12 April 2022

Common

One of Sheffield's most famous sons is Jarvis Cocker. He was the frontman of the band Pulp that achieved enormous success in the mid nineteen nineties.

As I drove along Ecclesall Road yesterday afternoon, I noticed a new piece of street art near the shopping centre known as Berkeley Precinct. Tonight, as I was visiting the local "Tesco" to pick up a few things, I nipped round the corner onto Snuff Mill Lane to take the picture shown above.

Of course one of Pulp's most famous anthems was "Common People"  which is what the mural is referencing. It was an unusual and clever song that tried to say something meaningful about ordinary urban lives as many of Jarvis's self-penned lyrics did:-

You wanna live like common people
You wanna see whatever common people see
Wanna sleep with common people
You wanna sleep with common people
Like me
But she didn't understand
She just smiled and held my hand

29 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:15 am

    I was only vaguely aware of Pulp in the nineties, but I like the song and the lyrics are very good, and I can understand what is being sung.

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  2. This is new to me, and I don't know how I missed them. Unless they didn't make it big here?
    Still, I like it.

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    Replies
    1. They toured America but never made it big over there.

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  3. First time for me. Any relation to Joe Cocker?

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  4. I love that song. I've never heard of the band but the lead singer's voice reminds me of David Bowie.

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    1. Well I can see the connection there too.

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  5. Well it shows how old I am. I was a big fan of Joe Cocker, who I found out from Google was not Jarvis' father at all. I do like this song though.

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    Replies
    1. Pure co-incidence that Sheffield spawned two famous Cockers.

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  6. I don't know the song or the band, but the mural is nice.

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    1. I hope that Jarvis sees it. Since he split with his Parisian wife, he lives in the countryside just outside Sheffield.

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  7. While I was aware of Pulp in the 90s, I wasn't interested enough in their music to buy their CDs or go to their concerts. As for the lyrics, I must admit I was not really paying attention.

    Funny how we are both currently talking about street art on our blogs! The one you show here is very good. Now that I have dabbled with spray cans myself for a few hours, I appreciate even more how much skill goes into something like that.

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    Replies
    1. Spraying on walls! You will get yourself arrested Meike!

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  8. Great song celebrating ordinary folk. Def Leppard and The Human League are another couple of Sheffield bands.

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    Replies
    1. Phil Oakey (Hunan League) lives fifty yards from us.

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    2. Does he still walk about with black eyeliner?

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    3. No he doesn't. He's 66 years old now - almost as old as me! Most people walk by him without recognising him at all.

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  9. I lost interest in popular music in the 90s so I am not familiar with the work of Pulp or Jarvis Cocker. He looks like a nice boy though.

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    Replies
    1. For me it helped to have a teenage son. He made me more aware and appreciative of the popular music of that decade.

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  10. I was always more of a Joe Cocker fan myself. Much more common.

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  11. Never even heard of them as far as I know. And my first thought was- son of Joe Cocker. Strangely enough, was just telling my daughters about Joe Cocker yesterday. One of them had never heard of them. Rita Coolidge who sang with Mad Dogs and Englishmen, among many other things, now lives in Tallahassee with an old love of hers. Which has nothing to do with Pulp. Sorry.

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    1. People often think there's a connection between Jarvis Cocker and Joe Cocker who was also from Sheffield but it's only co-incidence. What an incredible voice Joe Cocker had. I believe he died in Colorado.

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  12. I never heard of him before.

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    1. I would say Pulp were Britain's biggest and best known band in 1998-99. They toured America but did not catch on over there.

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  13. Actually pretty cocker spaniels are more to my taste but I loved the song and the clothes.

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    1. The Cocker Spaniels is a good name for a band. The lead singer might be Snoop Dog or Howlin' Wolf.

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  14. I was never really aware of Pulp. I don't think they were big in the states. I had the same question as Ed but I see your response to him!

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Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

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