Le migliori canzoni Britpop secondo la BBC: vince Common People dei Pulp

Il Britpop, questo movimento musicale falsamente effimero che ha lasciato un’eredità pesante a tutti gli aspiranti musicisti d’Inghilterra, ha finalmente i suoi re indiscussi e a decretarli ci ha pensato la BBC: a vent’anni dall’esplosione del genere che inquadrò tutta una serie di band grandiose sia agli albori di carriera sia nei momenti più alti della loro storia, il sondaggio lanciato dalla radio britannica per eccellenza ha finito per premiare quelli che sono stati i brani capolavoro di questo movimento musicale ancora resistente.

Il sondaggio “Britpop at the BBC” ha tenuto impegnati numerosissimi ascoltatori: quasi 30 mila i voti arrivati sul sito per decretare quale fosse il vero inno del Britpop.

Ad aggiudicarsi la vittoria è stato il brano Common People, inciso nel 1995 dai Pulp e balzato immediatamente in cima a tutte le classifiche non appena uscito. Il gruppo di Jarvis Cocker, paradossalmente, poteva essere giudicato quasi il nonno delle altre band quanto ad esperienza musicale e pubblicazioni discografiche, essendo in attività già dal 1978, ma fu proprio la grande esplosione del Britpop a conferirgli fama imperitura.

La consacrazione di Common People come brano simbolo del Britpop è stata annunciata dallo speaker di BBC 6 Steve Lamacq nel suo programma:

Sono contento che Common People abbia vinto il BBC 6 Music’s Favorite Britpop Anthem. E’ uno dei dischi più significativi del Britpop perché ha abbracciato perfettamente l’essenza di quei tempi. E’ stato un inno grande e fortissimo, con una narrazione grandiosa che riassumeva un sentimento di “noi e loro”; spiegava come quegli strani esseri indie avessero sfidato le pop star e avessero vinto.

Tra gli altri candidati in lizza c’erano ovviamente i migliori rappresentanti del genere quali Blur, Oasis, Verve, Ash e Suede e la classifica completa prevede trenta canzoni di questi ed altri esimi gruppi inglesi, alcuni di loro ancora in rigogliosa attività, altri sciolti o impegnati in progetti paralleli. Ecco la lista completa delle migliori canzoni Britpop secondo la BBC: voi siete d’accordo con la vittoria di Common People dei Pulp?

1. Common People – Pulp
2. Bittersweet Symphony – The Verve
3. Don’t Look Back in Anger – Oasis
4. Wonderwall – Oasis
5. Parklife – Blur
6. Animal Nitrate – Suede
7. Girls & Boys – Blur
8. Slight Return – The Bluetones
9. Disco 2000 – Pulp
10. Girl From Mars – Ash
11. The Bends – Radiohead
12. The Riverboat Song – Ocean Colour Scene
13. Alright – Supergrass
14. Wide Open Space – Mansun
15. Something For The Weekend – The Divine Comedy
16. She Said – Longpigs
17. 12 Reasons Why – My Life Story
18. Going For Gold – Shed 7
19. Trash – Suede
20. Everything Must Go – Manic Street Preachers
21. The Changing Man – Paul Weller
22. Inbetweener – Sleeper
23. Female Of The Species – Space
24. Line Up – Elastica
25. Staying Out For The Summer – Dodgy
26. Road Rage – Catatonia
27. Great Things – Echobelly
28. For The Dead – Gene
29. Wake Up Boo – The Boo Radleys
30. Ladykillers – Lush

Pulp, Common People: testo

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 coca-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 fags and play some pool,
Pretend you never went to school.
But still you’ll never get it right,
‘Cause when you’re laid in bed at night,
Watching roaches climb the wall,
If you called your Dad he could stop it all.

You’ll never live like common people,
You’ll never do whatever 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 through.
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.

Like a dog lying in a corner,
They will bite you and never warn you,
Look out,they’ll tear your insides out.
‘Cause everybody hates a tourist,
Especially one who thinks it’s all such a laugh,
Yeah and the chip stain’s grease,
Will come out in the bath.

You will never understand
How it feels to live your life
With no meaning or control
And with nowhere left to go.
You are amazed that they exist
And they burn so bright,
Whilst you can only wonder why.
Rent a flat above a shop
Cut your hair and get a job
Smoke some fags and play some pool
Pretend you never went to school,
But still you’ll never get it right
‘Cause when you’re laid in bed at night
And watching roaches climb the wall,
If you called your dad he could stop it all
Yeah

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 then dance and drink and screw
Because there’s nothing else to do

I want to live with common people like you