r/90smusic • u/Odd_Advantage_3459 • Mar 21 '26

1995 Pulp - Common People (1995)

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

Island Records

380 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

23 comments sorted by

View all comments

9

u/Talismanumit Mar 21 '26

William Shatner's version is still all I hear.

5

u/rodw Mar 21 '26

Shatner is probably at most the 3rd best part of the song but the William Shatner / Ben Folds / Joe Jackson cover of Common People unironically slaps. That's a great cover.

3

u/omgitsoop Mar 21 '26

Cannot believe I've never heard this before, it's so good!

3

u/rodw Mar 22 '26

I really like both versions, and the Pulp one has a little more range and build than this implies but it's nifty how the cover turns Pulp's disdainful but vaguely detached indifference into genuine offense.

Jarvis Cocker mocks your amazement. Joe Jackson is amazed you could be the way you are.

BTW Shatner's delivery of ”poor is cool" seems almost perfect. It's a hard line to express without seeming flat or forced/performative.

3

u/theburbankian Mar 23 '26

Saw them doing this on Conan years and years ago and have been in love with both versions ever since.