Trust me #96
Common People by Pulp
The Stone Roses were scheduled to headline Glastonbury 1995 on the back of the late 94 release of The Second Coming. After years of inactivity with the Roses, there was now a lot going on - notably the departure of Reni just 2-weeks before their European spring tour.
Soldiering on with the recruitment of Robbie Maddix, the Roses turned in some tight performances and were riding high as they entered summer, with all directions pointing towards a Saturday night headline slot on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury.
Just a week prior to Glastonbury, set to be the bands first UK performance in 5-years, John Squire came off his bike in San Francisco and dislocated his collarbone. The Roses actually took out an advert in the NME with the X-ray of Squire's broken collarbone to confirm that the band could no longer play.
Step forward ... Pulp.
Now, in June 1995, Pulp had not supplied any substantial evidence that they were Saturday night headline material - no offence to the band! Jarvis Cocker's band had made roads with their His'n'Hers album the previous year, their first on a major label (Island) especially with the singles Do You Remember The First Time?, Babies and Lipgloss, but only one of those songs (only just) broke the top 20. Razmattaz, their final single for Gift Records in 1993 reached the heady heights of number 80.
Then, in May 95, Pulp released the absolutely magnificent Common People as a single, capturing the times, the colour, humour, possibilities and the pop essence of Britpop all at once. Their album Different Class was still months away from release.
Undeterred and rising to the challenge, Pulp played a 12-song set, taking in 11-songs from His'n'Hers, Different Class and then Razmattaz. Not one single song from pre-1993, quite remarkable considering the fact that they has been releasing records since 1983.
Cocker was brave but honest. Pulp's earlier material just wasn't good enough for a Glastonbury headline slot. Their were live debuts for 3-songs; Sorted for E's & Whizz (utterly perfect for the festival!), Disco 2000 and Mis-Shapes.
Common People closed their set and the main stage. Pulp, and Jarvis, had finally arrived.
"It's sad, funny, ironic and all dressed up in pop music that's so melodramatically camp it could open a boy scout's jamboree." Tony Cross, Smash Hits
Common People is everything that is brilliant about pop music. The riff is catchy, immediately locking you in, the lyrics are a story, beautifully delivered by Jarvis Cocker - an incredible mix of humour and social commentary, the chorus is anthemic and euphoric.
Cocker has often spoken about the real-life inspiration behind the song, the lyrics were reportedly inspired by a conversation he had while studying at Central Saint Martins art college in London in the late 1980s. He met a wealthy Greek art student who told him she wanted to “live like common people.”
She came from Greece, she had a thirst for knowledge
She studied sculpture at Saint Martin's College
That's where I, caught her eye
She told me that her Dad was loaded
I said in that case I'll have rum and cola
She said fine, and then in 30-seconds time, she said
I wanna live like common people
I wanna do whatever common people do ...
The build is slow, menacing even. Then, after the second verse and chorus, it erupts. Controlled chaos. Anger wrapped in disco. Social poetry delivered as pop.
But she didn't, understand
She just smiled and held my hand
Jarvis goes off on one. Pulp connected in a different way to Oasis or Blur. Pulp did something braver. They pointed a finger. And Common People was the hand that flicked the Vs.
Pulp connected cause they cut, they called it out;
Rent a flat above a shop
Cut you hair and get a job
Smoke some fags and play some pool
Pretend you never went to school
Still you'll never get it right
Cause when you're laying in bed at night
Watching roaches climb the wall
If you called your Dad he could stop it all
Jarvis, in full flight, criticising the pretence, highlighting that they have a 'get out' option, and then the beautiful kiss off;
You'll never live like common people
You'll never do whatever common people do
He continues, enraged and almost spitting;
You'll never fail like common people
You'll never watch your life slide out of view
And then dance and drink and screw
Because there's nothing else to do
The instrumental leads to another chorus that feels even bigger. It's a chorus you could chant it in a club or study it in a classroom.
Check the iconic video below and the truly sensational Glastonbury performance from June 1995. The way Jarvis ans his band builds up to the finale is incredible. Pop brilliance. Pop genius.
Common People - official video
The full length version of Common People is added to my Trust Me playlist; search for Everything Flows - Trust Me on Spotify or CLICK HERE
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