the news website Joe.ie released a speech sampled parody version of the song with the British Brexit supporting MP Jacob Rees-Mogg supposedly singing "I want to leave the Common Market" instead of "I want to sleep with common people".[40]

Track listings

All songs were written and composed by Jarvis Cocker, Nick Banks, Steve Mackey, Russell Senior and Candida Doyle except where noted.

UK CD1 and cassette single[41][42]

  1. "Common People" (full-length version) – 5:51
  2. "Underwear" – 4:07
  3. "Common People" (7-inch edit) – 4:07

UK CD2[43]

  1. "Common People" (full-length version) – 5:51
  2. "Razzmatazz" (acoustic version) – 4:05
  3. "Dogs Are Everywhere" (acoustic version) (Jarvis Cocker, Russell Senior, Candida Doyle, Magnus Doyle, Peter Mansell) – 3:05
  4. "Joyriders" (acoustic version) – 3:31

UK 7-inch yellow vinyl single[44]

  1. "Common People" (7-inch edit)
  2. "Underwear"

Personnel

Pulp

Additional personnel

Charts and certifications

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 22 May 1995 (1995-05-22)
  • CD
  • cassette
 Island [59]
United States 26 March 1996 (1996-03-26) Contemporary hit radio [60]
United Kingdom 7 October 1996 (1996-10-07) 7-inch vinyl [61]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Official Charts Pop Gem #79: Common People". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 September 2019
  2. ^ a b Michaels, Sean (14 April 2014). "Pulp's Common People declared top Britpop anthem by BBC 6 Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Brit-Pop Songs". Rolling Stone. 25 March 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Pulp's Common People — railing against class tourism". Financial Times. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  5. ^ a b "The 100 Greatest Britpop Songs". NME. London, England: IPC Media. 11 May 2013. p. 37.
  6. ^ a b "Jarvis Cocker explains the truth behind "Common People"". BBC Radio 5 Live. 11 October 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  7. ^ a b c (television programme). BBC Three. 14 February 2006. Archived from the original on 8 February 2006.
  8. ^ Sutcliffe, Phil (March 1996). Common As Muck!. Q.
  9. ^ "Is the mystery woman in Pulp's 'Common People' really Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis' wife?". The Independent. 7 May 2015.
  10. ^ "Is Danea Stratou Pulp's gilr?" (in Greek). 8 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  11. ^ Lo Dico, Joy (8 May 2015). "Yanis speaks up on the Common People debate". London Evening Standard. p. 16.
  12. ^ "Katerina Kana" (in Greek). 4 April 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  13. ^ The Story of... Pulp's Common People, 10:11 mins in
  14. ^ The Story of... Pulp's Common People, 11:17 mins in
  15. ^ The Story of... Pulp's Common People, 12:00 mins in
  16. ^ The Story of... Pulp's Common People, 16:46 mins in
  17. ^ The Story of... Pulp's Common People, 18:35 mins in
  18. ^ The Story of... Pulp's Common People, 20:12 mins in
  19. ^ Khan, Andrew (18 June 2012). "Sounds of Spain – day one: a history of Spanish pop in 10 songs". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  20. ^ Saini, Angela (13 April 2007). "Stepney's nightclub under threat". BBC. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  21. ^ Flick, Larry (30 March 1996). "Singles". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 13. p. 134. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  22. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 1 July 1995. p. 12. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  23. ^ "Reviews: Singles - Single of the Week" (PDF). Music Week. 13 May 1995. p. 10. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  24. ^ Aaron, Charles (July 1996). "Singles by Charles Aaron". Spin. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  25. ^ Aaron, Charles (January 1997). "Singles by Charles Aaron". Spin. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  26. ^ Buckley, Jonathan; Ellingham, Mark, eds. (1996). Rock: The Rough Guide (1st ed.). Rough Guides. p. 699. ISBN 978-1-8582-8201-5.
  27. ^ "Hottest 100 – Of All Time". triple j. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  28. ^ "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 20–01". Pitchfork Media. 3 September 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  29. ^ Stiernberg, Bonnie (11 June 2014). "The 50 Best Britpop Songs". Paste. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  30. ^ "Discography at". Acrylicafternoons.com. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  31. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. William Shatner – Has Been > Review at AllMusic
  32. ^ David James Young. "William Shatner: Has Been". sputnik music.
  33. ^ "Dave Haslam, Author and DJ – Official Site". Davehaslam.com. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  34. ^ Collins, Nick (8 April 2010). "General election 2010: ten top election spoofs". The Daily Telegraph. London, England. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  35. ^ "The Common People". YouTube. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  36. ^ "My Chemical Romance on Pulp: "Common People' was important to us growing up'". NME. April 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  37. ^ "INTERVIEW: Libitina: Sheffield, London Gothic Band". In Music We Trust. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  38. ^ . Libitina.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 February 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  39. ^ "Libitina – Gothic People". YouTube. 2 January 2010. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  40. ^ Lothian-McLean, Moya (1 February 2019). "Is the Jacob Rees-Mogg Britpop parody the best viral political video ever?". BBC Three. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  41. ^ Common People (UK CD1 liner notes). Pulp. Island Records. 1995. CID 613, 854329-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  42. ^ Common People (UK cassette single sleeve). Pulp. Island Records. 1995. CIS 613, 854329-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  43. ^ Common People (UK CD2 liner notes). Pulp. Island Records. 1995. CIDX 613, 854341-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  44. ^ Common People (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Pulp. Island Records. 1996. ISC 613, 858 404-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  45. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 15 Oct 1995". ARIA. Retrieved 6 July 2017 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached.
  46. ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 2890." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  47. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 23. 10 June 1995. p. 19. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  48. ^ "Pulp – Common People" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  49. ^ "Pulp – Common People" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  50. ^ "Pulp – Common People". VG-lista. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  51. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  52. ^ "Pulp – Common People". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  53. ^ "Pulp – Common People". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  54. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  55. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 21 Jul 1996". ARIA. Retrieved 16 April 2020 – via Imgur.
  56. ^ "Årslista Singlar, 1995" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  57. ^ "Top 100 Singles 1995". Music Week. 13 January 1996. p. 9.
  58. ^ "British single certifications – Pulp – Common People". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  59. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 20 May 1995. p. 47. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  60. ^ "Selected New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1138. 22 March 1996. p. 28. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  61. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 5 October 1996. p. 37. Retrieved 16 August 2021.

Bibliography

  • The Story of... Common People – Pulp. BBC Three, broadcast 14 February 2006.
  • McCombe, J. (2014). “Common People”: Realism, class difference, and the male domestic sphere in Nick Hornby's Collision with Britpop. Modern Fiction Studies, 60(1), pp. 165–184. doi:10.2307/26421708

January 07, 2023
common, people, social, division, commoner, confused, with, love, song, english, alternative, rock, band, pulp, released, 1995, lead, single, their, fifth, studio, album, different, class, reached, singles, chart, becoming, defining, track, britpop, movement, . For the social division see Commoner Not to be confused with Love of the Common People Common People is a song by English alternative rock band Pulp released in May 1995 as the lead single off their fifth studio album Different Class It reached No 2 in the UK Singles Chart becoming a defining track of the Britpop movement as well as Pulp s signature song 1 In 2014 BBC Radio 6 Music listeners voted it their favourite Britpop song in an online poll 2 In a 2015 Rolling Stone readers poll it was voted the greatest Britpop song 3 Common People Single by Pulpfrom the album Different ClassB side Underwear Released22 May 1995 1995 05 22 Recorded18 24 January 1995StudioThe Town House LondonGenreBritpopLength5 50LabelIslandSongwriter s Jarvis Cocker Russell Senior Steve Mackey Nick Banks Candida DoyleProducer s Chris ThomasPulp singles chronology The Sisters EP 1994 Common People 1995 Mis Shapes Sorted for E s amp Wizz 1995 Music video Common People on YouTubeThe song is a critique of gentrification and the wealthy wanting to be like common people ascribing glamour to poverty 4 This phenomenon is referred to as slumming or class tourism 4 The song was written by the band members Jarvis Cocker Nick Banks Candida Doyle Steve Mackey and Russell Senior Cocker had conceived the song after meeting a Greek art student while studying at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London the college and the student feature in the lyrics He came up with the tune on a Casiotone keyboard he had bought in a music store in Notting Hill west London Justin Myers of the Official Charts Company wrote Common People was typical Pulp a biting satire of posh people roughing it and acting like tourists by hanging with the common people Jarvis delivered his scathing putdown with glee in an iconic music video featuring actress Sadie Frost as the posh woman on the receiving end of Jarvis acid tongue 1 Pulp first performed the song in public during the band s set at the Reading Festival in August 1994 A year later they performed it at Glastonbury Festival as the headline act The song has since been covered by various artists In 2004 a Ben Folds produced cover version by William Shatner brought Common People to new audiences outside Europe Contents 1 Inspiration 2 Composition 3 Music video 4 Sleeve artwork 5 Reception and legacy 6 Other Pulp versions 7 William Shatner cover version 8 Other covers 9 Track listings 10 Personnel 11 Charts and certifications 11 1 Weekly charts 11 2 Year end charts 11 3 Certifications 12 Release history 13 See also 14 References 15 BibliographyInspiration EditThe idea for the song s lyrics came from a Greek art student whom Pulp singer songwriter Jarvis Cocker met while he was studying at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design Cocker had enrolled in a film studies course at the college in September 1988 while taking a break from Pulp He spoke about the song s inspiration in NME in 2013 I d met the girl from the song many years before when I was at St Martin s College I d met her on a sculpture course but at St Martin s you had a thing called Crossover Fortnight where you had to do another discipline for a couple of weeks I was studying film and she might ve been doing painting but we both decided to do sculpture for two weeks I don t know her name It would ve been around 1988 so it was already ancient history when I wrote about her 5 In a 2012 question and answer session on BBC Radio 5 Live Cocker said that he was having a conversation with the girl at the bar at college because he was attracted to her although he found some aspects of her personality unpleasant He remembered that at one point she had told him she wanted to move to Hackney and live like the common people Cocker used this phrase as the starting point for the song and embellished the situation for dramatic effect for example reversing the situation in the song when the female character declares that I want to sleep with common people like you Cocker said that in real life he had been the one wanting to sleep with the girl while she had not been interested in him 6 Taking this inspiration the narrator explains that his female acquaintance can never be like common people because even if she gets a flat where roaches climb the wall ultimately if she called her dad he could stop it all in contrast to the true common people who can only watch their lives slide out of view A BBC Three documentary failed to locate the woman who Cocker stated could have been in any fine art course but that sculpture sounded better 7 The lyrics were in part a response by Cocker who usually focused on the introspective and emotional aspects of pop to more politically minded members of the band like Russell Senior Furthermore Cocker felt that slumming was becoming a dominant theme in popular culture and this contributed to the single s rushed release Cocker said it seemed to be in the air that kind of patronising social voyeurism I felt that of Parklife for example or Natural Born Killers there is that noble savage notion But if you walk round a council estate there s plenty of savagery and not much nobility going on 8 In May 2015 Greek newspaper Athens Voice suggested that the woman who inspired the song is Danae Stratou wife of Yanis Varoufakis a former Greek Finance minister Stratou studied at St Martin s between 1983 and 1988 and is the eldest daughter of a wealthy Greek businessman 9 Greek newspaper Ta Nea contacted Stratou who replied that I think the only person who knows for whom the song was written is Jarvis himself 10 although the London Evening Standard reported that an email exchange with Varoufakis indicated that there was truth in the rumour 11 Katerina Kana a Greek Cypriot who also studied at St Martins during that time has claimed since 2012 that the song was about her 12 though Cocker has not commented on this Composition EditCocker came up with the tune on a small Casiotone MT 500 keyboard he had bought from the Music amp Video Exchange shop in Notting Hill in west London He thought the melody seemed kind of catchy but I didn t think too much about it 13 When he played it at rehearsals to the other members of the band most of them were unimpressed Steve Mackey said it reminded him of Emerson Lake amp Palmer s 1977 hit single Fanfare for the Common Man 14 Keyboardist Candida Doyle was the only member of the group who spotted the potential of the tune saying I just thought it was great straight away It must have been the simplicity of it and you could just tell it was a really powerful song then 15 Cocker then wrote the lyrics inspired by his time in London The song was first performed in public during the band s set at the Reading Festival in August 1994 Cocker revealed that he had written the majority of the lyrics the night before the band s performance and he had trouble remembering them on stage the following day 5 The band realised they had written something that had slight pretensions to anthemic 16 and wanted to find a producer that could give them a big sounding record Veteran producer Chris Thomas was chosen and the single was recorded in a two week period at The Town House in London 17 The group used all forty eight tracks of the studio filling them with a variety of sounds from keyboards and even a Stylophone to create the anthemic sound they were looking for Thomas remembered that the band were just coming up with stuff all the time it was just trying things on here and there 18 To keep the single at around four minutes the final verses that begin Like a dog lying in a corner were omitted although they appear on the album version These include the peak of the crescendo where Cocker reduces to an intense whisper and describes the life of common people 7 The tune bears more than a passing resemblance to the song Los Amantes by the Spanish group Mecano which came out in 1988 However Pulp were not accused of plagiarism despite the similarity 19 Music video EditThe accompanying music video featured an appearance from actress Sadie Frost and a dance routine improvised by Cocker on the day of shooting 7 The video also features a homage to the Eleanor Rigby sequence in the animated film Yellow Submarine with everyday people stuck in repeating loops lasting less than a second The club scenes were filmed inside Stepney s Nightclub on Commercial Road in the East End of London The nightclub still had its original decor including a 1970s dance floor and was described as a cultural icon when under threat of demolition in 2007 20 Sleeve artwork Edit Common People was released on two CD singles one a day time CD and the other a night time CD both showing the band sitting in a cafe at different times of day Four posters available on the band s 2011 tour showed a classic Pulp record sleeve with photography notes beneath For the poster of the Common People day time CD single it read LOCATION Frank s Sandwich Bar Addison Bridge Place London W4 eat in and takeaway available TIME 4 05pm Wednesday 30 November 1994 PHOTOGRAPHER Donald Milne CAMERA 1979 Hasselblad 500CM with 80mm lens FILM STOCK Fuji Super G 400 pushed 2 stops DESIGN The Designer s Republic ORIGINAL SLEEVE NOTES There is a war in progress don t be a casualty The time to decide whose side you re on is here Choose wisely Stay alive in 95 Reception and legacy Edit Common People was a very popular song of the Britpop era with many critics praising Cocker s lyrics The song was popular in the US music press Larry Flick of Billboard wrote Layered in the fabric of Common People are soft keyboard threads and a majestic weave of blazing guitars All this and witty lyrics to boot 21 Music amp Media commented Playing with electro and indie guitar pop like Blur on Girls amp Boys Pulp come close to Kim Wilde s Kids In America with the intro to the Sex Pistols Anarchy In The UK 22 Music Week gave the double single 5 out of 5 adding that the song is epic length Pulp 23 Charles Aaron of Spin considered it to be smarter than Blur and slyer than Elastica He exclaimed that Pulp finally conquered the British charts with this exhilarating slag on class slumming 24 He later ranked the song at number two in his pick of the singles of 1996 25 The song was Pulp s most popular single and has featured on more than sixteen compilation albums since its original release In 2006 an hour long documentary on the song s composition and cultural impact was broadcast on BBC Three In 2007 NME magazine placed Common People at No 3 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever Rock The Rough Guide said that on the single s parent album Different Class Cocker was s tripping away the glamour from Britpop s idealization of the working class it had been performed on a TV programme called Britpop Now and described the song as the centrepiece of the album and one of the singles of the 90s 26 In a poll by the Triple J in July 2009 the Pulp original was placed at number 81 in their Hottest 100 Of All Time from over 500 000 votes cast 27 In September 2010 Pitchfork listed Common People at No 2 on their list of the Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s 28 In April 2014 listeners of BBC Radio 6 Music voted it as their favourite Britpop song in an online poll conducted by the station to celebrate 20 years since the start of the Britpop era DJ Steve Lamacq said It is one of the defining records of Britpop because it seemed to embrace the essence of the time so perfectly 2 In 2014 Paste also ranked Common People at No 1 in its list of The 50 Best Britpop Songs 29 In 2015 Rolling Stone readers voted it the greatest Britpop song in a poll 3 As of October 2014 the single had sold 430 000 copies 1 In 2021 it was listed at No 75 on Rolling Stone s Top 500 Best Songs of All Time 6 Other Pulp versions EditDifferent versions of Common People exist including the recording from Pulp s headline act at Glastonbury Festival in 1995 a Vocoda mix and a radically different Motiv8 club mix which also appeared on the single Sorted for E s amp Wizz 30 The Vocoda mix later featured on the 2 disc version of Different Class which was released in 2006 William Shatner cover version EditIn 2004 Ben Folds produced a cover version of Common People for the William Shatner album Has Been that brought the song to a new audience outside of the British Isles 31 This version begins with an electronic keyboard Britpop or disco sound but quickly moves into a drum kit and guitar heavy indie rock style Reviewers were pleasantly surprised by Shatner s spoken word presentation of Cocker s tirade against class tourism as Shatner s previous work had been widely mocked by reviewers 31 32 Folds abruptly replaces Shatner s voice with that of singer Joe Jackson and then alternates and blends the two into a duet bringing along a large chorus of young voices on the line sing along with the common people which finally replace Shatner and Jackson s vocals in the song s concluding crescendo In 2011 Cocker praised the cover version I was very flattered by that because I was a massive Star Trek fan as a kid and so you know Captain Kirk is singing my song So that was amazing 33 In a listeners poll by Australian radio station Triple J this cover version was ranked number 21 on their Hottest 100 of 2004 In 2007 a ballet called Common People set to the songs from Has Been was created by Margo Sappington and performed by the Milwaukee Ballet Other covers EditIn 2007 impressionist Rory Bremner performed a version of the song as sung by David Cameron on Channel 4 s Bremner Bird and Fortune 34 A similar version was released during the 2010 General Election by a band under the name The Common People 35 American rock band My Chemical Romance covered Common People multiple times on stage during their 2010 11 World Contamination Tour In an interview lead singer Gerard Way explained that the song was important to him growing up because it speaks to regular people 36 Australian music based quiz show Spicks and Specks uses five rounds of different games chosen from a large repertoire of options each named after a well known song One of these is Common People in which each team is given three celebrities and must figure out what they have in common UK dark wave band Libitina covered the song as Gothic People with subtly altered lyrics referencing cliches of the goth subculture 37 38 39 In the Indian themed BBC sketch show Goodness Gracious Me a parody called Hindi People is sung In February 2019 the news website Joe ie released a speech sampled parody version of the song with the British Brexit supporting MP Jacob Rees Mogg supposedly singing I want to leave the Common Market instead of I want to sleep with common people 40 Track listings EditAll songs were written and composed by Jarvis Cocker Nick Banks Steve Mackey Russell Senior and Candida Doyle except where noted UK CD1 and cassette single 41 42 Common People full length version 5 51 Underwear 4 07 Common People 7 inch edit 4 07UK CD2 43 Common People full length version 5 51 Razzmatazz acoustic version 4 05 Dogs Are Everywhere acoustic version Jarvis Cocker Russell Senior Candida Doyle Magnus Doyle Peter Mansell 3 05 Joyriders acoustic version 3 31UK 7 inch yellow vinyl single 44 Common People 7 inch edit Underwear Personnel EditPulp Jarvis Cocker vocals organ acoustic guitar Candida Doyle synthesizers Mark Webber electric guitars Steve Mackey bass guitar Russell Senior violin Nick Banks drums tambourineAdditional personnel Anne Dudley piano Chris Thomas producer stylophone Olle Romo programming David Chipper Nicholas engineeringCharts and certifications EditWeekly charts Edit Chart 1995 1996 PeakpositionAustralia ARIA 45 65Canada Rock Alternative RPM 46 20Europe Eurochart Hot 100 47 13France SNEP 48 49Germany Official German Charts 49 77Norway VG lista 50 5Scotland OCC 51 2Sweden Sverigetopplistan 52 4Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 53 42UK Singles OCC 54 2Chart 1996 PeakpositionAustralia ARIA 55 99 Year end charts Edit Chart 1995 PositionSweden Sverigetopplistan 56 30UK Singles OCC 57 36Certifications Edit Region Certification Certified units salesUnited Kingdom BPI 58 Platinum 600 000 Sales streaming figures based on certification alone Release history EditRegion Date Format s Label s Ref United Kingdom 22 May 1995 1995 05 22 CDcassette Island 59 United States 26 March 1996 1996 03 26 Contemporary hit radio 60 United Kingdom 7 October 1996 1996 10 07 7 inch vinyl 61 See also EditLove of the Common PeopleReferences Edit a b c Official Charts Pop Gem 79 Common People Official Charts Company Retrieved 18 September 2019 a b Michaels Sean 14 April 2014 Pulp s Common People declared top Britpop anthem by BBC 6 Music The Guardian Retrieved 12 January 2017 a b Readers Poll The 10 Best Brit Pop Songs Rolling Stone 25 March 2018 a b Pulp s Common People railing against class tourism Financial Times Retrieved 20 September 2020 a b The 100 Greatest Britpop Songs NME London England IPC Media 11 May 2013 p 37 a b Jarvis Cocker explains the truth behind Common People BBC Radio 5 Live 11 October 2012 Retrieved 14 May 2013 a b c The Story of Pulp s Common People television programme BBC Three 14 February 2006 Archived from the original on 8 February 2006 Sutcliffe Phil March 1996 Common As Muck Q Is the mystery woman in Pulp s Common People really Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis wife The Independent 7 May 2015 Is Danea Stratou Pulp s gilr in Greek 8 May 2015 Retrieved 9 May 2015 Lo Dico Joy 8 May 2015 Yanis speaks up on the Common People debate London Evening Standard p 16 Katerina Kana in Greek 4 April 2012 Retrieved 9 May 2015 The Story of Pulp s Common People 10 11 mins in The Story of Pulp s Common People 11 17 mins in The Story of Pulp s Common People 12 00 mins in The Story of Pulp s Common People 16 46 mins in The Story of Pulp s Common People 18 35 mins in The Story of Pulp s Common People 20 12 mins in Khan Andrew 18 June 2012 Sounds of Spain day one a history of Spanish pop in 10 songs The Guardian Retrieved 23 March 2022 Saini Angela 13 April 2007 Stepney s nightclub under threat BBC Retrieved 13 May 2013 Flick Larry 30 March 1996 Singles Billboard Vol 108 no 13 p 134 Retrieved 30 June 2020 New Releases Singles PDF Music amp Media 1 July 1995 p 12 Retrieved 23 May 2021 Reviews Singles Single of the Week PDF Music Week 13 May 1995 p 10 Retrieved 8 May 2021 Aaron Charles July 1996 Singles by Charles Aaron Spin Retrieved 18 January 2017 Aaron Charles January 1997 Singles by Charles Aaron Spin Retrieved 18 January 2017 Buckley Jonathan Ellingham Mark eds 1996 Rock The Rough Guide 1st ed Rough Guides p 699 ISBN 978 1 8582 8201 5 Hottest 100 Of All Time triple j Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s 20 01 Pitchfork Media 3 September 2010 Retrieved 13 May 2013 Stiernberg Bonnie 11 June 2014 The 50 Best Britpop Songs Paste Retrieved 27 June 2020 Discography at Acrylicafternoons com Retrieved 7 January 2013 a b Erlewine Stephen Thomas William Shatner Has Been gt Review at AllMusic David James Young William Shatner Has Been sputnik music Dave Haslam Author and DJ Official Site Davehaslam com Archived from the original on 19 September 2012 Retrieved 7 January 2013 Collins Nick 8 April 2010 General election 2010 ten top election spoofs The Daily Telegraph London England Retrieved 2 August 2012 The Common People YouTube Archived from the original on 13 December 2021 Retrieved 2 August 2012 My Chemical Romance on Pulp Common People was important to us growing up NME April 2011 Retrieved 15 April 2021 INTERVIEW Libitina Sheffield London Gothic Band In Music We Trust Retrieved 7 January 2013 The history of Libitina 1994 1996 Libitina co uk Archived from the original on 26 February 2012 Retrieved 7 January 2013 Libitina Gothic People YouTube 2 January 2010 Archived from the original on 13 December 2021 Retrieved 7 January 2013 Lothian McLean Moya 1 February 2019 Is the Jacob Rees Mogg Britpop parody the best viral political video ever BBC Three Retrieved 30 June 2019 Common People UK CD1 liner notes Pulp Island Records 1995 CID 613 854329 2 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Common People UK cassette single sleeve Pulp Island Records 1995 CIS 613 854329 4 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Common People UK CD2 liner notes Pulp Island Records 1995 CIDX 613 854341 2 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Common People UK 7 inch single sleeve Pulp Island Records 1996 ISC 613 858 404 7 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart Week Ending 15 Oct 1995 ARIA Retrieved 6 July 2017 via Imgur com N B The HP column displays the highest peak reached Top RPM Rock Alternative Tracks Issue 2890 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved 1 February 2019 Eurochart Hot 100 Singles PDF Music amp Media Vol 12 no 23 10 June 1995 p 19 Retrieved 16 June 2020 Pulp Common People in French Les classement single Retrieved 13 May 2013 Pulp Common People in German GfK Entertainment charts Retrieved 1 February 2019 Pulp Common People VG lista Retrieved 13 May 2013 Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved 15 March 2018 Pulp Common People Singles Top 100 Retrieved 13 May 2013 Pulp Common People Swiss Singles Chart Retrieved 13 May 2013 Official Singles Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved 1 February 2019 The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart Week Ending 21 Jul 1996 ARIA Retrieved 16 April 2020 via Imgur Arslista Singlar 1995 in Swedish Sverigetopplistan Retrieved 16 June 2020 Top 100 Singles 1995 Music Week 13 January 1996 p 9 British single certifications Pulp Common People British Phonographic Industry Retrieved 20 September 2020 New Releases Singles PDF Music Week 20 May 1995 p 47 Retrieved 28 June 2021 Selected New Releases PDF Radio amp Records No 1138 22 March 1996 p 28 Retrieved 13 August 2021 New Releases Singles PDF Music Week 5 October 1996 p 37 Retrieved 16 August 2021 Bibliography EditThe Story of Common People Pulp BBC Three broadcast 14 February 2006 McCombe J 2014 Common People Realism class difference and the male domestic sphere in Nick Hornby s Collision with Britpop Modern Fiction Studies 60 1 pp 165 184 doi 10 2307 26421708 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Common People amp oldid 1124658648, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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