songs in which music stars pretend to relate to the troubles and little joys of us common folk

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R. Kelly, "Ignition": It's the freakin' weekend baby/ I'm about to have me some fun

(As if R. Kelly has to wait for the weekend to have some fun.)

Any of the countless songs in which late-career rock stars sing, "I got no money"; "Got a dollar in my pocket"; etc.

― Sam Jeffries (samjeff), Thursday, 27 March 2003 23:26 (twenty-three years ago)

R Kelly is the worst for this - 'Thank God Its Friday' he sang in '96 too

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 27 March 2003 23:30 (twenty-three years ago)

911 - Party People (HEY! It's Friday Night! (Frahhh-dayyyy) Gonna Rock This Joint Until The Mornin' Light!)

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Thursday, 27 March 2003 23:36 (twenty-three years ago)

pop stars in being robots shocker!!

― jess (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 27 March 2003 23:45 (twenty-three years ago)

obviously jess likes to be patronized by his pop stars

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Friday, 28 March 2003 00:04 (twenty-three years ago)

all things will pass, including fame

except for bob hope and regis

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 28 March 2003 00:05 (twenty-three years ago)

"Common People" by Pulp
"Everybody's Workin' For the Weekend" by Loverboy
"Night Time" by the Strangeloves

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 28 March 2003 00:53 (twenty-three years ago)

the kinks

― brains (cerybut), Friday, 28 March 2003 01:19 (twenty-three years ago)

broooooce

by which I mean mcculloch, not springsteen

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Friday, 28 March 2003 01:24 (twenty-three years ago)

"Common People" by Pulp

I don't think so. The song is clearly about mocking people who TRY to be part of the common folk when they are not, i.e. affectation of commonality. It's got nothing to do with celebrating being common AT ALL.

― edward o (edwardo), Friday, 28 March 2003 01:32 (twenty-three years ago)

that's a sticky song, edward - I think it could be interpreted as condescending. Jarvis is not a "commoner", what the fuck would he know about how poor people feel being patronized by slumming rich folk? In a way, you could say that he's actively perpetrating what he's purportedly "condemning" with the song.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Friday, 28 March 2003 01:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually, just thinking about it, the verse that gives the song away as condemning is left out in the radio edit, totally changing the effect. The third verse really does make it very clear that the whole living-like-common-people thing is a load - without it, it does appear somewhat celebratory. (Damn radio edits leaving out the best bits. Hate that.)

― edward o (edwardo), Friday, 28 March 2003 01:47 (twenty-three years ago)

don't be fooled by the rocks that i got
i'm still a great big star and yr not

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Friday, 28 March 2003 01:59 (twenty-three years ago)

ARGH NO NO NO NO NO

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 28 March 2003 02:02 (twenty-three years ago)

Bone Thugs N Harmony - "1st of the Month"

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 28 March 2003 02:03 (twenty-three years ago)

i dunno. i could be wrong, but i don't think jarvis came out of the womb rich and famous. i think it's quite possible he at some time in his life knew "about how poor people feel being patronized by slumming rich folk". but maybe not. or maybe i just think it's a brilliant pop song nonetheless.

― lolita corpus (lolitacorpus), Friday, 28 March 2003 02:12 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't think the song automatically implies that Jarvis is one of the "common people"

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 28 March 2003 02:19 (twenty-three years ago)

haha yeah, you people seem to be forgetting a little thing called "character"

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 28 March 2003 02:19 (twenty-three years ago)

All the common people, where do they all come from?

― B.Rad (Brad), Friday, 28 March 2003 02:24 (twenty-three years ago)

haha yeah, you people seem to be forgetting a little thing called "character"

actually, I don't think Jarvis is going into character in this one, I think it's pretty much him (he did attend St Martin's college etc)

I think the key line is: "I want to sleep with common people like you.
Well what else could I do - I said I'll see what I can do."

which means that whether Jarvis thinks he's common or not, she certainly does.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 28 March 2003 02:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Every song ever by John "Cougar" Mellencamp.

― webcrack (music=crack), Friday, 28 March 2003 03:52 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't think Jarvis is "relating" to the common people in the song anyway. He's mocking the rich girl, which is kind of different. Character or no. He describes the situation but never really says that he is one of them. Spencer's right - she does, and he kind of laughs at her and doesn't reference himself again.

― Ally (mlescaut), Friday, 28 March 2003 05:12 (twenty-three years ago)

every song by Ms Ciccone

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Friday, 28 March 2003 05:21 (twenty-three years ago)

Justine Frischmann to thread

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Friday, 28 March 2003 05:28 (twenty-three years ago)

This is the thread where anything by Bruce Springsteen would be the correct answer....

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 28 March 2003 10:51 (twenty-three years ago)

All the common people, where do they all come from?

haha. since the dawn of humankind up to now - from da womb, obviously

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Friday, 28 March 2003 11:05 (twenty-three years ago)

"flakes" by FZ -- though in true zappa-stylee, he's making fun of the common folks (who flush tampoons down toilets and pay an arm-and-a-leg for shitty plumbers) as "sympathizing" with them

― Tad (llamasfur), Friday, 28 March 2003 11:10 (twenty-three years ago)

Bruce Springsteen, sorry for the late call, man. You're on.

― dave225 (Dave225), Friday, 28 March 2003 12:51 (twenty-three years ago)

Bone Thugs N Harmony - "1st of the Month"

That always struck to me as the one honest Bone Thugs-N-Harmony song. I don't think they had yet forgotten at this point of their career what it's like to live on welfare.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Friday, 28 March 2003 13:50 (twenty-three years ago)

Not to mention Bone Thugs hadn't actually made any money yet when that one came out. You know, I don't hate them, they made up their own little thing, nurtured and broadened it. They're OK by me.

― matt riedl (veal), Friday, 28 March 2003 22:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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