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Common People is a song by 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 and film "Up The Junction".
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 called dad he could stop it all", in contrast to the true common people who can only "watch 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, Common People (Vocoda mix) and a radically different Common People (Motiv 8 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.
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.
Amanda Palmer has also covered this song at numerous shows on her Australian tour.
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