Formed way back in 1978 by spindly, thrift-store clad<\/a> frontman Jarvis Cocker, Pulp had hitherto been mouldering on the fringes of the mainstream<\/a>, releasing under-appreciated records<\/a> on a succession of indie labels. But that was soon to change, and in dramatic fashion.<\/p>\n If there was a single turning point in Pulp\u2019s history, it came in June 1995, courtesy of Stone Roses guitarist John Squire\u2019s broken collarbone<\/a>. Stone Roses had been booked to headline Glastonbury that year, but following the injury, Pulp grasped the invitation to replace them. Despite having only ten days to prepare<\/a>, they went on to pull off one of the most memorable Glastonbury sets<\/a> of all time. <\/p>\n Pulp were already riding high on the success of recent single Common People<\/a>, which reached number two in the British charts. The Glastonbury success, along with next single Sorted for E\u2019s and Wizz<\/a>, also reaching the number two, completed Pulp\u2019s transition from indie underdogs to commercial big-hitters. Nobody was surprised, then, when, in the first week of release, Different Class, their fifth studio album, went straight to the top of the UK album charts.<\/p>\n Pulp playing Common People at Glastonbury 1995.<\/p>\n Providing much needed relief from the boisterous machismo<\/a> that was emanating from Britpop\u2019s bro-tastic bands like Blur, Supergrass and Oasis, Different Class offered something utterly idiosyncratic and yet eminently accessible. <\/p>\n Above the catchy melodies and danceable rhythms<\/a> was Cocker\u2019s vocal, which ranged from the conspiratorial whisper of I Spy<\/a> to the desperate high wail of Bar Italia<\/a>. And his lyrics blurred the lines between gritty kitchen sink drama and flights of dreamy adolescent fancy. <\/p>\n In her book Revolution Rock<\/a> (2011), writer Amy Britton observes that sex is probably the most frequently recurring lyrical theme of the album. But Cocker\u2019s depiction of sex was miles away from the romantic gloss that music often gives this subject. <\/p>\n Indeed, in the world of Different Class, romance is swept to the side by infidelity, marital woe, boredom, frustration and seedy desperation. But then Cocker throws us a left turn with Something Changed<\/a>, an ode to the spontaneity of love and romance<\/a> so achingly beautiful, poignant and optimistic that many have chosen it as the song they walk down the aisle to<\/a> at their weddings. <\/p>\n All the tracks have stood the test of time, but Common People still stands out. A masterclass of social commentary set to an infectiously catchy melody, the song tells the story of a female student from a wealthy background who decides to engage in \u201cclass tourism\u201d<\/a>. She uses Cocker as her guide to experience the novelty of living as a \u201ccommon\u201d person. <\/p>\n As the song\u2019s tempo and intensity increase over the course of the song, Cocker\u2019s vocal delivery also changes. It builds from amused incredulity in the first verse to a crescendo of anger and outrage in the last. By the time he tells his fellow student that she \u201cwill never understand \/ how it feels to live your life \/ with no meaning or control\u201d<\/a>, he\u2019s raging against a system which has disempowered<\/a> him for so long. <\/p>\n Something Changed by Pulp.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a stunning, unforgettable piece of work which, like at Glastonbury 30 years ago, still elicits the most rapturous reaction from the audience.<\/p>\n Perhaps because of its intrinsically British lyrics, Different Class didn\u2019t resonate the same way overseas. Despite going platinum four times in the UK, it barely troubled the charts in the US, Japan and much of Europe. And, if other countries weren\u2019t sure how to take the lyrics, they certainly didn\u2019t know what to make of Cocker, who, in his homeland had become the most unlikely sex symbol since Dudley Moore<\/a>. <\/p>\n In 2019, Rolling Stone gave one of the clearest examples of the international bemusement at both Different Class and Cocker via their 100 Best Albums of the \u201890s list. Ranking the album at a lowly 85th place, the bizarre review dismisses the music as \u201cfruity chamber rock\u201d<\/a> and describes Cocker as a \u201cBrit-pop strumpet with a heart of glass\u201d who \u201cminced\u201d and \u201cshook what Mama gave him\u201d<\/a>. <\/p>\n Whatever the rest of the world may think, to my mind Different Class is one of the greatest artistic statements ever to emerge from these shores, articulated by an eccentric national treasure and wrapped in the ear-pleasing sheen of a band at the very top of their game. A different class it truly is.<\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1761820459_111_file-20250110-15-rdfnbz.png\")
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