LogFAQs > #957147912

40. Pulp Common People (1995)
from the album Different Class

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkpLbEM06qE

Key lyrics:
You will never understand
How it feels to live your life
With no meaning or control
And with nowhere left to go

Great art can transport us to very specific moments, and Common People is a crowning achievement. Jarvis Cocker spends these six minutes tearing into a rich young woman who has decided to slum it up for a bit, ruminating on all the issues she will never comprehend due to her easy escape. Ive certainly never met someone like that, but Cocker manages to get my blood boiling anyway. In many ways, this song is a rejection of my initial statement how much can we really understand an experience through the eyes of outsiders? But the subject of Cockers ire goes a step beyond, imposing herself on a world where everyone else is just trying to live their lives.

Outside of its subject matter, Common People buzzes with all the best elements of Britpop. A bubbly synthesizer sets the scene, the opening segment gentle. Each further section adds another little detail, a growing wall of sound that maintains its simple appeal. The easygoing sound effortlessly picks up energy during the first bridge and only lets up during a brief moment of restraint in a later verse. Pulp subtly up the tension throughout the entire song, never falling into an easy groove as the lyrics constantly evolve.

Jarvis Cocker gives a distinct performance, his growing exasperation fully selling his ire. In a scene which seemed defined by a certain level of smugness, Cocker tears that attitude down as much as he plays it up. He treats the girl with as much condescension, but his self-awareness makes him the hero of this particular piece. Few artistic movements have had such an obviously emblematic piece like Britpop had Common People.

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My top 100 games (with write-ups): https://foolfantastic.com/top-100-video-games-project/