In his BBC Radio 6 Music show tonight, Steve Lamacq announced that Pulp’s ‘Common People’ has been voted for by listeners as ‘6 Music’s Favourite Britpop Anthem’. The vote was run as part of the ‘Britpop at the BBC’ celebrations this week marking 20 years since its heyday.
‘Common People’ reached No. 2 in the UK singles chart when it was first released on the 22nd May 1995 - being beaten to the No. 1 spot by Robson Green & Jerome Flynn with 'Unchained Melody/(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover', but it has finally reached the No. 1 spot now. And it was up against some very tough competition including Blur’s ‘Parklife’, Oasis’ ‘Wonderwall’ and The Verve’s ‘Bittersweet Symphony’.
For Britpop at the BBC, in his BBC Radio 6 Music show Steve Lamacq has been asking listeners to cast their minds back two decades and vote for their all-time Favourite Britpop Anthem - the one song that epitomises that time for them. Voting closed on Thursday 10 April, and over 30 000 people voted. The Top 30 Countdown was revealed by Steve in his show, with Pulp’s ‘Common People’ reigning supreme.
Steve Lamacq said, “I’m really pleased ‘Common People’ has won 6 Music’s Favourite Britpop Anthem vote. It is one of the defining records of Britpop because it seemed to embrace the essence of the time so perfectly. It was a big, bold anthem, but with a great narrative. And it seemed to sum up a feeling of ‘us and them’, as if to illustrate how the indie mavericks had taken on the pop stars and for once they’d won.
He continues, “I remember DJ-ing at Nottingham Rock City on the Saturday night before the chart was announced on the Sunday. Everybody was talking about the rumour that Pulp were going to rocket in at Number 2. There was a real sense of elation that this band who had been ignored for so long were going to have this massive hit. I saved it up till the end of my set and the place went crazy.”
The full Top 30 Countdown can be seen at bbc.co.uk/Britpop, and here is the Top 10:
1 Common People by Pulp
2 Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve
3 Don’t Look Back in Anger by Oasis
4 Wonderwall by Oasis
5 Parklife by Blur
6 Animal Nitrate by Suede
7 Girls & Boys by Blur
8 Slight Return by The Bluetones
9 Disco 2000 by Pulp
10 Girl From Mars by Ash
The vote was accompanied by a live blog at bbc.co.uk/britpop documenting the chart. It featured as part of Britpop at the BBC, a week of programmes (from Sunday 6 to Friday 11 April) on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Four.
