People, I've Been Sad

"People, I've Been Sad" (stylized in sentence case or sometimes as "People, I've been Sad") is a song by French singer and songwriter Christine and the Queens. The song was released to digital retailers on 5 February 2020 and to American adult alternative radio on 17 February 2020.^[3] The song features lyrics in both English and French. Christine performed the song on the Together at Home concert pre-show, as well as on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.^[4][5]

"People, I've Been Sad"
Single by Christine and the Queens
from the EP La vita nuova
Language	English French
Released	5 February 2020 (2020-02-05)
Genre	Synth-pop^[1]^[2]
Length	4:20
Label	Because Music
Songwriter(s)	Héloïse Létissier
Producer(s)	Christine and the Queens Ash Workman
Christine and the Queens singles chronology
"Gone" (2019) "People, I've Been Sad" (2020) "I Disappear in Your Arms" (2020)

Critical reception

"People, I've Been Sad" received widespread critical acclaim. Kory Grow of Rolling Stone compared the song to his previous single "Girlfriend" and commented on the layered emotions of the song. He pointed out that while the song is shockingly direct and features "a starkness here that hasn't been as pronounced in some of [his] previous songs", Christine sings these honest lyrics with a sense of ennui.^[6] Stacy Anderson from Pitchfork called it "genuine and striking" and praised its intimate nature.^[1]

Accolades

The song was named the best song of 2020 by Paste and Time, the second best song by NPR and Pitchfork, the third by The Guardian and Rolling Stone, and the sixth by Crack Magazine.^{[7][8][9][10][11][12][13]} The song was also included on NME's year-end list at number 11, Consequence's at 21, Billboard''s at 22, and Vice''s at 52.^{[14][15][16][17]}

Charts

Chart performance for "People, I've Been Sad"

Chart (2020)
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)^[18]	18
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)^[19]	50
US World Digital Song Sales (Billboard)^[20]	13

References

1. Anderson, Stacey (5 February 2020). "Review:"People, I've been sad" by Christine and the Queens". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
2. Martoccio, Angie (5 February 2020). "Christine and the Queens Drops Synth-Pop Stunner 'People, I've Been Sad'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
3. Minsker, Evan (5 January 2020). "Listen to Christine and the Queens' New Song "People, I've been sad"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
4. "One World: Together At Home". Global Citizen. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
5. Hussey, Allison (8 May 2020). "Watch Christine and the Queens Perform "People, I've been sad" on Colbert". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
6. Grow, Kory (11 February 2020). "Song You Need to Know: Christine and the Queens, 'People, I've Been Sad'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
7. "The 50 Best Songs of 2020". Paste. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
8. Bruner, Raisa; R. Chow, Andrew (30 November 2020). "The 10 Best Songs of 2020". Time. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
9. "The 100 Best Songs of 2020". NPR.
10. "The 100 Best Songs of 2020". Pitchfork. 7 December 2020.
11. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Snapes, Laura (30 November 2020). "The 20 Best Songs of 2020". The Guardian.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
12. Bernstein, Jonathan; Blistein, Jon; Dolan, Jon; Ehrlich, Brenna; Freeman, Jon; Grow, Kory; Hoard, Christian; Leight, Elias; Martoccio, Angie; Shaffer, Claire; Sheffield, Rob; Blake, Emily (7 December 2020). "Year in Review: The 50 Best Songs of 2020". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
13. "The Top 25 Tracks of the Year". Crack Magazine. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
14. Trendell, Andrew (8 December 2020). "The 50 best songs of 2020". NME. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
15. "Top 50 Songs of 2020". Consequence of Sound. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
16. "The 100 Best Songs of 2020: Staff List". Billboard. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
17. "The 100 Best Songs of 2020". Vice. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
18. "Christine and the Queens – People, I've Been Sad" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
19. "Christine and the Queens – People, I've Been Sad" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
20. "Christine and the Queens: Chart History - World Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved 18 February 2020.