Everything about Common People totally explained
"
Common People" is a song by the band
Pulp. It was released as a single in 1995, reaching number two on the
UK singles chart. It also appears on the band's 1995 album
Different Class. The song is about those who were perceived by the songwriter as wanting to be "like common people" and who ascribe glamour to poverty. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as
slumming or "class tourism". A similar theme is explored in the 1960's novel & film "
Up The Junction".
Inspiration
The inspiration for the song came from a
Greek fellow student Pulp
singer/songwriter Jarvis Cocker knew at
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. In the lyrics, the narrator explains that his female acquaintance can "never be like common people", because even if she gets an apartment 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". However, Cocker admittedly embellished the incident - in real life the woman in question said she wanted to "live like common people", but in the song her character also declares: "I want to sleep with common people like you." A BBC3 documentary failed to correctly locate the woman, who Cocker also admits could have been on any fine art course but "sculpture" sounded better. The lyrics were partly a response by Cocker, who usually focuses on the introspective and emotional aspects of pop, to more politically-minded members of the band like
Russell Senior.
Cocker's simple four-bar synthesiser line was championed by keyboardist
Candida Doyle, and the final single was mixed down from over 40 tracks. Cocker sings in a
crescendo of controlled indignation and rage, relieved only by two drum breaks. 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 paradoxically reduces to an intense whisper and describes the life of "common people".
Reception
The song was Pulp's most popular single, and became an instant classic in the UK soon after its release. The accompanying
video featured an early appearance from actress
Sadie Frost, a dance routine improvised by Cocker on the day of shooting, and an homage to the
Eleanor Rigby sequence in the film
Yellow Submarine (with everyday people stuck in repeating loops lasting less than a second). Different versions, including the recording from Pulp's headline act at
Glastonbury Festival, a "
Vocoda" mix and a radically different "
Motiv8 club mix", also appeared on the
Sorted for E's & Wizz singles.
In 2007,
NME magazine placed "Common People" at number three in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever.
Track listing
7"
- "Common People (7" Edit)"
- "Underwear"
CD1 / Cassette
"Common People"
"Underwear"
"Common People (7" Edit)"
CD2
"Common People"
"Razzmatazz (Acoustic Version)"
"Dogs Are Everywhere (Acoustic Version)"
"Joyriders" (Acoustic Version)
12"
"Common People"
"Underwear"
"Common People (Motiv8 Mix)"
"Common People (Vocoda Mix)"
Cover versions
On his 2004 album, Has Been, William Shatner of Star Trek fame covered the song. The track was produced by Ben Folds and featured additional vocals by Joe Jackson, complementing Shatner's spoken-word style. In 2007 a ballet called "Common People", set to this version, was created by Margo Sappington (of "Oh! Calcutta!" fame) and performed by The Milwaukee Ballet.
UK darkwave band, Libitina, covered the song as "Gothic People", with subtly altered lyrics referencing clichés of the goth subculture.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Common People'.
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