Happy New Year everyone! Thank you so much for returning to my page, I really hope that the holiday period has found you overweight from all the pudding and well rested from the many heated sporting and board game clashes over the past few weeks. This year is shaping up to be a strange one with current world events in mind, and I am slightly horrified and interested to see what will become of it. It’s been amazing to have my family in London for the past few months, I think that they were well and truly inundated with facts and stories as well as walked off their feet. I found it interesting and hilarious how we all resorted back to our traditional family roles even though it has been seven years since we all lived together. No matter what you achieve or how much you mature into your own being we mostly all still fit back together the same way when it comes to family! It has been a strange couple of days readjusting to normal and the quiet so I thought it would be a nice time to get back into the blog.
Today’s entry is a song I wrote in 1995 called Common People which coincidentally became a smash hit… No, that’s not right exactly! The song is called Common People but instead of being written and released by one of my most favourite bands, Pulp, it was written in 2016 by myself to no acclaim and no release. This past year has been a strange one for me as I have been freelancing for work instead of being in an office environment. The effect of this move is that I’ve become adept at talking with myself and also had the chance to work out in the parks and public spaces of London. Kind of like Parks & Recreation but without the warmth and civil service. All jokes about solidarity aside, I’ve actually been privileged to come into contact with so many different people and cultures and talk and help whenever I can. Whether it was explaining where Harrods’s is or chatting about the latest new story, this past year has been a real learning curve which I’ve loved every minute of!
As a general rule most of my output deals with personal feelings or inward stories that I generally project onto a more detached persona. Occasionally I will write something that is as emotionally raw as John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band (with a huge difference in quality I might add!) but on the most part the sketches are more artistic reality. No less true on an emotional level but slightly blurred and changed. Over the past few months I have tried to become more outward with my writing and this particular attempt morphed into a collection of people and their stories connected to this idea that we really aren’t that different from each other. We are all striving to be better than our next door neighbours and experience the same challenges and triumphs. This isn’t really a game-changing observation on my behalf but it has become more poignant to me as I’ve traversed the more affluent streets of London as well as it’s most destitute. It seems to me that apart from means and opportunity there isn’t much of a difference between the bankers in Berkeley Square and the rough sleepers under the bridge arches on Holloway Road. Nor is there a contrast apart from characteristics and appearance between a skinny Mormon kid from Salt Lake City and an elderly Muslim lady from Tunis.
So why do we treat each other with disdain? I’m not sure if I am really qualified to answer this but I think the more cynical and wrong approach would be to quote human nature as the source. Sure, our personalities more than attribute to our relationships and interactions, and our experiences make us weary and unsure of others. If this was wholly the case though I really don’t think society would have come this far. Maybe our modern world should take some of the blame? We have so many wonders and amazing achievements that can transform our lives but in the wrong mindset can start flame wars and segregate. We are also an extremely goal-oriented and singularly minded people that has in some ways lost it’s sense of community and togetherness. You may fairly counter with history though and tell me that it has always been this way. We’ve kicked people off continents and worse for having the wrong heritage and skin colour too many times for our modern condition to be considered unique. I will leave this discussion here for later posts and stronger minds but just know that these kind of questions will continue to inform my future writing and work. I write not to start confrontations and arguments but to spark explorations and conversation on where we all can do better.
So without further ado, please peruse at your pleasure the following lyrics and chords for my song. I would love to hear from you on any topic or post through email or comment section. Hope your week is quick and enjoyable and please continue to watch this space over the coming weeks and days!
Notes: I’ve included a chord chart again for this song if you would like to follow along at home. Over the coming weeks I hope to update my previous posts with melody suggestions to make things even easier to understand. I’ve been dreaming the past few weeks about being a world renown singer but reality when I wake up is sadly not the same. As of today I play this song in B major with a choppy, syncopated rhythm at 110 BPM. The verses have the same chord progressions from the lead chorus and aren’t too dissimilar melody-wise. I’ve also included only four verses at this time which are always changing from alternate option I have and envisioned.
………………………………………………………………………………………
Common People
B D#m
1. We’re just common people living like common people do.
G#m F#
Working on their problems, making plans and staying up to late.
B D#m
We’re just common people. Neither rich or poor but getting by.
G#m F#
Living to our resource, finding time for laughs, second guessing much.
E G#m
B. We’re just common people, we’re just common people.
F#
We’re all common people.
E G#m
We’re just common people, we’re just common people.
F#
We’re all common people.
2. Jenny wants a new life. Jenny wants a car that’s four wheel-drive.
A trip to California, a trip to resuscitate her dreams.
She’s pretty good at drama cause she’s been channeling for years.
A weekend would be plenty, two kids can be a triumph and a chore.
3. Samson wants a condo nestled in the lush, suburban heights.
A wife and secret mistress to control his appetite.
Maybe central banking or spot at a legal firm.
Has a head for numbers. All things considered a decent bloke.
B. We’re just common people, we’re just happy people,
we’re all messed up people.
We’re just ordinary people, we’re just angry people,
we’re no different people.
4. Sophia wants a playboy because her life has just begun,
Divorced from Mr. Clapton, living large in middle suburbia.
She drives a Mini-Cooper and listens to Madonna and Kanye West.
In constant reformation, life’s too short waste away in bed.
5. Jamie wants his father. Jamie wants a void to be set free.
He’s never been a soldier but he fight’s to keep a front.
There’s been times of anguish, why does everyone depart?
There’s been some time of triumph, it’s time the present starts!
Repeat Bridge:
E B F#
R. Who gets it wrong. Who gets it right.
E B F#
Who gets it wrong. Who gets it right.
E
Who makes a choice to co-exist
B F# B
Who takes a stand or takes a risk.
E B
Who tells a lie or story grand.
F#
Who stabs a back, or holds a hand.
E B F# B
Who gets it wrong and gets it right ( x2)
Future Arenas 