Ordinary People (song)
Encyclopedia
"Ordinary People" is the second single
from John Legend
's album
Get Lifted
. The single has been certified gold by the RIAA. Critics were positive towards the song, praising it for its raw emotion and simplicity. The track also ended up being featured on the compilation album
Now That's What I Call Music 19!
. The song won the Grammy Award
for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
.
project, but will.i.am
decided to let John Legend
keep the track, removing the Black Eyed Peas' vocals entirely.
Legend explained the song's lyrical content in the book Chicken Soup For the Soul: The Story Behind The Song: "The idea for the song is that relationships are difficult and the outcome uncertain. If a relationship is going to work, it will require compromise and, even then, it is not always going to end the way you want it to. No specific experience in my life led me to the lyrics for this song, although my parents were married twice to each other and divorced twice from each other. Their relationship is, of course, one of my reference points, but I didn't write this to be autobiographical or biographical. It is just a statement about relationships and my view on them."
noted "Ordinary People" as being both "the simplest" and "perhaps the most perfectly realized song" of the Get Lifted
album, describing it as "an exquisite ballad
" that is "both immediately familiar and intensely exotic." A review from The Guardian
called the song "a real gem", and lauded further: "[I]t's not only sonically arresting but lyrically reflective. Refusing to tie up loose ends, Legend is ambivalent about the relationship described in the song, admitting that there's 'no fairy-tale conclusion'. Good for him." PopMatters
was favorable towards the single, stating it "is representative of true talent." Jonathan Forgang, reviewing for Stylus magazine
, stated: "'Ordinary People,' the first of the piano and voice ballads, is a bit more derivative than the earlier tracks but expertly performed. Legend's voice has a naked quality to it, warm and full without any of the drawbacks of virtuosity." The Times
thought the song was full of "remorseful reflection" and said that "the album as a whole is a stunning advertisement for the less-is-more, from-the-soul approach, and Legend’s extraordinary voice (alternately angelic keen and cracked rasp) and piano-playing are equalled in quality by the depth of his songs."
The song is regarded as one of the finest achievements of John Legend. The single won him the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, and is to this day considered Legend's signature song
. In fact, "Ordinary People" would remain Legend's most commercially successful song in the U.S. as a Top 40 hit until the release of 2008's "Green Light
", featuring rapper Andre 3000
, three years later.
section and (audibly) a harmonica. Legend walks to and from the piano with a glass of water, as a short bookending to the video proper.
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
's album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Get Lifted
Get Lifted
Get Lifted is the debut studio album of American singer John Legend, released via Kanye West's GOOD Music label on December 28, 2004 in the United States. Featuring production by West, John Legend, Dave Tozer and Will.i.am, the album sold over three million units worldwide, with a total of 2.1...
. The single has been certified gold by the RIAA. Critics were positive towards the song, praising it for its raw emotion and simplicity. The track also ended up being featured on the compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Now That's What I Call Music 19!
Now That's What I Call Music! 19 (U.S. series)
-References:...
. The song won the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance was awarded between 1968 and 2011. The award has had several minor name changes:*In 1968 it was awarded as Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance, Male...
.
Background and writing
The song was originally intended to be part of a The Black Eyed PeasThe Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
project, but will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
decided to let John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
keep the track, removing the Black Eyed Peas' vocals entirely.
Composition
The song's lyrical themes include contrast, contradiction, guilt, doubt and fear. Legend sings about how people make errors of judgment in relationships ("I know I misbehaved/And you've made your mistakes/And we both still got room left to grow."), and that fighting and making up in the end is a regular obstacle: "And though love sometimes hurts/I still put you first/And we'll make this thing work/But I think we should take it slow." The lyrics include parallel structure to address the common ups-and-downs of maintaining a relationship: "Maybe we'll live and learn/Maybe we'll crash and burn/Maybe you'll stay/Maybe you'll leave/Maybe you'll return/Maybe another fight/Maybe we won't survive/Maybe we'll grow, we never know." The song's title itself is taken from its famous chorus, "We're just ordinary people/We don't know which way to go/'Cause we're ordinary people/Maybe we should take it slow."Legend explained the song's lyrical content in the book Chicken Soup For the Soul: The Story Behind The Song: "The idea for the song is that relationships are difficult and the outcome uncertain. If a relationship is going to work, it will require compromise and, even then, it is not always going to end the way you want it to. No specific experience in my life led me to the lyrics for this song, although my parents were married twice to each other and divorced twice from each other. Their relationship is, of course, one of my reference points, but I didn't write this to be autobiographical or biographical. It is just a statement about relationships and my view on them."
Reception
Critics were overwhelmingly positive towards "Ordinary People", many of whom complimented the song's juxtaposition of simple stark piano and John Legend's vocal range. Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
noted "Ordinary People" as being both "the simplest" and "perhaps the most perfectly realized song" of the Get Lifted
Get Lifted
Get Lifted is the debut studio album of American singer John Legend, released via Kanye West's GOOD Music label on December 28, 2004 in the United States. Featuring production by West, John Legend, Dave Tozer and Will.i.am, the album sold over three million units worldwide, with a total of 2.1...
album, describing it as "an exquisite ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
" that is "both immediately familiar and intensely exotic." A review from The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
called the song "a real gem", and lauded further: "[I]t's not only sonically arresting but lyrically reflective. Refusing to tie up loose ends, Legend is ambivalent about the relationship described in the song, admitting that there's 'no fairy-tale conclusion'. Good for him." PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
was favorable towards the single, stating it "is representative of true talent." Jonathan Forgang, reviewing for Stylus magazine
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
, stated: "'Ordinary People,' the first of the piano and voice ballads, is a bit more derivative than the earlier tracks but expertly performed. Legend's voice has a naked quality to it, warm and full without any of the drawbacks of virtuosity." The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
thought the song was full of "remorseful reflection" and said that "the album as a whole is a stunning advertisement for the less-is-more, from-the-soul approach, and Legend’s extraordinary voice (alternately angelic keen and cracked rasp) and piano-playing are equalled in quality by the depth of his songs."
The song is regarded as one of the finest achievements of John Legend. The single won him the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, and is to this day considered Legend's signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
. In fact, "Ordinary People" would remain Legend's most commercially successful song in the U.S. as a Top 40 hit until the release of 2008's "Green Light
Green Light (John Legend song)
"Green Light" is the first single from John Legend's album Evolver. The song is produced by Malay and KP and features André 3000 of OutKast. The song was released as a single download on July 29, 2008....
", featuring rapper Andre 3000
André 3000
André Lauren Benjamin , better known by his stage name André 3000 is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor, best known for being part of American hip-hop duo OutKast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi...
, three years later.
Music video
The video for "Ordinary People" features Legend playing a grand piano in an all-white space, while couples and families of varying ethnic backgrounds fight and reconcile around and in front of the piano. For the final minute of the video, Legend is joined by a stringString instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
section and (audibly) a harmonica. Legend walks to and from the piano with a glass of water, as a short bookending to the video proper.
Covers
- George BensonGeorge BensonGeorge Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....
and Al JarreauAl JarreauAlwin "Al" Lopez Jarreau is a seven-time Grammy Award winning jazz singer.- Background :Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, the fifth of six children. His web site refers to Reservoir, Inc., the name of the street where he lived. His father was a Seventh-Day Adventist Church minister and singer, and...
covered the song for their 2006 album Givin' It Up. - Asher BookAsher BookAsher Monroe Book is an American dancer, singer and actor.-Early life:Born in Arlington, Virginia in 1988, Asher started working professionally when he was seven years old...
performs the song in the 2009 film FameFame (2009 film)Fame is a 2009 musical film and a loose remake of the 1980 film of the same title. It was directed by Kevin Tancharoen and written by Allison Burnett. It was released on September 25, 2009 in the USA, Canada, Ireland, and the UK.-Freshman year:...
. Book's version is available on the soundtrack to the film. - Aloe BlaccAloe BlaccAloe Blacc is an American soul singer, rapper, and musician.-Early career and Shine Through :...
covered the song as Gente Ordinaria, singing it in Spanish.
Charts
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
24 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
4 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
55 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 27 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
30 |