Is Pulp's "Common People" the greatest song ever?

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Please tell.

― Grand (grand), Monday, 3 July 2006 13:08 (nineteen years ago)

No.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 3 July 2006 13:11 (nineteen years ago)

We've done this havent we?

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 3 July 2006 13:12 (nineteen years ago)

Apparently not.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 3 July 2006 13:13 (nineteen years ago)

greatest song of the 90s according to ILM class of '04.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Monday, 3 July 2006 13:13 (nineteen years ago)

'NOT IN MY NAME' etc.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Monday, 3 July 2006 13:13 (nineteen years ago)

I'm sure this came up about the time Tom did that top 100 singles of the 90s list.

― Jesus Dan (Dan Perry), Monday, 3 July 2006 13:13 (nineteen years ago)

I believe he was asking "ever" as opposed to "of the 90s."

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 3 July 2006 13:15 (nineteen years ago)

I don't think my statement was particularly ambiguous, Marcello; about the time Tom did/ran that Freaky Trigger feature, I remember people saying that "Common People" was the greatest song ever.

― Jesus Dan (Dan Perry), Monday, 3 July 2006 13:18 (nineteen years ago)

Common People is better than Country House - but how?

― Roughage Crew (Enrique), Monday, 3 July 2006 13:19 (nineteen years ago)

I believe he was asking "ever" as opposed to "of the 90s."

Yes.

― Grand (grand), Monday, 3 July 2006 13:24 (nineteen years ago)

Perhaps, if you're dumb enough to believe in the idea of there being a fixed 'greatest song ever' for an extended period of time (i.e. not changing from second to second), then 'Common People' might as well be it.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Monday, 3 July 2006 13:30 (nineteen years ago)

It was fine for its time.
Today it sounds like a 1980 Boomtown Rats B-side.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 3 July 2006 13:32 (nineteen years ago)

This thread ended at No!

And Konal OTM.

― O'Connor (OConnorScribe), Monday, 3 July 2006 13:33 (nineteen years ago)

the correct answer is "Emu"

― Thomas Tallis (Tommy), Monday, 3 July 2006 13:34 (nineteen years ago)

hahahaha OTM?

― Jesus Dan (Dan Perry), Monday, 3 July 2006 14:31 (nineteen years ago)

Heh, that's not even at all obscure.

Try again, lil' noob.

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ is a GE Money Genie (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Monday, 3 July 2006 14:32 (nineteen years ago)

whenever I hear it, i think the answer's Yes.
(but sometimes, when I hear other songs, I think the same thing)

― davelus (davelus), Monday, 3 July 2006 15:32 (nineteen years ago)

No, The Bare Necessities is.

― chap who would dare to be a nerd, not a geek (chap), Monday, 3 July 2006 16:01 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.reelingreviews.com/thejunglebook2pic.jpg

― Jesus Dan (Dan Perry), Monday, 3 July 2006 16:04 (nineteen years ago)

love the song, but what's the point?

― joan vich (joan vich), Monday, 3 July 2006 16:04 (nineteen years ago)

No, but it is the only Pulp song worth a damn. ("Cocaine Socialism" worth half a damn.)

― milo z (mlp), Monday, 3 July 2006 17:02 (nineteen years ago)

Who cares? Can't someone just like a song and have that be the end of it? Why does it need to be RANKED in some imaginary chart of loserdom?

No Pulp song is the "greatest song ever". That title indubitably belongs to a Smashing Pumpkins song. Which song has yet to be decided by me and everyone who will be enraged that I just said that.

― Patrik Sandberg (cobaininacoma), Monday, 3 July 2006 17:09 (nineteen years ago)

Are you still posting?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 3 July 2006 17:13 (nineteen years ago)

I'm a postitute.

― Saint Patrik (cobaininacoma), Monday, 3 July 2006 18:12 (nineteen years ago)

It's not even the greatest song on that album.

― Toad Roundgrin (noodle vague), Monday, 3 July 2006 18:21 (nineteen years ago)

lets start a new thread where we rank every song ever, should be easy to get consensus. for me "the final countdown" is definitely #47635 on the list...

― winter testing (winter testing), Monday, 3 July 2006 19:45 (nineteen years ago)

{some stuff} I Spy > Common People > Disco 2000 > Something Changed > (rest of different class) > {99.2% of all other songs, ever}

― chris andrews (fraew), Monday, 3 July 2006 20:42 (nineteen years ago)

God only knows...

― Steve Go1dberg (Steve Schneeberg), Monday, 3 July 2006 21:23 (nineteen years ago)

The Final Countdown >>>1/2> God Only Knows >> Common People >>>>>>>> Sloop John B

― mind my rewind (mattmc387), Monday, 3 July 2006 21:30 (nineteen years ago)

The Final Countdown > Pour Some Sugar On Me > Common People > Sloop John B

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 3 July 2006 21:37 (nineteen years ago)

Bombastic Plastic>The Final Countdown>all the other stuff in the list

― EZ Snappin (EZSnappin), Monday, 3 July 2006 22:19 (nineteen years ago)

Bear Necessities>Master of Puppets>Life On Mars>Ghost Town>>>The Final Countdown>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Common People (still quite good, mind).

And that is the true order of the universe, unless I've missed some stuff out.

― chap who would dare to be a nerd, not a geek (chap), Monday, 3 July 2006 22:24 (nineteen years ago)

You missed out "Mirror In The Bathroom", "The Gambler", and "Kids In America", but other than that not bad.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 3 July 2006 22:25 (nineteen years ago)

Good call on Mirror in the Bathroom.

― chap who would dare to be a nerd, not a geek (chap), Monday, 3 July 2006 22:36 (nineteen years ago)

It's not bad for a Paul Young cover.

― JTS (JTS), Monday, 3 July 2006 23:00 (nineteen years ago)

When it's on, it's hard to imagine something better, but only in certain places.

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 3 July 2006 23:02 (nineteen years ago)

Butterfly.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Monday, 3 July 2006 23:22 (nineteen years ago)

I've just realised I missed out Out of Space and Sinner Man. Insert them where you see fit.

― chap who would dare to be a nerd, not a geek (chap), Monday, 3 July 2006 23:24 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, and Sweet Harmony by Liquid! This game is hard.

― chap who would dare to be a nerd, not a geek (chap), Monday, 3 July 2006 23:25 (nineteen years ago)

Is Pulp's "Common People" the greatest song ever?

Yes.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 00:11 (nineteen years ago)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Atomic_blast.jpg/200px-Atomic_blast.jpg

― gbx (skowly), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 00:48 (nineteen years ago)

Was that after Paul Young released his cover version of "Common People"?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 05:40 (nineteen years ago)

I love the video. The song is about 3 minutes too long to be greatest ever.

― nicky lo-fi (nicky lo-fi), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 07:05 (nineteen years ago)

As mentioned above, it's not even the best song on that album (witness my lonely vote for "Live Bed Show").

Trouble is, in The Wider World, that song is all Pulp are likely to be remembered for in the fullness of time, which is a shame.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 07:09 (nineteen years ago)

I dunno, I hear "Disco 2000" more on the radio and at weddings.

― Toad Roundgrin (noodle vague), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 07:14 (nineteen years ago)

one year passes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXWEM4gZhg4

― and what, Tuesday, 10 June 2008 04:06 (seventeen years ago)

seventeen years pass...

i think this is a good song! but would better at half the length, because it's almost six minutes long and that's plenty of time to establish that you're from sheffield and can't abide prats even though you'll spend the next 30 years turning yourself into be one

― mookieproof, Friday, 22 May 2026 03:00 (two weeks ago)

the wombles version is good

― massaman gai (front tea for two), Friday, 22 May 2026 03:32 (two weeks ago)

i think this is a good song! but would better at half the length, because

tbefttl it is the 31st anniversary today of the 7” edit being released on the same CD and cassingle as the full length version.

(they were even both on the promo AND DJ versions of the Motiv 8 mix! when you’re cutting your special DJ 12”s at 33.3 might as well keep piling the grooves on, what the hell)

― uploading this content requires perseveration (sic), Friday, 22 May 2026 04:36 (two weeks ago)

i would love to hear mookieproof's mathematically flawless 3 minute cut

― My homies buttthole surfers' record sounds like a f (Western® with Bacon Flavor), Friday, 22 May 2026 05:51 (two weeks ago)

I reckon I must have heard the William Shatner version of this more than the Pulp one by now

― rameau in the main room (dog latin), Friday, 22 May 2026 08:28 (two weeks ago)

shatner vers has ruined the orig for me its so superior

― johnny crunch, Friday, 22 May 2026 10:09 (two weeks ago)

C'mon, his version is just okay, only shines when Joe Jackson shows up, but not a patch on the pants of the original or rather it is an apples and oranges comparison.

― The Man Who Sold the Unisphere (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 22 May 2026 10:12 (two weeks ago)

+1 on that, tired of this challops

― sonic catterdales (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Friday, 22 May 2026 10:15 (two weeks ago)

a key point in Tom's old FT piece is that it's Pulp's masterpiece, not just Jarvis'.

i've heard the Shatner version a few times. the way he keeps stressing words annoys me. too err actorly(?) ho hum.

― you can see me from westbury white horse, Friday, 22 May 2026 10:45 (two weeks ago)

Shatner's entire career has consisted of stressing words wrongly.

― Tom D, focussed with getting on with the job (Tom D.), Friday, 22 May 2026 10:48 (two weeks ago)

I like him on Lemon Jelly's Go.

― you can see me from westbury white horse, Friday, 22 May 2026 10:57 (two weeks ago)

It's pretty self-evidently absurd that someone of Shatner's vintage and background would find anything to relate to or embody in the lyric, that's the whole joke of having him cover it in the first place.

― a ZX spectrum is haunting Europe (Daniel_Rf), Friday, 22 May 2026 11:04 (two weeks ago)

OTM. Shatner famously seems to have difficulty relating to all sorts of people, common or not.

― The Man Who Sold the Unisphere (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 22 May 2026 11:31 (two weeks ago)

Well, what else can he do?

― Mark G, Friday, 22 May 2026 13:56 (two weeks ago)

wombling?

― massaman gai (front tea for two), Friday, 22 May 2026 14:06 (two weeks ago)

Really liked it in the JFK/Carolyn Bessette series (they danced to it). And just watched Black Mirror's "Common People" episode, and that was good.

― clemenza, Friday, 22 May 2026 14:13 (two weeks ago)

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