What is "common people"

n. people in general; "they're just country folk"; "the common people determine the group character and preserve its customs from one generation to the next" [syn: folk]

"Common People" is a song by English alternative rock band Pulp, released in May 1995 as the lead single of their fifth studio album Different Class. It reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, becoming a defining track of the Britpop movement and Pulp's signature song in the process.

The song is about those who were perceived by the songwriter as wanting to be "like common people" and who ascribe glamour to poverty. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as slumming or "class tourism". The song was written by the band members Nick Banks, Jarvis Cocker, Candida Doyle, Steve Mackey and Russell Senior. In 2004, a Ben Folds-produced William Shatner cover version brought "Common People" to new audiences outside Europe.