The
Pulp song I'm addicted to right now is
"Common People" from the Different Class album.
I love the sound of "Common People"...the jangly feel, the quirkiness, the prettiness, the sadness and bitterness in it, and the risque humor. I love the build-up throughout the song, too.
I gravitate toward songs that tell stories...and the story in "Common People" is both light-hearted yet serious, so that appeals to my fun side and my oh-so-serious side. Any song that manages to include grocery store visits and c
ockroaches in it in a meaningful way while discussing the realities of class differences and the effect of poverty (which is that people's choices and options are limited) is a hit with me. Having lived in a c
ockroach-infested apartment for half a year, I can relate to this song very well...especially since I was able to leave and go on to graduate school. I wasn't stuck there, like most of the residents, who were primarily elderly Arkansas retirees. I still had the hope of escape.
As anyone who knows anything about me at all here on MB knows, I love lyrics...really, lyrics alone could infatuate me, even without sound accompanying them...but in this song the lyrics mix so well with the music, enhancing each other, that I want to listen again and again (which I do):
Quote:
Pulp - "Common People" lyrics:
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 a rum and coke-cola.
She said fine and in thirty seconds time she said, I want to live like common people
I want to do whatever common people do, I want to sleep with common people
I want to sleep with common people like you.
Well what else could I do - I said I'll see what I can do.
I took her to a supermarket
I don't know why but I had to start it somewhere, so it started there.
I said pretend you've got no money, she just laughed and said oh you're so funny.
I said yeah? Well I can't see anyone else smiling in here.
Are you sure you want to live like common people
You want to see whatever common people see
You want to sleep with common people,
you want to sleep with common people like me.
But she didn't understand, she just smiled and held my hand.
Rent a flat above a shop, cut your hair and get a job.
Smoke some ***s and play some pool, pretend you never went to school.
But still you'll never get it right
'cos when you're laid in bed at night watching roaches climb the wall
If you call your Dad he could stop it all.
You'll never live like common people
You'll never do what common people do
You'll never fail like common people
You'll never watch your life slide out of view, and dance and drink and screw
Because there's nothing else to do.
Sing along with the common people, sing along and it might just get you thru'
Laugh along with the common people
Laugh along even though they're laughing at you and the stupid things that you do.
Because you think that poor is cool.
I want to live with common people, I want to live with common people [etc..]
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