people's party pt4: common people

"Common People" was released as a single in 1995, reaching number two on the UK singles chart. It also appears on the band's 1995 album Different Class.
The inspiration for the song came from a Greek fellow student Jarvis Cocker knew at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. A BBC THREE documentary failed to correctly locate the woman, whom Cocker stated could have been on any fine art course but that "sculpture" sounded better. Cocker felt that 'slumming' was becoming a dominant theme in popular culture and this contributed to the singles' rushed release. Cocker said "it seemed to be in the air, that kind of patronising social voyeurism...”
The accompanying video featured an early appearance from actress Sadie Frost and a dance routine improvised by Cocker on the day of shooting. The video also features a homage to the Eleanor Rigby sequence in the film Yellow Submarine (with everyday people stuck in repeating loops lasting less than a second).