Pulp: What Do You Do for an Encore? (2026) Movie Script
1
[Delicate violin plucking]
[Sustained,
warm violin tone joins]
[Music fades]
[Audience chatter]
[Low, drone-like music]
[Jarvis] Good evening.
[Audience cheers]
This is a night you
will remember
for the rest of your life.
[Audience cheers]
You're about to see
Pulp.
[Audience cheers]
This performance is an encore.
An encore occurs
because the audience
wants more.
[Audience cheers;
Indistinct dialogue in
archive material]
So, make some noise.
[Rhythmic beats]
[Audience cheers]
I said...
make...
some...
noise!
[Audience roars]
[Music builds]
[Man] It can only be Pulp!
[Woman] They're back,
they're better than ever.
- Pulp.
- Pulp.
- Pulp.
- Pulp, come on now!
[Jarvis] You're looking
good as well!
I mean you can't see yourselves
but you look very, very pretty.
[Music builds]
Your feelings have been noted.
[Computer voice] Your feelings
have been noted.
[Indistinct chatter]
Let the show begin.
[Audience cheers]
[Music plays Spike Island ]
Something stopped me
Dead in my tracks
I was headed for disaster
And then I turned back
I was wrestling with
a coat hanger
Can you guess who won?
The universe shrugged
Shrugged, then moved on
It's a guess, no idea
Just a feeling
Not a voice in my head
Just a feeling
And by the way
Spike Island come alive
And by the way
This time I'll get
it right, oh
[Audience cheers]
Not a shaman or
a showman ashamed
That I was selling the rights
I took a breather
And decided not to ruin my life
I was conforming
To a cosmic design
I was playing to type
Until I walked back to
The Gardn of Earthly Delights
I was born to perform
It's a calling
I exist to do this
Shouting and pointing
And by th way
Spike Island come alive
And by the way
This time I'll get
it right, oh
[Audience cheers]
No one can ever understand it
And no one can ever
Have the last word
Because it's not something
You could ever say
So swivel
Ah, it's a guess, no idea
It's a feeling
Not a voice in my head
Just a feeling
And by the way
Oh, Spike Island come alive
And by the way
This time I'll get
it right, yeah
And by the way
Ah, Spike Island come alive
And by the way
Huh
This time I'll get
it right, oh
[Audience cheers]
Ah-ah, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh...
[Music fades]
[Audience cheers]
[Jarvis, VO] Spike Island
was the first song Pulp played
at our 566th show
at the O2 Arena
in London on 13th June 2025
to an audience of over
20,000 people.
Those are the statistics
but how did we get to a moment
where we were playing
our 566th show?
That's a long story.
I'll tell you it,
if you've got the time.
[Nostalgic trumpet music]
You'll be seeing more
of the concert
in just a moment
but before that,
let's take a commercial break.
[Nostalgic adventure music]
This film is going to be
like being at a jumble sale.
[Narrator in archive]
And all because
the lady loves Milk Tray.
[Jarvis, VO] Sifting
through piles
of visual rubbish
to find the "gold" we need
to tell a story.
[Jarvis, in archive]
So you're seeing
inside me now, is it?
[Jarvis, VO] The Pulp Story.
You're within my personal zone.
[Busy chatter]
And you're seeing the real me.
Our journey starts here
on sunny Stanhope Road.
This is where the young
Jarvis Branson Cocker grew up
in one of these humble abodes.
[Delicate, tender music[
[Jarvis, VO] As a child,
I longed to be able to blend
into the background
and not draw attention
to myself.
I was also embarrassed
by my name.
I remember telling people
that my name was John
just to avoid having
to say 'Jarvis'
in public.
When you've got a surname
like 'Cocker, '
you couldn't really call
him 'Everhard'.
[Laugher]
I could tell you ever
so many stories,
but I promised him I wouldn't.
- [Producer] Go on then.
- He said, "Don't embarrass..."
Well, there was one
time me husband
was very good with his hands,
he could make anything
and he made him this
time machine
and he didn't know
anything about it,
you see.
- [Woman] Oh my dad
had never seen
- Daleks.
- It was a Dalek.
- [Woman] Oh that was the Dalek.
[Jarvis, VO] At the time,
I thought my grandad's
recreation
of Doctor Who's nemesis
was an exact replica.
I thought the man was a genius
and it was interactive.
The Dalek had a hinged door
at the back so that
I could get inside
and roll around the
house shouting,
"Exterminate."
My very first attempts
to entertain the public.
[Dalek] Exterminate!
[Jarvis, VO] It was
a noisy Christmas
that year.
He liked fantasy,
he lived in a bit of
a fantasy world.
[Jarvis, VO] When I was a child,
most of my ideas
about the world
came from watching TV.
I was extremely short-sighted
but this wasn't diagnosed
until I started school
and was unable
to see the blackboard.
The real world was
out of focus,
but by sitting at the
right distance
to the screen,
the television world
was pin-sharp.
Dangerous situation.
It all went in.
Space was everywhere on TV
when I was a kid.
The moon landing and Star Trek;
my young mind was boggled.
The borderline between fiction
and reality fatally
compromised.
I became convinced
that I was gonna be spending
my adult life in outer space.
[Reporter] It was here
after an English class
that Jarvis hatched his plan
for pop stardom.
He grabbed the three
most unpopular
kids in school
and formed a band,
changing Sheffield forever.
[Jarvis, VO] This is
an exercise book in
which the fifteen year old me
wrote his ideas
about being in a band.
It's my dead sea scrolls
and it begins with clothes.
Buy the clothes at
a jumble sale and then
find the people to wear them.
Very Field of Dreams.
But I'm glad it didn't work out
that way.
Control is overrated.
- [Music plays Sorted
for E's & Wizz ]
- Mmm, the music's started.
Time to go back, back
to the future.
[Audience cheers]
[Music continues]
Oh, is this the way they say
The future's meant to feel?
Or just 20,000 people
Standing in a field
And I don't quite understand
Just what this feeling is
But that's okay
'cause we're all
Sorted out for E's and wizz
And tell me
When the spaceship lands
'Cause all this has just
Got to mean something, oh
Alright
In the middle of the night
It feels alright
But then tomorrow morning
Ooh
Oooh, then you come down, ah
Oh yeah, the pirate
radio told us
What was going down
Got the tickets from
some fucked up
Bloke in Camden Town
Oh, and no one seems to know
Exactly where it is
But that's okay
'cause we're all
sorted out for E's and wizz
At 4 o'clock the normal world
Seems very, very,
very far away
Alright
In the middle of the night
It feels alright
But then tomorrow morning
Ooh
Ooh, then you come down, ah
Just keep on moving
Everybody asks your name
They say we're all the same
And now it's, "Nice
one, geezer"
And that's as far
as the conversation went
I lost my friends,
I dance alone It's six o'clock,
I wanna go home
But it's "No way", "not today"
It makes you wonder
what it meant
And oh...
And this hollow feeling grows
And grows and grows
And you want to
call your mother
And say
"Mother, I can never
Come home again"
'Cause I seem to have left
An important part of my brain
Somewhere in a field
Near North Greenwich"
In the middle of the night
It feels alright
But then tomorrow morning
Ooh
Ooh, then you come down
Ooh
Ooh, then you come down
Oh
What if you never come down?
[Audience cheers]
[Music plays Disco 2000 ]
Oh!
[Audience cheers]
Oh, we were born
within an hour
Of each other
Our mothers said we should be
Sister and brother
Your name is Deborah, Deborah
It never suited ya
And they said that
When we grew up
We'd get married
And never split up
Oh, we never did it
Although I often thought of it
Oh, Deborah, do you recall?
Your house was very small
With woodchip on the wall
When I came around to call
You didn't notice me at all
And I said
Let's all meet up
in the year 2000
Won't it be strange
When we're all fully grown?
Be there two o'clock
By the fountain down the road
I never thought that
you'd get married
I would be living
down here on my own
On that damp and lonely
Thursday years ago
You were the first
girl at school
To get breasts
And Martyn said that
you were the best
Oh, the boys all loved you
But I was a mess
I had to watch them
Try and get you undressed
We were friends,
That was as far as it went
I used to walk you
home sometimes
But it meant
Oh, it meant nothing to you
'Cause you were so popular
Oh Deborah, do you recall?
Your house was very small
With woodchip on the wall
When I came around to call
You didn't notice me at all
And I said
Let's all meet up
in the year 2000
Won't it be strange
When we're all fully grown?
Be there two o'clock
By the fountain down the road
I never thought that
you'd get married
I would be living
down here on my own
On that damp and lonely
Thursday years ago
Do it
[Audience roars]
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh, Deborah, do you recall?
Your house was very small
With woodchip on the wall
And when I came around to call
You didn't notice me at all
And I said
Let's all meet up
in the year 2000
Won't it be strange
When we're all fully grown?
Be there two o'clock
By the fountain down the road
I never thought that
you'd get married
I would be living
down here on my own
On that damp and lonely
Thursday years ago
Oh, what are you doing
Sunday, baby?
Would you like to come
And meet me maybe?
You can even bring your baby
Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh,
ooh, ooh, ooh
What are you doing
Sunday, baby?
Would you like to come
And meet me maybe?
You can even bring your baby
Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh,
ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
[Audience cheers]
[Smashing flourish]
[Camera shutter clicks]
[School bell rings]
[Jarvis, VO] Okay 1981,
it's a year or so since
I wrote that Pulp masterplan.
The transformation
is well underway.
Let's consider my hair first.
I'm heavily into Echo
and the Bunnymen.
[Slow, rhythmic drums]
I love the music but the image
is important to me too
and foremost in that image
is Ian McCulloch's hair.
But what about the
thing on my chin?
[Crowd screams]
Yes, I based my beard
on one worn by Stranglers
frontman,
Hugh Cornwell.
Looking back now,
it crosses my mind it may not
actually been a beard
but just a shadow
cast by the cleft in his chin.
No, not a beard at all.
The glasses I'm wearing are
the most obvious aspect
of the look.
People shout,
"Here comes Elvis Costello,"
when I'm walking through
Sheffield city centre
or working at my Saturday job
at the fish market.
[Jarvis' mother] The
market traders
did him the power of good
and stopped him being
so airy fairy
'cause he didn't mix
with those kind of people.
He spent half his life
in his bedroom writing music.
[Jarvis, VO] Here's another page
from the manifesto.
Before Pulp, music
is carrying on
in much the same way
as it has done for centuries,
but after Pulp,
the musical stave mutates
into writhing spaghetti
like forms
completely new to mankind.
Pretty rich coming from someone
who couldn't, and still can't,
read a note of music.
The dream, as I think we've
convincingly established
by now,
knew no bounds
but what was happening
back on planet earth?
[Soft guitar music]
[Announcer] Here they are, Pulp.
[Man, in archive] Is there
any toilet roll
left in the toilet?
[Jarvis, in archive]
No, I think if you wanna wipe
your arse go in here.
[Jarvis, VO] These mythical
songs weren't going to write
or record themselves.
Anorexic beauty
Underweight goddess
[Jarvis, in archive] For
concerts, you have to rely on
a certain number of clubs,
which are usually quite small
and not very good
or you have to get
in the colleges,
and the colleges
and universities
often make you think
that you're being done
a great favour
to let you play there
'cause they think bands
can put up with anything
and it doesn't really matter if
they get electrocuted and die
'cause they're all
social security
scroungers anyway.
- [Reel clicks]
- [Laughter]
[Music plays Pulp's early song]
[Jarvis, VO] We made our first
attempt at
a professional demo recording
about three weeks before
the John Peel roadshow
came to town.
For the thirty-seven
years John Peel
was broadcasting at the BBC,
he was the only outlet for
alternative music
on British radio.
There is no way to
quantify that.
Yeah, I'd like to
say this is one
day's supply of tapes but
Everybody seems to have
a home tape recorder.
- Yeah.
- Not only do they have one,
they have a group, they make
the tape and they send it to us.
[Jarvis, VO] If we wanted
the whole world
to hear our music
then here was our chance.
[Music continues]
I went down to the roadshow.
I had the cassette
of our four songs
in my jacket pocket.
- As luck would have
it, after DJing,
- [Busy chatter]
John Peel descended
from the podium
and walked in my direction.
I intercepted him
and awkwardly introduced
myself.
There was a moment
of eye contact
and then he said that
he would listen
to the tape on his drive home.
With that, he was gone.
A week or so later...
- [Telephone rings]
- there was a telephone call.
John Peel's producer informed
my grandmother
that he'd like her to come down
to the BBC studios
to record a radio session.
She realised that the message
was probably intended for me.
I know it's a clich,
but it really did feel
like I'd died
and gone to heaven.
John Peel wants us,
four school kids
from Sheffield,
to record a session.
If I had to choose
the one event
that gave me the confidence
to devote my life to music,
- this would be it.
- [Crowd roars]
[Jarvis, in concert]
Are you ready?
[He sings] Mis-shapes,
mistakes, misfits
Raised on a diet
Of broken biscuits, oh
Oh, we don't look
the same as you
And we don't do
the things you do
But we live round here too
Oh really
Mis-shapes, mistakes, misfits
We'd like to go to town
But we can't risk it, oh
'Cause they just want
To keep us out
You could end up
With a smack in the mouth
Just for standing
out, oh really
Brothers, sisters,
can't you see?
The future's owned
by you and me
There won't be fighting
In the street
They think they've got us beat
Revenge is gonna
be so sweet, uh uh
We're making a move
We're making it now
We're coming out
of the sidelines
Just put your hands up
It's a raid, yeah
We want your homes
We want your lives
We want the things
You won't allow us
We won't use guns
We won't use bombs
We'll use the one thing
We've got more of
That's our minds
[Audience cheers]
Check your lucky numbers
That much money
Could drag you under? Oh
What's the point of being rich
If you can't think
what to do with it?
'Cause you're so
bleedin' thick
Oh, we weren't supposed to be
We learnt too much at school
Now we can't help but see
That this future
that you've got
mapped out is
Nothing much to shout about
uh uh uh
We're making a move
we're making it now
We're coming out
of the sidelines
Just put your hands up
It's a raid, yeah
We want your homes
We want your lives
We want the things
you won't allow us
We won't use guns
We won't use bombs
We'll use the one thing
We've got more of
That's our minds
Our minds
Ow
[Guitar solo]
Brothers, sisters,
can't you see?
The future's owned
by you and me
There won't be fighting
in the street
They think that they've
got us beat
But revenge
Revenge is gonna be so sweet
We're making a move
We're making it now
We're coming out
of the sidelines
Just put your hands up
It's a raid, yeah
We want your homes
We want your lives
We want the things
You won't allow us
We won't use guns
We won't use bombs
We'll use the one thing
We've got more of
That's our minds
Yeah, that's our minds
Yeah, uh
[Music fades]
[Audience cheers and applauds]
Have a look at this.
You see this shiny object
I have in my hand,
and can you see it has
a number on it?
[Audience cheers]
We as a band were presented
with this earlier today.
[Audience cheers]
Because the album, More ,
is number one.
[Audience cheers]
In the official UK albums chart
[Audience cheers]
and you put it there,
so I'm going to applaud you.
[Cheering and applause]
So...
as you've probably read
and are probably fed up
of reading in the press,
our first album for 24 years.
[Audience cheers]
Oh, they're all getting
on a bit, aren't they?
It's nice for them
to have something to do
when they're getting on a bit.
Fuck that.
[Audience cheers]
[Short piano note]
So, would you like to hear
a song from the record?
[Audience cheers]
This next song is called
"Grown Ups",
and it starts off
with you clapping
along to Nick's hi-hat, okay?
- In time.
- [Sharp hi-hat taps]
Got that?
[Audience claps]
Don't speed up,
you've got to keep it.
[Music plays Grown Ups ]
The moon went behind
A petro-chemical plant
I had a feeling
I didn't understand
I was shivering on crutches
More dead than alive
It was Christmas 1985
It was the night
they let me out
Of the home
It was the night
I caught the bus
On my own
And the city slithered past
The windows
Like a film that
was just beginning
I was so excited
I nearly missed my stop
It was quarter to ten
I was hopelessly lost
I arrived pretty late
But you didn't seem to mind
We are not the first
But we are golden tonight
Like two little children
Under the covers
Adrift in the night
With the universe above us
And I'll be the dad
And you'll be the mum
And we'll make out we know
What it is that we've done
But whatever it is, I know
That it's only just
beginning, yeah
Trying so, so hard
To act just like a grown up
And it's so, so hard
And we're hoping that
We don't get shown up
'Cause everybody
wants to grow up
Finally part of the
pub conversation
Finally part of the
next generation
And somehow this leads
To mature life decisions
Like the one that I heard of
From Jeremy Sissons
Who said he
He moved near the motorway
'Cause it was good
for commuting
And I laughed in his face
Because I thought he was joking
But then I looked in his eyes
And I saw he was not joking
No, he was trying
Trying so, so hard
To act just like a grown up
And it's so, so hard
And we're hoping
that we don't get shown up
'Cause everybody's
got to grow up
- Everybody?
- [Audience cheers]
Are you sure?
Are you absolutely sure?
So you move from Camden
Out to Hackney
And you stress about wrinkles
Instead of acne
And you forget about Tina
Get in a bad mood
And buy a computer and soon
It will be time for
some more food
Uh uh
[Audience claps]
Yeah
Ooh
[Guitar solo]
[He recites] Later that night
I had a dream
A new planet had
been discovered
And looking through
A really powerful telescope
We could see the inhabitants
And they all seemed to be
Having a really good time
So we built a rocket
and I was on it
They put us into suspended
animation
For the length of the journey
And when we landed
on that distant planet,
we all woke up
And we realised
We'd lost our memories
And we looked back
at the planet
We'd just come from
And everyone there
seemed to be
Having a really good time
But we couldn't return
Because the rocket no longer
Had enough fuel left in it
Why am I telling this story?
Why am I telling
you this story?
I don't remember
[He sings] Why did
Mowgli decide
To come out of the jungle?
To play doctors and nurses
And aunties and uncles
And cavaliers and round heads
And tarts and vicars
Playing all night
To get in somebody's knickers
And I am not ageing
I am just ripening
And life's too short to drink
Bad wine and that's frightening
And it's nearly sunset
And we haven't had lunch yet
And I'm sorry for asking,
But are we having fun yet?
So, so hard to
Act just like a grown up
And it's so, so hard
And we're hoping
That we don't get shown up
'Cause everybody's
got to grow up
One final blaze of glory,
One final sunset
And I know it's all
about the journey
Not the final destination
But what if you get travel sick
Before you've even
left the station?
[Audience cheers]
[John] That's Pulp,
and I'll give you the line-up
of the band now actually.
There's a Jarvis Cocker,
wonder if he's any
relation to Joe?
Genuinely don't know,
I suppose he could be,
they come from the same town,
Sheffield.
[Jarvis, VO] The John
Peel session did not lead
to instant fame and fortune.
It was broadcast a
couple of times
and then that was that.
When Pulp finally
had a hit record
fourteen years after these
photographs were taken,
journalists were fascinated
by this extended gap
in my biography.
What could I possibly
have been doing
in the interim?
Out of sugar.
Would you be a dear
and get a cup from
the neighbours?
When school comes to an end,
the rest of the band
went off to university
but I wasn't really
ready to give up
on the dream just yet.
Another line-up of Pulp formed
and we made a record
called 'It'.
And again, not many
people noticed.
Time for plan B.
Could I borrow a cup
of Crystal Sugar?
[Commercial announce] It's worth
going out of your way for.
- Did you get the sugar?
- [Seabirds shriek]
[Jarvis, VO] I'd been
deferring a place to go
and study English Literature
- at Liverpool University.
- [Guitar strumming]
Some nights, I wonder
whether I've made the
right decision.
The night I wrote these lyrics
on my dole cheque envelope
obviously being one of them.
What prevented me from joining
the legion of lost souls?
The band.
[Jarvis sings] It
may seem strange
To talk of love and
then lighthouses
It's not strange to me
Hey, hey, hey, hey
[Jarvis, VO] Around this time,
Russell Senior returned
to Sheffield
when his university
course ended, and asked
what I was up to musically.
"Nothing," I said,
"I'm going to university".
I'd known Russell
since he wrote
the very first Pulp live review
in his fanzine, The
Bath Banker.
He was interesting.
He persuaded me to have
just one rehearsal with him
to see if he could make me
change my mind
about further education.
Within half an hour,
I knew I was never gonna study
English in Liverpool.
Candida Mary Doyle joined Pulp
during the Senior Years.
Her brother, Magnus,
was our drummer at the time.
Candida had attained
Grade three
in her piano playing
which made her the most
musically educated member
of the band by far.
But she brought much more
than just her musicianship.
Being in a band is
often a blokey,
macho environment,
and the fact that Candida
was around stopped that
from happening to us.
Thank you.
Yes, we had a new sensibility
and a new record
about to be released
and then I went and
spoilt it all.
You may have heard
this story...
I went to a girl's
flat in the centre
of Sheffield
and tried to impress
her by going out
onto a window ledge
and then re-entering
her living room
via the next window along.
To her credit, the
girl begged me
not to go through with my plan
but to no avail.
Five minutes later,
I was hanging from the ledge,
realising that I'd seriously
overestimated
my physical capabilities.
The foremost thought
in my mind was how undramatic
the situation felt.
Life-threatening yet boring.
If it had been a
scene in a film
on my beloved TV set,
there would have been tense
orchestral music
to heighten the atmosphere
of peril.
It felt too normal.
[Adventuresome music]
This was the moment
my worldview changed
profoundly.
I realised that life
is occurring
in all its intensity, right now
and right under your nose.
Not on a screen.
[Screams and splashes]
The scales fell from my eyes.
Must have been the impact
when I hit the ground.
[Siren blares]
I found myself eyeball
to eyeball
with what I'd always been
searching for;
something to write about.
I wanted to share
this revelation
with the world
but first, I had some
bones to mend.
[High-pitched beep]
I listened to this
cassette a lot
when I was in hospital
recovering from my fall.
Of course I'd heard
Barry White before
but only now did I fall
deeply in love with his music.
There's something so open
and joyous about it,
you can lie back
and relax in it.
He makes it seem effortless.
[Indistinct chatter]
Another revelation.
Make it look easy.
Something very important was
happening to me whilst
in hospital.
A convalescence, but
also a coalescence.
[Music plays Dogs
are Everywhere ]
[Indistinct lyrics]
A magic formula was brewing...
- of Barry plus Eurodisco
- [Slow, sultry rhythm]
plus gritty northern
realism equals...
the future.
[Music plays
F.E.E.L.I.N.G.
C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. ]
The room is cold
And has been like this
For several months
If I close my eyes,
I can visualise everything
in it
Right down to the
broken handle
On the third drawer down
Of the dressing table
And the world outside
this room has also assumed
a familiar shape
The same events shuffled in a
Slightly different
order every day
Just like a modern
shopping centre
And it's so co-o-o-o-old
Yeah it's so co-o-o-o-old
What...
Is...
This...
Feeling called love?
Why me?
Why you?
Why here?
Why now?
It doesn't make no sense, no
It's not convenient, no
It doesn't fit my plans
It's something I don't
understand, oh
F-E-E-L-I-N-G
C-A double L-E-D
L-O-V-E
What is this thing
That is happening to me? Oh
So what should I do?
I've got a slightly
sick feeling
In my stomach
Like I'm standing on the top
Of a very high building
Oh yeah, all those things they
Tell you about in the movies
Only this isn't
chocolate boxes
Or roses
It's dirtier than that
It's like some small animal
That only comes out at night
And I see flashes of the shape
Of your breasts
And the curve of your belly
And I have to lie down
Lie down and catch my breath
And it's so co-o-o-o-old
It's so co-o-o-o-old
What...
Is...
This...
Feeling called love?
Why me?
Why you?
Why here?
Why now?
Oh, it doesn't make
no sense, no
It's not convenient, no
It doesn't fit my plans
but I got that taste
in my mouth again, oh
F-E-E-L-I-N-G
C-A double L-E-D
L-O-V-E
What is this thing
That is happening to me?
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
[Audience cheers]
[Jarvis, VO] 'Pop' and 'Pulp'
are interchangeable
terms for me
because the idea that
a culture can reveal
more of itself
through its throwaway items
than through its supposedly
revered artifacts was,
and still is, fascinating.
[Jarvis, in archive]
The little things
in life are, are, are important
and they're not the
little things
in the end
because they are the things
that you fill your life with
and then I like the idea of
taking everyday things
and just the act of setting it
to music amplifies it
and makes it something a lot,
a lot bigger, you know.
[Jarvis, VO] I learnt
about the world by looking
at what it threw away
and through culture
that was deemed "worthless".
This is the Pulp Aesthetic:
Sifting through the debris
to find an alternative
to the official narrative,
using second hand items
to tell a brand new story.
[Rowdy crowd shouts]
Which is pretty much
the definition
of the creative act,
as far as I can make out.
Boring git, you know.
Don't bother with him.
Mark, Nick, Steve, Candida
and Jarvis,
- welcome back, thank
you for coming.
- And Russell.
And Russell did I...
I'm sorry Russell.
I will not be taking part
in this documentary
because I regard
it as Stalinist.
Russell's smiling now,
we better alert the tabloids.
- [Russell] No, no
he's not, sorry.
- Okay.
[Jarvis, in archive]
We've never been
a very neat...
it's not like a concept,
you know,
like nowadays bands,
it's almost like they've been
designed by a computer in a way.
We're six very kind of
disparate individuals
who haven't really
got the same taste
in anything
and are of very varying sizes,
heights and ages.
You look more like a male
heterosexual human being
which is presumably the look
you're vainly attempting
to achieve.
[Laughter]
Oh no.
[Director] I didn't think
they'd notice that.
You couldn't fit it in the lens,
that's not surprising,
I suppose.
- Come on do it again.
- I can't do that again.
[Director] So, tell me first
about your nail varnish, Mark.
Well, I just kind of thought
I'd try it one day
'cause I thought
it would be like
something glamorous
'cause I'm not that fussed
about clothes
like some members of the group
so I thought maybe it would be
something interesting for me
if I was to have nail varnish.
I'm not very good at it,
I tend to flood my cuticles.
Mark Webber's seriously
underrated.
And the rest of the band, no-one
really pays so much
attention to them
because Jarvis is the
lead singer but they are amazing
as well as Jarvis.
If it wasn't all of them
then it wouldn't be Pulp.
I think it's very important,
the fact that myself and Steve
both went and studied film
at college.
[Steve, in archive]
Jarvis is kind of,
you know, he's a director.
All successful bands
are kind of arrow shaped
with someone at the front
who has the final decision.
And there's a kind of pyramid
of influence of certain members
and everyone adds something
but you know,
he writes some very
personal lyrics
and words about his life
and if he didn't
feel comfortable
with the music
then he'd find it
difficult to sing
these words on top of them.
[Jarvis, VO] Here's
the cast-list
for this film:
every Pulp member,
past and present, is here.
It starts with school friends:
the other kids
who weren't into sport
or smoking.
Then school ended and the other
band members went
to university.
I attempted to enrol in
the 'School of Life'.
Tough entrance exam.
The next members were
people I met in pubs
or bumped into at bus stops.
Musical ability was never
a priority...
The ability to dream was.
A dream is more fun if you have
other people to dream
it with you.
One member was so
into dreaming,
he was very rarely conscious.
We called him 'Captain Sleep'.
He only lasted two shows.
Nick Banks arrived
at his audition
as Pulp drummer
accompanied by a dog that had
followed him from the bus stop.
We spent his audition
time trying
to return the dog to its owner.
He got the job
without hitting a drum once.
We were always a
disparate group
of individuals.
There was no band uniform.
There was no manifesto to obey.
The real life version of Pulp
has been far more interesting
than anything I could have
imagined alone.
Important lesson, that.
[Audience cheers]
[Sustained organ drone]
[Jarvis] don't know about you,
but if you've been up
at a club all night,
it can make you a little
bit allergic
to sunlight.
It can hurt,
and this is a song about that.
[Audience roars]
[Music plays Sunrise ]
I used to hate the sun
Because it shone
On everythin' I'd done
Made me feel
That all that I had done
Was overfill the
ashtray of my life
All my...
Achievements in days of yore
Range from pathetic
to piss-poor
But all that's gonna change
Because here comes...
Sunrise
Yes, here's your...
Sunrise
I used to hide from the sun
I tried to live my whole life
Underground
Why'd you have to rise
And ruin all my fun?
Just turn over,
Drew the curtains on the day
Oh but here comes...
Sunrise
Yes, here's your...
Sunrise
When you've been awake
All night long
And you feel like crashin'
out at dawn
But you've been
awake all night
So why should you crash
out at dawn?
[Audience cheers]
[Audience claps and cheers]
[Audience roars over music]
[Music fades, audience cheers]
[Soft vocals over music]
[Music builds]
[Audience cheers]
[Cheering becomes muffled]
[Whimsical, jaunty music]
[Jarvis, VO] The patch of grass
that you can see on the screen
is in Weston Park, Sheffield.
It was filmed at around
four o'clock on a Wednesday
afternoon in February.
This is a patch of grass where
on a summer's evening,
sometime during 1983,
I first had sex.
[Twinkling, dreamy music]
[Reporter] Jarvis Cocker,
lead singer
of Pulp, is a hot new talent.
[Presenter] Do we really
need to see singers wiping
their faces with knickers?
This stunt was in bad taste
for young viewers.
Led by the thinking
hermaphrodite
sex symbol, Jarvis Cocker.
- Jarvis!
- Jarvis, man!
He's very gorgeous,
he's really sweet as well.
His lyrics are absolutely
amazing and he's really
good looking as well.
He's just a real sex god.
It's like, he's different
from your average man.
It's like everyone fancies him,
even all the men...
- Even me.
- ...fancy him, yeah.
- Yeah.
- [They laugh]
[Reporter] Why do you
like Pulp?
Um, because
I want to shag Candida.
[They laugh]
[Candida] This tour's
been different to any other one
we've done before
'cause everyone's
really liked us
and uh,
we've got mobbed a little bit
which has been quite weird.
[Jarvis, in archive]
That's Noel there,
David Bowie,
I don't know if you know him,
Tricky there,
I don't know who that was.
Cher, that's me, Van Morrison.
That is Eric Clapton's forehead.
As you can see,
I'm overcome with emotion.
[Nick] I suppose if you were
kind of about 16 or so,
you'd think, 'Well, if you get
a number one album,
you're gonna go on a crazy
two week long bender
or something, '
but it's not really
like that 'cause
you know, it's been really busy
so you just kind of think
'Ah, at last. Made it.'
Could success have come sooner?
[Audience laughs]
Well yeah, it could have,
quite, quite a lot
sooner, I guess.
[Presenter] They came to settle
the arguments once and for all.
It was the Blur verses
Oasis football match.
Also playing in other
matches were
Jarvis Cocker, out of Pulp,
and Robbie Williams.
The band that stopped
Oasis picking
up all the British music awards.
Pulp's Different Class .
[Audience cheers]
[Jarvis VO] Having your dreams
actually come true
is not the kind of thing
you can really prepare for.
You suddenly find yourself
in a new world.
A world you've been
trying to reach
your entire life.
I had personally been
trying to reach
the world I had glimpsed
inside the TV set as a child.
I thought that if I
accepted all the
invitations I received
to appear on TV,
I would eventually be allowed
to live there permanently.
No responsibilities.
It didn't happen.
[Drums tap]
[Audience roars]
The Pulp masterplan
was finally working.
For the first time,
our songs were beginning
to connect with people.
They found they could
relate to them
and perhaps more importantly,
they found they could
dance to them.
But trouble was on its way.
You say you've got to go home
[Music plays
Do You Remember
the First Time ]
'Cause he's sitting on his own
Again this evening
[Audience clap rhythmically]
And I know you're
gonna let him
Bore your pants off again
Oh, God it's half past eight,
You'll be late
You say you've never been sure
Oh it makes good sense
For you to live together
Still you bought
a toy that can
Reach the places he never goes
And now it's getting late,
He's so straight
Do you remember
the first time?
I can't remember a worse time
Oh, but you know
that we've changed
So much since then
Oh yeah, we've grown
Now, I don't care
what you're doing
No, I don't care
if you screw him
Oh, just as long as you save
One piece for me, oh yeah, now
Ooh
You wanna go home
Well, at least, at least
there's someone there
that you can talk to
And you never have to face up
To the night on your own
Oh Jesus, it must be great
To be straight
Do you remember
the first time?
I can't remember a worse time
Oh, but you know
that we've changed
So much since then
Oh yeah, we've grown
Now, I don't care
What you're doing
I don't care if you screw him
Oh, just as long as you save
One piece for me, oh yeah, now
Ooh
You want to go home?
You say you've gotta go home
[Audience claps]
You say you've gotta go home
Ooooh
You say you've gotta go home
Hey!
Do you remember
the first time?
I can't remember a worse time
Oh but you know that
we've changed
so much since then
Oh yeah, we've grown
Now, I don't care
what you're doing
I don't care if you screw him
Oh, just as long as you save
one piece for me, oh yeah, now
Do you remember
the first time?
I can't remember a worse time
Oh but you know that
we've changed
So much since then
Oh yeah, we've grown
Now, I don't care
what you're doing
I don't care if you screw him
Oh, just as long as you save
One piece for me, oh yeah, now
Ooh, you wanna go...
Home
[Audience cheers]
[Jarvis in archive]
I want you all
to touch your TV screens,
I'm going to telepath a message
to you; concentrate.
Are we connected yet?
Are we connected?
Come on in Jarvis Cocker.
- Hey!
- [Whimsical music]
- Ahoy.
- Take a seat there sir.
[Jarvis VO] The TV screen
was certainly
the first place
I saw people performing music.
Years and years before
I saw a live concert,
I was an avid viewer
of the BBC show,
Top of the Pops.
[Top of the Pops theme song]
They're one of the most original
bands in the UK
and featuring a former
Top of the Pops presenter,
it's Pulp.
[Jarvis VO] When Pulp
actually got to
perform on Top of the Pops
many years later,
I insisted on miming my singing
rather than doing it live;
that was how all the performers
had done it when I was a kid.
To me, Pulp had nothing to do
with reality.
It was an improvement
on reality.
Very dangerous belief.
[Steve] We'd always said
we wanted to be a pop band,
and we wanted to be popular.
I like pop music, not rock music
because pop music's
quite disposable
but in future years, it usually
sums up a moment in
someone's life.
How important was it for you
to become famous?
The idea of being famous
was probably
like the same,
on a level of realistic
thinking,
was probably up there with
like wanting to be a spaceman.
It was just a fantasy.
[Interviewer] Was
it headlining at Glastonbury
that brought it home?
[Jarvis] Yeah, that was the one
physical manifestation of it,
I suppose, yeah definitely.
[Presenter] And this is
because John Squire
broke his collarbone,
didn't he,
on a cycling accident?
[Jarvis in archive] Yeah,
we replaced the Stone Roses
at quite, at short notice.
We were quite scared
because it was
such a massive step up for us.
We kind of felt like
we couldn't
turn the opportunity down.
'What, Saturday night, huh!?'
And it was, you know,
really kind of
make your mouth go very dry
and go like, "Oh my God!"
[Jarvis VO] "Common People"
had been a hit
but that's kind of abstract
but when you're on a stage and
you're surrounded by
all these people
who seem to know the words
and you can hear them
singing back at you,
there's no denying it then.
You've stepped through
some weird
portal into another dimension.
[He sings] Sing along
With the Common...
And there's a realisation
that you're connected, you know,
because that's what you always
want to do if you're in a band
or in any kind of
creative thing.
If you don't just do it in your
bedroom and listen
to it yourself,
you're looking for this kind of
connection.
[Jarvis in concert]
This is good, this a good thing
that's happened here.
Us all in this place.
[Audience roars]
And do you know what's happening
in the outside world?
[Audience cheers]
- And do you care?
- [Audience roars] No!
[Jarvis] When you go home
on Monday morning,
you're gonna go home
to a different world.
Yeah?
[Audience cheers]
[Ethereal, hypnotic music]
[Jarvis VO] In 1995,
over 17 years
since Pulp first formed
and 14 years since our first
session was played
on BBC Radio One,
Pulp finally reached the summit
we'd been dreaming about.
We had scaled Mount Pop
and the view from the top
of that Dream Mountain?
Hard to say: we were in
a blizzard, the air was thin,
it was very cold
and there was no television
reception.
And the only signpost in sight
was pointing down.
All the way down.
All the way down
to the Hardcore Life.
[Music plays This is Hardcore ]
[Dark, cinematic music]
[Audience cheers]
You are hardcore
You make me hard
You name the drama
I'll play the part
It seems I saw you
In some teenage wet dream
I like your get up
If you know what I mean
I want it bad
I want it now
Oh, can't you see
I'm ready now?
I've seen all the pictures
I studied them forever
I wanna make a movie
So let's star in it
together, oh, oh
Don't make a move
'Til I say "Action"
Oh, here comes the
hardcore life
Put your money
Where your mouth is tonight
Leave your make-up on
And I'll leave on the light
Come over here, babe,
And talk in the mic
Oh yeah, I hear you now,
It's gonna be one
hell of a night
You can't be a
spectator, oh no
You gotta take these dreams
And make them whole
This is hardcore
There is no way back for you
Oh, this is hardcore
This is me on top of you
And I can't believe
That it took me this long
[Audience cheers]
That it took me this long
This...
This is the eye of the storm
It's what men in
strange raincoats
pay for
But in here it is pure, yeah
This...
This is the end of the line
I've seen the storyline
Played out so many
times before
Oh, that goes in there
Then that goes in there
And that goes in there
And that goes in there, ooh
And then it's over
Oh
What a hell of a show
What I want to know
What exactly do you do
For an encore, yeah?
'Cause this is hardcore
[Music fades;
Audience cheers]
[Audience cheers]
[Jarvis] In a way,
"This is Hardcore" was like
being in a very dark tunnel
and it seemed not a good idea
to go any further down
this dark tunnel and in a way,
we had to turn around
and walk back
towards the light
and then take a different path.
[Steve] You suddenly get
into the pop arena
and you just realise
you hate it,
you know,
it's full of people with values
that you don't like.
[Reporter] They were
one of Britpop's
biggest bands
but now, Pulp have
been pulverised
by their record label.
[Reporter 2] Many people
were shocked
that the band best known
for writing upbeat tunes had
gone all serious.
[Reporter 3] Who hasn't noticed
the difference in Pulp?
Even the most diehard Pulp fans
will admit
the indie darlings have
lost their common touch.
[Reporter 4] It's career suicide
if they want to be popstars.
[Chris Evans ] I can't
believe it,
Jarvis Cocker just
threw himself out
of the window.
[He mouths]
[Jarvis] It's a lot safer
than doing it the real way.
Do you know Oscar Wilde,
The Picture of Dorian Gray ,
and the picture gets
more and more twisted
and horrible.
- [Evans] Yeah.
- And the person stays
looking great.
Well that, it's the
other way around
with me.
- So I thought I'll
get rid of it.
- Get rid of him.
The future starts now.
[Interviewer] When releasing
an album,
do you think it's important
to top yourself?
[Candida chuckles]
- [Candida] No way.
- That's an unfortunate phrase.
In English, if you say,
'To top yourself, '
- it means to commit suicide.
- [Interviewer] Okay, sorry.
A problem with the
language here.
[Jarvis] I think you
have to wait,
you know,
you have to wait until
a bit of time has gone past
since your last album
and then just kind of think
to yourself,
'Well is there anything else
I want to say or is that it?'
And you can't force that,
you just have to find out
whether that feeling
comes or not.
Alright, Malcolm.
- Wow look.
- [Malcom] Archive material.
Look at this;
this is the original sugar.
Eleven, ninety-five,
see it could be.
This sugar could have been used
at the time.
Yeah, might not be sugar though.
[Jarvis] You know everybody
does things
outside the band.
Some of them are visible
such as me DJing now and again.
Others are invisible
such as your tapestry work.
[Candida] It would be
nice if our records
lasted more than
like three years or five years.
It would be nice if say,
in twenty-five years,
people still liked our music.
[Jarvis] Hmm.
[Interviewer] Do you think
you will continue to play?
- No, no.
- [Interviewer] How?
Well, you see, we've
already played
for fifteen years
which is longer than most bands
survive, so you know.
[Interviewer] But this
is not your last,
last album, is it?
It could, well who
knows, who knows?
I... I think you know,
you can't see into the future
which I'm glad about.
[Soft hypnotic music]
[Jarvis VO] It was
the year 2001,
the year after the future
was meant to begin.
I took an air rifle...
We released our seventh
studio album,
We Love Life ,
just after the Twin
Towers came down
in New York.
We were all suddenly living
in a completely different
world.
We felt it was time
to take a break.
I moved to Paris with my wife
and newly-born child.
On the way to the ferry,
my guitar fell off
the roof rack of the car
and was run over
by an articulated lorry.
Totally destroyed.
I took that as a sign.
When I got to Paris, I realised
that I couldn't understand
the French programmes
playing on the TV set.
So I stopped watching it.
[Crackles to silence]
Ten years later in 2011,
the break ended.
It turned out it
wasn't the end,
after all,
it had just been a hibernation.
[Music blasts]
Pulp woke up and we reunited...
to play twenty odd more shows
Do it, oh yeah
[Audience cheers;
Music fades]
Then once again, it was over,
and this time it
seemed for good.
[Birds sing]
[Ducks squawk]
[Insects buzz]
[Traffic hums]
In late 2022, Pulp's
base player, Steve Mackey,
became seriously ill
and only a few months
after he'd been admitted
to hospital,
he passed away.
Steve had been my
closest friend
in the band.
We DJed together, we
drank together,
we grew up in public together.
For the shows
that Pulp began playing
in 2023,
something had most definitely
changed.
[Audience cheers]
You're now gonna get
an insight into
how this tour came about.
Four of us met in a living room;
those four people were...
Nick Banks
[Audience cheers]
Candida Doyle
[Audience cheers]
Mark Webber
[Audience cheers]
And me
[Audience cheers]
And also Steve Mackey,
no longer with us.
[Audience cheers]
We were wondering
whether we could
do something like this again
and so we decided just to play.
There were some instruments
in this room;
a very bad acoustic guitar,
an out of tune piano,
a kind of African drum
and we made a bit of a sound
and it sounded a little
bit like this.
This song, you may know it.
If you do know the words to it,
you can sing along.
- Okay.
- [Audience cheers]
Here we go.
- [Music plays Something
Changed ]
- [Audience roars]
- I wrote this song
- [Audiences sings along]
Two hours before we met
I didn't know your name
Or what you looked like yet
I could have stayed at home
And gone to bed
I could have gone to see
A film instead
You might have changed
your mind
And seen your friend
Life could have been
very different
But then
Something changed
Do you believe that
There's someone up above?
Does he have a timetable
Directing acts of love?
Oh
Why did I write this song
On that one day?
Why did you touch my hand
And softly say
"Stop asking questions
that don't matter anyway
Just give us a kiss
to celebrate
Here today"
Well, something changed
[Instrumental break]
Oh, when we woke
up that morning
We had no way of knowing
That in a matter of hours
We'd change the
way we were going
Where would I be now?
Where would I be now
If we'd never met?
Would I be singing this song
To someone else instead
I don't know,
But like you just said
Something changed
[Audience cheers]
[Jarvis VO] We're approaching
the end of the concert
and the end of this film.
Thank you.
[Jarvis VO] Is there a
moral to this tale?
After all, aren't you supposed
to have learnt something by
the end of a story?
My personal revelation
has been this;
real life is not televised.
And songs contain
pockets of energy
from your past life
which is released
when you perform them again.
It's real time travel.
Much better than Doctor Who .
As for Pulp?
It's hard to say really,
because the story of Pulp
is not over yet.
It keeps going and
I honestly have no idea
where it's gonna go next
Can you just do the intro there?
- [Jarvis VO] Which
is fine by me.
- [Audience cheers]
[Guitar plucking]
You might be forgiven
for thinking
after all these years,
why do we keep going?
[Audience cheers]
But I think the question
you should really be asking
yourself is this
[Audience cheers]
Why wouldn't we?
[ Babies plays on guitar]
[Audience roars]
[Audience claps]
Well, it happened years ago
When you lived
on Stanhope Road
We listened to your sister
When she came home from school
'Cause she was two years older
And she had boys in her room
I listened outside,
I heard her
Alright
That was alright for a while
But soon I wanted more
I wanna, I wanna see
as well as hear and so I
I hid inside her wardrobe
As she came home 'round four
And she was with some kid
Called David
From the garage up the road
I listened outside,
I heard her
Alright
Oh, I wanna take you home
I wanna give you children
And you might be my girlfriend
A-yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
When I saw you next day
You really couldn't tell
'Cause you might
Go and tell your mother
So you went with Neve
Neve was coming on
And I thought I heard
you laughing
When his mum and dad were gone
I listened outside,
I heard you
Alright
Oh, I wanna take you home
I wanna give you children
And you might be my girlfriend
A-yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh yeah
Oh well, I guess
It couldn't last too long
I came home one day
And all her things were gone
I fell asleep inside
I never heard her come
She opened up the wardrobe
And I had to get it on, yeah
Oh, listen
We were on the bed
When you came home
I heard you stop
outside the door
I know you won't
believe it's true
But I only went with her
'Cause she looks like you
My god
Oh, I wanna take you home
I wanna give you children
And you might be my girlfriend
A-yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
[Audience cheers]
[Music concludes]
[Audience roars]
Cheers, thank you very much.
[Audience cheers]
[Audience sings]
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
[Audience cheers]
Reminds me of something.
Okay, we're not playing
that one.
[Audience boos]
Oh, you're disappointed
are you now?
[Audience] Yeah!
Let's see whether you're still
disappointed when you hear...
[Music plays Common People ]
[Audience roars]
She came from Greece,
She had a thirst for knowledge
She studied sculpture
St Martin's College
That's where I...
Caught her eye
She told me that her dad
Was loaded
I said, "In that
case I'll have
A rum and Coca Cola"
She said "fine"
And then in thirty
seconds' time -
She said:
"I want to live like
common people
I want to do whatever
common people do
I want to sleep with
common people
I want to sleep with
Common people like you"
Well, what else could I do?
I said, "I'll...
I'll see what I can do"
[Audience roars]
I took her to a supermarket
I don't know why,
but I had to start it somewhere
So it started there
I said "Pretend you've
got no money"
She just laughed and said
"Oh you're so funny"
I said "Yeah?"
Well, I can't see anyone else
Smiling in here
Are you sure?
You want to live
like common people
You want to see whatever
Common people see
You want to sleep
with common people
You want to sleep with
Common people like me"
But she didn't understand
And she just smiled
and held my hand
Rent a flat above a shop
Cut your hair and get a job
Smoke some fags and
play some pool
Pretend you never
went to school
But still you'll
never get it right
'Cause when you're
laid in bed at night
Watching roaches
climb the wall
If you called your dad
He could stop it all, yeah
You'll never live
like common people
You'll never do what
common people do
You'll never fail
like common people
You'll never watch your life
Slide out of view
And then dance and
drink and screw
Because there's nothing
else to do
[Instrumental break]
Sing along with
the common people
Sing along and it might just
Get you through
Laugh along with
the common people
Laugh along even though
They're laughing at you
And the stupid things
that you do
Because you think
that poor is cool
Like a dog lying in the corner
They will bite you
And never warn you: look out
They'll tear your insides out
'Cause everybody
hates a tourist
Especially one who thinks
It's all such a laugh
[Dry chuckle]
And the chip stains and grease
Will come out in the bath
You will never understand
How it feels to live your life
With no meaning or control
And with nowhere left to go
You are amazed that they exist
And they burn so bright
Whilst you can only wonder why
Rent a flat above a shop
Cut your hair and get a job
Smoke some fags and
play some pool
Pretend you never
went to school
And still you'll
never get it right
'Cause when you're laying
In bed at night
Watching roaches
climb the wall
If you called your dad
He could stop it all, yeah
Never live like common people
You never do
What common people do
Never fail like common people
You never watch your life
Slide out of view
And then dance and
drink and screw
Because there's nothing
else to do
[Audience chants] I wanna live
with common people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
Oh yeah?
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
[Chanting continues]
I wanna live with common
people like you
[Audience chants over music]
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
Like you
Like you
Like you
Like you
Oh, I want...
O2...
We love you, okay
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
Like you, like you, like you,
Like you, like you
Like you, like you, like you,
Like you, like you
Aha, aha
[Audience cheers]
I've just got one more thing
to say to you.
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with
common people
Like you, la, la, la, la
Oh, la, la, la, la
Oh, la, la, la, la
Oh, la, la, la, la, la, la
Oh yeah
[Bang]
[Audience cheers]
Yeah...
Yeah...
Yeah...
Yeah, yeah...
Yeah, yeah...
Yeah, yeah, yeah...
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah...
[Audience cheers]
[Audience cheers]
[Jarvis] This has been
the best day of my life.
[Audience cheers]
Until tomorrow.
[Jarvis VO] This day
was also the first
wedding anniversary
of my second marriage,
and my wife and my
manager, and I, travelled home
after the concert
on a boat on the river
and it was beautiful.
It was a really beautiful
journey.
Thanks for watching.
You only get to play 566 shows
if someone comes to see you.
Thank you.
[Music plays A Sunset ]
I scanned the menu options
I did not have a choice
I'd like to teach
the world to sing
But I do not have a voice
So I bought myself a ticket
To the happening of the year
The sky lit up with colours
The crowd let out a cheer
[Audience cheers]
"It's just a sunset",
someone said
Something that happens
every day
"Yes, it's a sunset",
someone said
But now they've found a way
To make it pay
I like to look
at pretty things
I like to feast my eyes
I went to see the
northern lights
But they were pale and weak
And not as advertised
So now I'm learning
about money
And I am learning about law
The first rule of economics
Unhappy people,
they spend more
"It's just a sunset",
someone said
Something that's
coming to an end
"Yes, it's a sunset",
someone said
And just exactly how
much did you spend?
Oh, I'd like to teach
the world to sing
But I do not have a voice
And I'd like to buy
the world some time
Some time and a choice
Yes, I'd like to teach
the world to sing
But I, I do not have a voice
And I'd like to buy
the world some time
Some time, some time
And a choice
[Applause]
Thank you ever so much
for being here.
[Audience cheers]
We'll see you another
time alright?
Bye, bye.
[Audience cheers]
[Music continues]
[Inaudible dialogue]
[Music fades]
[Cheering continues]
[Cheering fades]
[Delicate violin plucking]
[Sustained,
warm violin tone joins]
[Music fades]
[Audience chatter]
[Low, drone-like music]
[Jarvis] Good evening.
[Audience cheers]
This is a night you
will remember
for the rest of your life.
[Audience cheers]
You're about to see
Pulp.
[Audience cheers]
This performance is an encore.
An encore occurs
because the audience
wants more.
[Audience cheers;
Indistinct dialogue in
archive material]
So, make some noise.
[Rhythmic beats]
[Audience cheers]
I said...
make...
some...
noise!
[Audience roars]
[Music builds]
[Man] It can only be Pulp!
[Woman] They're back,
they're better than ever.
- Pulp.
- Pulp.
- Pulp.
- Pulp, come on now!
[Jarvis] You're looking
good as well!
I mean you can't see yourselves
but you look very, very pretty.
[Music builds]
Your feelings have been noted.
[Computer voice] Your feelings
have been noted.
[Indistinct chatter]
Let the show begin.
[Audience cheers]
[Music plays Spike Island ]
Something stopped me
Dead in my tracks
I was headed for disaster
And then I turned back
I was wrestling with
a coat hanger
Can you guess who won?
The universe shrugged
Shrugged, then moved on
It's a guess, no idea
Just a feeling
Not a voice in my head
Just a feeling
And by the way
Spike Island come alive
And by the way
This time I'll get
it right, oh
[Audience cheers]
Not a shaman or
a showman ashamed
That I was selling the rights
I took a breather
And decided not to ruin my life
I was conforming
To a cosmic design
I was playing to type
Until I walked back to
The Gardn of Earthly Delights
I was born to perform
It's a calling
I exist to do this
Shouting and pointing
And by th way
Spike Island come alive
And by the way
This time I'll get
it right, oh
[Audience cheers]
No one can ever understand it
And no one can ever
Have the last word
Because it's not something
You could ever say
So swivel
Ah, it's a guess, no idea
It's a feeling
Not a voice in my head
Just a feeling
And by the way
Oh, Spike Island come alive
And by the way
This time I'll get
it right, yeah
And by the way
Ah, Spike Island come alive
And by the way
Huh
This time I'll get
it right, oh
[Audience cheers]
Ah-ah, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh...
[Music fades]
[Audience cheers]
[Jarvis, VO] Spike Island
was the first song Pulp played
at our 566th show
at the O2 Arena
in London on 13th June 2025
to an audience of over
20,000 people.
Those are the statistics
but how did we get to a moment
where we were playing
our 566th show?
That's a long story.
I'll tell you it,
if you've got the time.
[Nostalgic trumpet music]
You'll be seeing more
of the concert
in just a moment
but before that,
let's take a commercial break.
[Nostalgic adventure music]
This film is going to be
like being at a jumble sale.
[Narrator in archive]
And all because
the lady loves Milk Tray.
[Jarvis, VO] Sifting
through piles
of visual rubbish
to find the "gold" we need
to tell a story.
[Jarvis, in archive]
So you're seeing
inside me now, is it?
[Jarvis, VO] The Pulp Story.
You're within my personal zone.
[Busy chatter]
And you're seeing the real me.
Our journey starts here
on sunny Stanhope Road.
This is where the young
Jarvis Branson Cocker grew up
in one of these humble abodes.
[Delicate, tender music[
[Jarvis, VO] As a child,
I longed to be able to blend
into the background
and not draw attention
to myself.
I was also embarrassed
by my name.
I remember telling people
that my name was John
just to avoid having
to say 'Jarvis'
in public.
When you've got a surname
like 'Cocker, '
you couldn't really call
him 'Everhard'.
[Laugher]
I could tell you ever
so many stories,
but I promised him I wouldn't.
- [Producer] Go on then.
- He said, "Don't embarrass..."
Well, there was one
time me husband
was very good with his hands,
he could make anything
and he made him this
time machine
and he didn't know
anything about it,
you see.
- [Woman] Oh my dad
had never seen
- Daleks.
- It was a Dalek.
- [Woman] Oh that was the Dalek.
[Jarvis, VO] At the time,
I thought my grandad's
recreation
of Doctor Who's nemesis
was an exact replica.
I thought the man was a genius
and it was interactive.
The Dalek had a hinged door
at the back so that
I could get inside
and roll around the
house shouting,
"Exterminate."
My very first attempts
to entertain the public.
[Dalek] Exterminate!
[Jarvis, VO] It was
a noisy Christmas
that year.
He liked fantasy,
he lived in a bit of
a fantasy world.
[Jarvis, VO] When I was a child,
most of my ideas
about the world
came from watching TV.
I was extremely short-sighted
but this wasn't diagnosed
until I started school
and was unable
to see the blackboard.
The real world was
out of focus,
but by sitting at the
right distance
to the screen,
the television world
was pin-sharp.
Dangerous situation.
It all went in.
Space was everywhere on TV
when I was a kid.
The moon landing and Star Trek;
my young mind was boggled.
The borderline between fiction
and reality fatally
compromised.
I became convinced
that I was gonna be spending
my adult life in outer space.
[Reporter] It was here
after an English class
that Jarvis hatched his plan
for pop stardom.
He grabbed the three
most unpopular
kids in school
and formed a band,
changing Sheffield forever.
[Jarvis, VO] This is
an exercise book in
which the fifteen year old me
wrote his ideas
about being in a band.
It's my dead sea scrolls
and it begins with clothes.
Buy the clothes at
a jumble sale and then
find the people to wear them.
Very Field of Dreams.
But I'm glad it didn't work out
that way.
Control is overrated.
- [Music plays Sorted
for E's & Wizz ]
- Mmm, the music's started.
Time to go back, back
to the future.
[Audience cheers]
[Music continues]
Oh, is this the way they say
The future's meant to feel?
Or just 20,000 people
Standing in a field
And I don't quite understand
Just what this feeling is
But that's okay
'cause we're all
Sorted out for E's and wizz
And tell me
When the spaceship lands
'Cause all this has just
Got to mean something, oh
Alright
In the middle of the night
It feels alright
But then tomorrow morning
Ooh
Oooh, then you come down, ah
Oh yeah, the pirate
radio told us
What was going down
Got the tickets from
some fucked up
Bloke in Camden Town
Oh, and no one seems to know
Exactly where it is
But that's okay
'cause we're all
sorted out for E's and wizz
At 4 o'clock the normal world
Seems very, very,
very far away
Alright
In the middle of the night
It feels alright
But then tomorrow morning
Ooh
Ooh, then you come down, ah
Just keep on moving
Everybody asks your name
They say we're all the same
And now it's, "Nice
one, geezer"
And that's as far
as the conversation went
I lost my friends,
I dance alone It's six o'clock,
I wanna go home
But it's "No way", "not today"
It makes you wonder
what it meant
And oh...
And this hollow feeling grows
And grows and grows
And you want to
call your mother
And say
"Mother, I can never
Come home again"
'Cause I seem to have left
An important part of my brain
Somewhere in a field
Near North Greenwich"
In the middle of the night
It feels alright
But then tomorrow morning
Ooh
Ooh, then you come down
Ooh
Ooh, then you come down
Oh
What if you never come down?
[Audience cheers]
[Music plays Disco 2000 ]
Oh!
[Audience cheers]
Oh, we were born
within an hour
Of each other
Our mothers said we should be
Sister and brother
Your name is Deborah, Deborah
It never suited ya
And they said that
When we grew up
We'd get married
And never split up
Oh, we never did it
Although I often thought of it
Oh, Deborah, do you recall?
Your house was very small
With woodchip on the wall
When I came around to call
You didn't notice me at all
And I said
Let's all meet up
in the year 2000
Won't it be strange
When we're all fully grown?
Be there two o'clock
By the fountain down the road
I never thought that
you'd get married
I would be living
down here on my own
On that damp and lonely
Thursday years ago
You were the first
girl at school
To get breasts
And Martyn said that
you were the best
Oh, the boys all loved you
But I was a mess
I had to watch them
Try and get you undressed
We were friends,
That was as far as it went
I used to walk you
home sometimes
But it meant
Oh, it meant nothing to you
'Cause you were so popular
Oh Deborah, do you recall?
Your house was very small
With woodchip on the wall
When I came around to call
You didn't notice me at all
And I said
Let's all meet up
in the year 2000
Won't it be strange
When we're all fully grown?
Be there two o'clock
By the fountain down the road
I never thought that
you'd get married
I would be living
down here on my own
On that damp and lonely
Thursday years ago
Do it
[Audience roars]
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh, Deborah, do you recall?
Your house was very small
With woodchip on the wall
And when I came around to call
You didn't notice me at all
And I said
Let's all meet up
in the year 2000
Won't it be strange
When we're all fully grown?
Be there two o'clock
By the fountain down the road
I never thought that
you'd get married
I would be living
down here on my own
On that damp and lonely
Thursday years ago
Oh, what are you doing
Sunday, baby?
Would you like to come
And meet me maybe?
You can even bring your baby
Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh,
ooh, ooh, ooh
What are you doing
Sunday, baby?
Would you like to come
And meet me maybe?
You can even bring your baby
Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh,
ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
[Audience cheers]
[Smashing flourish]
[Camera shutter clicks]
[School bell rings]
[Jarvis, VO] Okay 1981,
it's a year or so since
I wrote that Pulp masterplan.
The transformation
is well underway.
Let's consider my hair first.
I'm heavily into Echo
and the Bunnymen.
[Slow, rhythmic drums]
I love the music but the image
is important to me too
and foremost in that image
is Ian McCulloch's hair.
But what about the
thing on my chin?
[Crowd screams]
Yes, I based my beard
on one worn by Stranglers
frontman,
Hugh Cornwell.
Looking back now,
it crosses my mind it may not
actually been a beard
but just a shadow
cast by the cleft in his chin.
No, not a beard at all.
The glasses I'm wearing are
the most obvious aspect
of the look.
People shout,
"Here comes Elvis Costello,"
when I'm walking through
Sheffield city centre
or working at my Saturday job
at the fish market.
[Jarvis' mother] The
market traders
did him the power of good
and stopped him being
so airy fairy
'cause he didn't mix
with those kind of people.
He spent half his life
in his bedroom writing music.
[Jarvis, VO] Here's another page
from the manifesto.
Before Pulp, music
is carrying on
in much the same way
as it has done for centuries,
but after Pulp,
the musical stave mutates
into writhing spaghetti
like forms
completely new to mankind.
Pretty rich coming from someone
who couldn't, and still can't,
read a note of music.
The dream, as I think we've
convincingly established
by now,
knew no bounds
but what was happening
back on planet earth?
[Soft guitar music]
[Announcer] Here they are, Pulp.
[Man, in archive] Is there
any toilet roll
left in the toilet?
[Jarvis, in archive]
No, I think if you wanna wipe
your arse go in here.
[Jarvis, VO] These mythical
songs weren't going to write
or record themselves.
Anorexic beauty
Underweight goddess
[Jarvis, in archive] For
concerts, you have to rely on
a certain number of clubs,
which are usually quite small
and not very good
or you have to get
in the colleges,
and the colleges
and universities
often make you think
that you're being done
a great favour
to let you play there
'cause they think bands
can put up with anything
and it doesn't really matter if
they get electrocuted and die
'cause they're all
social security
scroungers anyway.
- [Reel clicks]
- [Laughter]
[Music plays Pulp's early song]
[Jarvis, VO] We made our first
attempt at
a professional demo recording
about three weeks before
the John Peel roadshow
came to town.
For the thirty-seven
years John Peel
was broadcasting at the BBC,
he was the only outlet for
alternative music
on British radio.
There is no way to
quantify that.
Yeah, I'd like to
say this is one
day's supply of tapes but
Everybody seems to have
a home tape recorder.
- Yeah.
- Not only do they have one,
they have a group, they make
the tape and they send it to us.
[Jarvis, VO] If we wanted
the whole world
to hear our music
then here was our chance.
[Music continues]
I went down to the roadshow.
I had the cassette
of our four songs
in my jacket pocket.
- As luck would have
it, after DJing,
- [Busy chatter]
John Peel descended
from the podium
and walked in my direction.
I intercepted him
and awkwardly introduced
myself.
There was a moment
of eye contact
and then he said that
he would listen
to the tape on his drive home.
With that, he was gone.
A week or so later...
- [Telephone rings]
- there was a telephone call.
John Peel's producer informed
my grandmother
that he'd like her to come down
to the BBC studios
to record a radio session.
She realised that the message
was probably intended for me.
I know it's a clich,
but it really did feel
like I'd died
and gone to heaven.
John Peel wants us,
four school kids
from Sheffield,
to record a session.
If I had to choose
the one event
that gave me the confidence
to devote my life to music,
- this would be it.
- [Crowd roars]
[Jarvis, in concert]
Are you ready?
[He sings] Mis-shapes,
mistakes, misfits
Raised on a diet
Of broken biscuits, oh
Oh, we don't look
the same as you
And we don't do
the things you do
But we live round here too
Oh really
Mis-shapes, mistakes, misfits
We'd like to go to town
But we can't risk it, oh
'Cause they just want
To keep us out
You could end up
With a smack in the mouth
Just for standing
out, oh really
Brothers, sisters,
can't you see?
The future's owned
by you and me
There won't be fighting
In the street
They think they've got us beat
Revenge is gonna
be so sweet, uh uh
We're making a move
We're making it now
We're coming out
of the sidelines
Just put your hands up
It's a raid, yeah
We want your homes
We want your lives
We want the things
You won't allow us
We won't use guns
We won't use bombs
We'll use the one thing
We've got more of
That's our minds
[Audience cheers]
Check your lucky numbers
That much money
Could drag you under? Oh
What's the point of being rich
If you can't think
what to do with it?
'Cause you're so
bleedin' thick
Oh, we weren't supposed to be
We learnt too much at school
Now we can't help but see
That this future
that you've got
mapped out is
Nothing much to shout about
uh uh uh
We're making a move
we're making it now
We're coming out
of the sidelines
Just put your hands up
It's a raid, yeah
We want your homes
We want your lives
We want the things
you won't allow us
We won't use guns
We won't use bombs
We'll use the one thing
We've got more of
That's our minds
Our minds
Ow
[Guitar solo]
Brothers, sisters,
can't you see?
The future's owned
by you and me
There won't be fighting
in the street
They think that they've
got us beat
But revenge
Revenge is gonna be so sweet
We're making a move
We're making it now
We're coming out
of the sidelines
Just put your hands up
It's a raid, yeah
We want your homes
We want your lives
We want the things
You won't allow us
We won't use guns
We won't use bombs
We'll use the one thing
We've got more of
That's our minds
Yeah, that's our minds
Yeah, uh
[Music fades]
[Audience cheers and applauds]
Have a look at this.
You see this shiny object
I have in my hand,
and can you see it has
a number on it?
[Audience cheers]
We as a band were presented
with this earlier today.
[Audience cheers]
Because the album, More ,
is number one.
[Audience cheers]
In the official UK albums chart
[Audience cheers]
and you put it there,
so I'm going to applaud you.
[Cheering and applause]
So...
as you've probably read
and are probably fed up
of reading in the press,
our first album for 24 years.
[Audience cheers]
Oh, they're all getting
on a bit, aren't they?
It's nice for them
to have something to do
when they're getting on a bit.
Fuck that.
[Audience cheers]
[Short piano note]
So, would you like to hear
a song from the record?
[Audience cheers]
This next song is called
"Grown Ups",
and it starts off
with you clapping
along to Nick's hi-hat, okay?
- In time.
- [Sharp hi-hat taps]
Got that?
[Audience claps]
Don't speed up,
you've got to keep it.
[Music plays Grown Ups ]
The moon went behind
A petro-chemical plant
I had a feeling
I didn't understand
I was shivering on crutches
More dead than alive
It was Christmas 1985
It was the night
they let me out
Of the home
It was the night
I caught the bus
On my own
And the city slithered past
The windows
Like a film that
was just beginning
I was so excited
I nearly missed my stop
It was quarter to ten
I was hopelessly lost
I arrived pretty late
But you didn't seem to mind
We are not the first
But we are golden tonight
Like two little children
Under the covers
Adrift in the night
With the universe above us
And I'll be the dad
And you'll be the mum
And we'll make out we know
What it is that we've done
But whatever it is, I know
That it's only just
beginning, yeah
Trying so, so hard
To act just like a grown up
And it's so, so hard
And we're hoping that
We don't get shown up
'Cause everybody
wants to grow up
Finally part of the
pub conversation
Finally part of the
next generation
And somehow this leads
To mature life decisions
Like the one that I heard of
From Jeremy Sissons
Who said he
He moved near the motorway
'Cause it was good
for commuting
And I laughed in his face
Because I thought he was joking
But then I looked in his eyes
And I saw he was not joking
No, he was trying
Trying so, so hard
To act just like a grown up
And it's so, so hard
And we're hoping
that we don't get shown up
'Cause everybody's
got to grow up
- Everybody?
- [Audience cheers]
Are you sure?
Are you absolutely sure?
So you move from Camden
Out to Hackney
And you stress about wrinkles
Instead of acne
And you forget about Tina
Get in a bad mood
And buy a computer and soon
It will be time for
some more food
Uh uh
[Audience claps]
Yeah
Ooh
[Guitar solo]
[He recites] Later that night
I had a dream
A new planet had
been discovered
And looking through
A really powerful telescope
We could see the inhabitants
And they all seemed to be
Having a really good time
So we built a rocket
and I was on it
They put us into suspended
animation
For the length of the journey
And when we landed
on that distant planet,
we all woke up
And we realised
We'd lost our memories
And we looked back
at the planet
We'd just come from
And everyone there
seemed to be
Having a really good time
But we couldn't return
Because the rocket no longer
Had enough fuel left in it
Why am I telling this story?
Why am I telling
you this story?
I don't remember
[He sings] Why did
Mowgli decide
To come out of the jungle?
To play doctors and nurses
And aunties and uncles
And cavaliers and round heads
And tarts and vicars
Playing all night
To get in somebody's knickers
And I am not ageing
I am just ripening
And life's too short to drink
Bad wine and that's frightening
And it's nearly sunset
And we haven't had lunch yet
And I'm sorry for asking,
But are we having fun yet?
So, so hard to
Act just like a grown up
And it's so, so hard
And we're hoping
That we don't get shown up
'Cause everybody's
got to grow up
One final blaze of glory,
One final sunset
And I know it's all
about the journey
Not the final destination
But what if you get travel sick
Before you've even
left the station?
[Audience cheers]
[John] That's Pulp,
and I'll give you the line-up
of the band now actually.
There's a Jarvis Cocker,
wonder if he's any
relation to Joe?
Genuinely don't know,
I suppose he could be,
they come from the same town,
Sheffield.
[Jarvis, VO] The John
Peel session did not lead
to instant fame and fortune.
It was broadcast a
couple of times
and then that was that.
When Pulp finally
had a hit record
fourteen years after these
photographs were taken,
journalists were fascinated
by this extended gap
in my biography.
What could I possibly
have been doing
in the interim?
Out of sugar.
Would you be a dear
and get a cup from
the neighbours?
When school comes to an end,
the rest of the band
went off to university
but I wasn't really
ready to give up
on the dream just yet.
Another line-up of Pulp formed
and we made a record
called 'It'.
And again, not many
people noticed.
Time for plan B.
Could I borrow a cup
of Crystal Sugar?
[Commercial announce] It's worth
going out of your way for.
- Did you get the sugar?
- [Seabirds shriek]
[Jarvis, VO] I'd been
deferring a place to go
and study English Literature
- at Liverpool University.
- [Guitar strumming]
Some nights, I wonder
whether I've made the
right decision.
The night I wrote these lyrics
on my dole cheque envelope
obviously being one of them.
What prevented me from joining
the legion of lost souls?
The band.
[Jarvis sings] It
may seem strange
To talk of love and
then lighthouses
It's not strange to me
Hey, hey, hey, hey
[Jarvis, VO] Around this time,
Russell Senior returned
to Sheffield
when his university
course ended, and asked
what I was up to musically.
"Nothing," I said,
"I'm going to university".
I'd known Russell
since he wrote
the very first Pulp live review
in his fanzine, The
Bath Banker.
He was interesting.
He persuaded me to have
just one rehearsal with him
to see if he could make me
change my mind
about further education.
Within half an hour,
I knew I was never gonna study
English in Liverpool.
Candida Mary Doyle joined Pulp
during the Senior Years.
Her brother, Magnus,
was our drummer at the time.
Candida had attained
Grade three
in her piano playing
which made her the most
musically educated member
of the band by far.
But she brought much more
than just her musicianship.
Being in a band is
often a blokey,
macho environment,
and the fact that Candida
was around stopped that
from happening to us.
Thank you.
Yes, we had a new sensibility
and a new record
about to be released
and then I went and
spoilt it all.
You may have heard
this story...
I went to a girl's
flat in the centre
of Sheffield
and tried to impress
her by going out
onto a window ledge
and then re-entering
her living room
via the next window along.
To her credit, the
girl begged me
not to go through with my plan
but to no avail.
Five minutes later,
I was hanging from the ledge,
realising that I'd seriously
overestimated
my physical capabilities.
The foremost thought
in my mind was how undramatic
the situation felt.
Life-threatening yet boring.
If it had been a
scene in a film
on my beloved TV set,
there would have been tense
orchestral music
to heighten the atmosphere
of peril.
It felt too normal.
[Adventuresome music]
This was the moment
my worldview changed
profoundly.
I realised that life
is occurring
in all its intensity, right now
and right under your nose.
Not on a screen.
[Screams and splashes]
The scales fell from my eyes.
Must have been the impact
when I hit the ground.
[Siren blares]
I found myself eyeball
to eyeball
with what I'd always been
searching for;
something to write about.
I wanted to share
this revelation
with the world
but first, I had some
bones to mend.
[High-pitched beep]
I listened to this
cassette a lot
when I was in hospital
recovering from my fall.
Of course I'd heard
Barry White before
but only now did I fall
deeply in love with his music.
There's something so open
and joyous about it,
you can lie back
and relax in it.
He makes it seem effortless.
[Indistinct chatter]
Another revelation.
Make it look easy.
Something very important was
happening to me whilst
in hospital.
A convalescence, but
also a coalescence.
[Music plays Dogs
are Everywhere ]
[Indistinct lyrics]
A magic formula was brewing...
- of Barry plus Eurodisco
- [Slow, sultry rhythm]
plus gritty northern
realism equals...
the future.
[Music plays
F.E.E.L.I.N.G.
C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. ]
The room is cold
And has been like this
For several months
If I close my eyes,
I can visualise everything
in it
Right down to the
broken handle
On the third drawer down
Of the dressing table
And the world outside
this room has also assumed
a familiar shape
The same events shuffled in a
Slightly different
order every day
Just like a modern
shopping centre
And it's so co-o-o-o-old
Yeah it's so co-o-o-o-old
What...
Is...
This...
Feeling called love?
Why me?
Why you?
Why here?
Why now?
It doesn't make no sense, no
It's not convenient, no
It doesn't fit my plans
It's something I don't
understand, oh
F-E-E-L-I-N-G
C-A double L-E-D
L-O-V-E
What is this thing
That is happening to me? Oh
So what should I do?
I've got a slightly
sick feeling
In my stomach
Like I'm standing on the top
Of a very high building
Oh yeah, all those things they
Tell you about in the movies
Only this isn't
chocolate boxes
Or roses
It's dirtier than that
It's like some small animal
That only comes out at night
And I see flashes of the shape
Of your breasts
And the curve of your belly
And I have to lie down
Lie down and catch my breath
And it's so co-o-o-o-old
It's so co-o-o-o-old
What...
Is...
This...
Feeling called love?
Why me?
Why you?
Why here?
Why now?
Oh, it doesn't make
no sense, no
It's not convenient, no
It doesn't fit my plans
but I got that taste
in my mouth again, oh
F-E-E-L-I-N-G
C-A double L-E-D
L-O-V-E
What is this thing
That is happening to me?
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
[Audience cheers]
[Jarvis, VO] 'Pop' and 'Pulp'
are interchangeable
terms for me
because the idea that
a culture can reveal
more of itself
through its throwaway items
than through its supposedly
revered artifacts was,
and still is, fascinating.
[Jarvis, in archive]
The little things
in life are, are, are important
and they're not the
little things
in the end
because they are the things
that you fill your life with
and then I like the idea of
taking everyday things
and just the act of setting it
to music amplifies it
and makes it something a lot,
a lot bigger, you know.
[Jarvis, VO] I learnt
about the world by looking
at what it threw away
and through culture
that was deemed "worthless".
This is the Pulp Aesthetic:
Sifting through the debris
to find an alternative
to the official narrative,
using second hand items
to tell a brand new story.
[Rowdy crowd shouts]
Which is pretty much
the definition
of the creative act,
as far as I can make out.
Boring git, you know.
Don't bother with him.
Mark, Nick, Steve, Candida
and Jarvis,
- welcome back, thank
you for coming.
- And Russell.
And Russell did I...
I'm sorry Russell.
I will not be taking part
in this documentary
because I regard
it as Stalinist.
Russell's smiling now,
we better alert the tabloids.
- [Russell] No, no
he's not, sorry.
- Okay.
[Jarvis, in archive]
We've never been
a very neat...
it's not like a concept,
you know,
like nowadays bands,
it's almost like they've been
designed by a computer in a way.
We're six very kind of
disparate individuals
who haven't really
got the same taste
in anything
and are of very varying sizes,
heights and ages.
You look more like a male
heterosexual human being
which is presumably the look
you're vainly attempting
to achieve.
[Laughter]
Oh no.
[Director] I didn't think
they'd notice that.
You couldn't fit it in the lens,
that's not surprising,
I suppose.
- Come on do it again.
- I can't do that again.
[Director] So, tell me first
about your nail varnish, Mark.
Well, I just kind of thought
I'd try it one day
'cause I thought
it would be like
something glamorous
'cause I'm not that fussed
about clothes
like some members of the group
so I thought maybe it would be
something interesting for me
if I was to have nail varnish.
I'm not very good at it,
I tend to flood my cuticles.
Mark Webber's seriously
underrated.
And the rest of the band, no-one
really pays so much
attention to them
because Jarvis is the
lead singer but they are amazing
as well as Jarvis.
If it wasn't all of them
then it wouldn't be Pulp.
I think it's very important,
the fact that myself and Steve
both went and studied film
at college.
[Steve, in archive]
Jarvis is kind of,
you know, he's a director.
All successful bands
are kind of arrow shaped
with someone at the front
who has the final decision.
And there's a kind of pyramid
of influence of certain members
and everyone adds something
but you know,
he writes some very
personal lyrics
and words about his life
and if he didn't
feel comfortable
with the music
then he'd find it
difficult to sing
these words on top of them.
[Jarvis, VO] Here's
the cast-list
for this film:
every Pulp member,
past and present, is here.
It starts with school friends:
the other kids
who weren't into sport
or smoking.
Then school ended and the other
band members went
to university.
I attempted to enrol in
the 'School of Life'.
Tough entrance exam.
The next members were
people I met in pubs
or bumped into at bus stops.
Musical ability was never
a priority...
The ability to dream was.
A dream is more fun if you have
other people to dream
it with you.
One member was so
into dreaming,
he was very rarely conscious.
We called him 'Captain Sleep'.
He only lasted two shows.
Nick Banks arrived
at his audition
as Pulp drummer
accompanied by a dog that had
followed him from the bus stop.
We spent his audition
time trying
to return the dog to its owner.
He got the job
without hitting a drum once.
We were always a
disparate group
of individuals.
There was no band uniform.
There was no manifesto to obey.
The real life version of Pulp
has been far more interesting
than anything I could have
imagined alone.
Important lesson, that.
[Audience cheers]
[Sustained organ drone]
[Jarvis] don't know about you,
but if you've been up
at a club all night,
it can make you a little
bit allergic
to sunlight.
It can hurt,
and this is a song about that.
[Audience roars]
[Music plays Sunrise ]
I used to hate the sun
Because it shone
On everythin' I'd done
Made me feel
That all that I had done
Was overfill the
ashtray of my life
All my...
Achievements in days of yore
Range from pathetic
to piss-poor
But all that's gonna change
Because here comes...
Sunrise
Yes, here's your...
Sunrise
I used to hide from the sun
I tried to live my whole life
Underground
Why'd you have to rise
And ruin all my fun?
Just turn over,
Drew the curtains on the day
Oh but here comes...
Sunrise
Yes, here's your...
Sunrise
When you've been awake
All night long
And you feel like crashin'
out at dawn
But you've been
awake all night
So why should you crash
out at dawn?
[Audience cheers]
[Audience claps and cheers]
[Audience roars over music]
[Music fades, audience cheers]
[Soft vocals over music]
[Music builds]
[Audience cheers]
[Cheering becomes muffled]
[Whimsical, jaunty music]
[Jarvis, VO] The patch of grass
that you can see on the screen
is in Weston Park, Sheffield.
It was filmed at around
four o'clock on a Wednesday
afternoon in February.
This is a patch of grass where
on a summer's evening,
sometime during 1983,
I first had sex.
[Twinkling, dreamy music]
[Reporter] Jarvis Cocker,
lead singer
of Pulp, is a hot new talent.
[Presenter] Do we really
need to see singers wiping
their faces with knickers?
This stunt was in bad taste
for young viewers.
Led by the thinking
hermaphrodite
sex symbol, Jarvis Cocker.
- Jarvis!
- Jarvis, man!
He's very gorgeous,
he's really sweet as well.
His lyrics are absolutely
amazing and he's really
good looking as well.
He's just a real sex god.
It's like, he's different
from your average man.
It's like everyone fancies him,
even all the men...
- Even me.
- ...fancy him, yeah.
- Yeah.
- [They laugh]
[Reporter] Why do you
like Pulp?
Um, because
I want to shag Candida.
[They laugh]
[Candida] This tour's
been different to any other one
we've done before
'cause everyone's
really liked us
and uh,
we've got mobbed a little bit
which has been quite weird.
[Jarvis, in archive]
That's Noel there,
David Bowie,
I don't know if you know him,
Tricky there,
I don't know who that was.
Cher, that's me, Van Morrison.
That is Eric Clapton's forehead.
As you can see,
I'm overcome with emotion.
[Nick] I suppose if you were
kind of about 16 or so,
you'd think, 'Well, if you get
a number one album,
you're gonna go on a crazy
two week long bender
or something, '
but it's not really
like that 'cause
you know, it's been really busy
so you just kind of think
'Ah, at last. Made it.'
Could success have come sooner?
[Audience laughs]
Well yeah, it could have,
quite, quite a lot
sooner, I guess.
[Presenter] They came to settle
the arguments once and for all.
It was the Blur verses
Oasis football match.
Also playing in other
matches were
Jarvis Cocker, out of Pulp,
and Robbie Williams.
The band that stopped
Oasis picking
up all the British music awards.
Pulp's Different Class .
[Audience cheers]
[Jarvis VO] Having your dreams
actually come true
is not the kind of thing
you can really prepare for.
You suddenly find yourself
in a new world.
A world you've been
trying to reach
your entire life.
I had personally been
trying to reach
the world I had glimpsed
inside the TV set as a child.
I thought that if I
accepted all the
invitations I received
to appear on TV,
I would eventually be allowed
to live there permanently.
No responsibilities.
It didn't happen.
[Drums tap]
[Audience roars]
The Pulp masterplan
was finally working.
For the first time,
our songs were beginning
to connect with people.
They found they could
relate to them
and perhaps more importantly,
they found they could
dance to them.
But trouble was on its way.
You say you've got to go home
[Music plays
Do You Remember
the First Time ]
'Cause he's sitting on his own
Again this evening
[Audience clap rhythmically]
And I know you're
gonna let him
Bore your pants off again
Oh, God it's half past eight,
You'll be late
You say you've never been sure
Oh it makes good sense
For you to live together
Still you bought
a toy that can
Reach the places he never goes
And now it's getting late,
He's so straight
Do you remember
the first time?
I can't remember a worse time
Oh, but you know
that we've changed
So much since then
Oh yeah, we've grown
Now, I don't care
what you're doing
No, I don't care
if you screw him
Oh, just as long as you save
One piece for me, oh yeah, now
Ooh
You wanna go home
Well, at least, at least
there's someone there
that you can talk to
And you never have to face up
To the night on your own
Oh Jesus, it must be great
To be straight
Do you remember
the first time?
I can't remember a worse time
Oh, but you know
that we've changed
So much since then
Oh yeah, we've grown
Now, I don't care
What you're doing
I don't care if you screw him
Oh, just as long as you save
One piece for me, oh yeah, now
Ooh
You want to go home?
You say you've gotta go home
[Audience claps]
You say you've gotta go home
Ooooh
You say you've gotta go home
Hey!
Do you remember
the first time?
I can't remember a worse time
Oh but you know that
we've changed
so much since then
Oh yeah, we've grown
Now, I don't care
what you're doing
I don't care if you screw him
Oh, just as long as you save
one piece for me, oh yeah, now
Do you remember
the first time?
I can't remember a worse time
Oh but you know that
we've changed
So much since then
Oh yeah, we've grown
Now, I don't care
what you're doing
I don't care if you screw him
Oh, just as long as you save
One piece for me, oh yeah, now
Ooh, you wanna go...
Home
[Audience cheers]
[Jarvis in archive]
I want you all
to touch your TV screens,
I'm going to telepath a message
to you; concentrate.
Are we connected yet?
Are we connected?
Come on in Jarvis Cocker.
- Hey!
- [Whimsical music]
- Ahoy.
- Take a seat there sir.
[Jarvis VO] The TV screen
was certainly
the first place
I saw people performing music.
Years and years before
I saw a live concert,
I was an avid viewer
of the BBC show,
Top of the Pops.
[Top of the Pops theme song]
They're one of the most original
bands in the UK
and featuring a former
Top of the Pops presenter,
it's Pulp.
[Jarvis VO] When Pulp
actually got to
perform on Top of the Pops
many years later,
I insisted on miming my singing
rather than doing it live;
that was how all the performers
had done it when I was a kid.
To me, Pulp had nothing to do
with reality.
It was an improvement
on reality.
Very dangerous belief.
[Steve] We'd always said
we wanted to be a pop band,
and we wanted to be popular.
I like pop music, not rock music
because pop music's
quite disposable
but in future years, it usually
sums up a moment in
someone's life.
How important was it for you
to become famous?
The idea of being famous
was probably
like the same,
on a level of realistic
thinking,
was probably up there with
like wanting to be a spaceman.
It was just a fantasy.
[Interviewer] Was
it headlining at Glastonbury
that brought it home?
[Jarvis] Yeah, that was the one
physical manifestation of it,
I suppose, yeah definitely.
[Presenter] And this is
because John Squire
broke his collarbone,
didn't he,
on a cycling accident?
[Jarvis in archive] Yeah,
we replaced the Stone Roses
at quite, at short notice.
We were quite scared
because it was
such a massive step up for us.
We kind of felt like
we couldn't
turn the opportunity down.
'What, Saturday night, huh!?'
And it was, you know,
really kind of
make your mouth go very dry
and go like, "Oh my God!"
[Jarvis VO] "Common People"
had been a hit
but that's kind of abstract
but when you're on a stage and
you're surrounded by
all these people
who seem to know the words
and you can hear them
singing back at you,
there's no denying it then.
You've stepped through
some weird
portal into another dimension.
[He sings] Sing along
With the Common...
And there's a realisation
that you're connected, you know,
because that's what you always
want to do if you're in a band
or in any kind of
creative thing.
If you don't just do it in your
bedroom and listen
to it yourself,
you're looking for this kind of
connection.
[Jarvis in concert]
This is good, this a good thing
that's happened here.
Us all in this place.
[Audience roars]
And do you know what's happening
in the outside world?
[Audience cheers]
- And do you care?
- [Audience roars] No!
[Jarvis] When you go home
on Monday morning,
you're gonna go home
to a different world.
Yeah?
[Audience cheers]
[Ethereal, hypnotic music]
[Jarvis VO] In 1995,
over 17 years
since Pulp first formed
and 14 years since our first
session was played
on BBC Radio One,
Pulp finally reached the summit
we'd been dreaming about.
We had scaled Mount Pop
and the view from the top
of that Dream Mountain?
Hard to say: we were in
a blizzard, the air was thin,
it was very cold
and there was no television
reception.
And the only signpost in sight
was pointing down.
All the way down.
All the way down
to the Hardcore Life.
[Music plays This is Hardcore ]
[Dark, cinematic music]
[Audience cheers]
You are hardcore
You make me hard
You name the drama
I'll play the part
It seems I saw you
In some teenage wet dream
I like your get up
If you know what I mean
I want it bad
I want it now
Oh, can't you see
I'm ready now?
I've seen all the pictures
I studied them forever
I wanna make a movie
So let's star in it
together, oh, oh
Don't make a move
'Til I say "Action"
Oh, here comes the
hardcore life
Put your money
Where your mouth is tonight
Leave your make-up on
And I'll leave on the light
Come over here, babe,
And talk in the mic
Oh yeah, I hear you now,
It's gonna be one
hell of a night
You can't be a
spectator, oh no
You gotta take these dreams
And make them whole
This is hardcore
There is no way back for you
Oh, this is hardcore
This is me on top of you
And I can't believe
That it took me this long
[Audience cheers]
That it took me this long
This...
This is the eye of the storm
It's what men in
strange raincoats
pay for
But in here it is pure, yeah
This...
This is the end of the line
I've seen the storyline
Played out so many
times before
Oh, that goes in there
Then that goes in there
And that goes in there
And that goes in there, ooh
And then it's over
Oh
What a hell of a show
What I want to know
What exactly do you do
For an encore, yeah?
'Cause this is hardcore
[Music fades;
Audience cheers]
[Audience cheers]
[Jarvis] In a way,
"This is Hardcore" was like
being in a very dark tunnel
and it seemed not a good idea
to go any further down
this dark tunnel and in a way,
we had to turn around
and walk back
towards the light
and then take a different path.
[Steve] You suddenly get
into the pop arena
and you just realise
you hate it,
you know,
it's full of people with values
that you don't like.
[Reporter] They were
one of Britpop's
biggest bands
but now, Pulp have
been pulverised
by their record label.
[Reporter 2] Many people
were shocked
that the band best known
for writing upbeat tunes had
gone all serious.
[Reporter 3] Who hasn't noticed
the difference in Pulp?
Even the most diehard Pulp fans
will admit
the indie darlings have
lost their common touch.
[Reporter 4] It's career suicide
if they want to be popstars.
[Chris Evans ] I can't
believe it,
Jarvis Cocker just
threw himself out
of the window.
[He mouths]
[Jarvis] It's a lot safer
than doing it the real way.
Do you know Oscar Wilde,
The Picture of Dorian Gray ,
and the picture gets
more and more twisted
and horrible.
- [Evans] Yeah.
- And the person stays
looking great.
Well that, it's the
other way around
with me.
- So I thought I'll
get rid of it.
- Get rid of him.
The future starts now.
[Interviewer] When releasing
an album,
do you think it's important
to top yourself?
[Candida chuckles]
- [Candida] No way.
- That's an unfortunate phrase.
In English, if you say,
'To top yourself, '
- it means to commit suicide.
- [Interviewer] Okay, sorry.
A problem with the
language here.
[Jarvis] I think you
have to wait,
you know,
you have to wait until
a bit of time has gone past
since your last album
and then just kind of think
to yourself,
'Well is there anything else
I want to say or is that it?'
And you can't force that,
you just have to find out
whether that feeling
comes or not.
Alright, Malcolm.
- Wow look.
- [Malcom] Archive material.
Look at this;
this is the original sugar.
Eleven, ninety-five,
see it could be.
This sugar could have been used
at the time.
Yeah, might not be sugar though.
[Jarvis] You know everybody
does things
outside the band.
Some of them are visible
such as me DJing now and again.
Others are invisible
such as your tapestry work.
[Candida] It would be
nice if our records
lasted more than
like three years or five years.
It would be nice if say,
in twenty-five years,
people still liked our music.
[Jarvis] Hmm.
[Interviewer] Do you think
you will continue to play?
- No, no.
- [Interviewer] How?
Well, you see, we've
already played
for fifteen years
which is longer than most bands
survive, so you know.
[Interviewer] But this
is not your last,
last album, is it?
It could, well who
knows, who knows?
I... I think you know,
you can't see into the future
which I'm glad about.
[Soft hypnotic music]
[Jarvis VO] It was
the year 2001,
the year after the future
was meant to begin.
I took an air rifle...
We released our seventh
studio album,
We Love Life ,
just after the Twin
Towers came down
in New York.
We were all suddenly living
in a completely different
world.
We felt it was time
to take a break.
I moved to Paris with my wife
and newly-born child.
On the way to the ferry,
my guitar fell off
the roof rack of the car
and was run over
by an articulated lorry.
Totally destroyed.
I took that as a sign.
When I got to Paris, I realised
that I couldn't understand
the French programmes
playing on the TV set.
So I stopped watching it.
[Crackles to silence]
Ten years later in 2011,
the break ended.
It turned out it
wasn't the end,
after all,
it had just been a hibernation.
[Music blasts]
Pulp woke up and we reunited...
to play twenty odd more shows
Do it, oh yeah
[Audience cheers;
Music fades]
Then once again, it was over,
and this time it
seemed for good.
[Birds sing]
[Ducks squawk]
[Insects buzz]
[Traffic hums]
In late 2022, Pulp's
base player, Steve Mackey,
became seriously ill
and only a few months
after he'd been admitted
to hospital,
he passed away.
Steve had been my
closest friend
in the band.
We DJed together, we
drank together,
we grew up in public together.
For the shows
that Pulp began playing
in 2023,
something had most definitely
changed.
[Audience cheers]
You're now gonna get
an insight into
how this tour came about.
Four of us met in a living room;
those four people were...
Nick Banks
[Audience cheers]
Candida Doyle
[Audience cheers]
Mark Webber
[Audience cheers]
And me
[Audience cheers]
And also Steve Mackey,
no longer with us.
[Audience cheers]
We were wondering
whether we could
do something like this again
and so we decided just to play.
There were some instruments
in this room;
a very bad acoustic guitar,
an out of tune piano,
a kind of African drum
and we made a bit of a sound
and it sounded a little
bit like this.
This song, you may know it.
If you do know the words to it,
you can sing along.
- Okay.
- [Audience cheers]
Here we go.
- [Music plays Something
Changed ]
- [Audience roars]
- I wrote this song
- [Audiences sings along]
Two hours before we met
I didn't know your name
Or what you looked like yet
I could have stayed at home
And gone to bed
I could have gone to see
A film instead
You might have changed
your mind
And seen your friend
Life could have been
very different
But then
Something changed
Do you believe that
There's someone up above?
Does he have a timetable
Directing acts of love?
Oh
Why did I write this song
On that one day?
Why did you touch my hand
And softly say
"Stop asking questions
that don't matter anyway
Just give us a kiss
to celebrate
Here today"
Well, something changed
[Instrumental break]
Oh, when we woke
up that morning
We had no way of knowing
That in a matter of hours
We'd change the
way we were going
Where would I be now?
Where would I be now
If we'd never met?
Would I be singing this song
To someone else instead
I don't know,
But like you just said
Something changed
[Audience cheers]
[Jarvis VO] We're approaching
the end of the concert
and the end of this film.
Thank you.
[Jarvis VO] Is there a
moral to this tale?
After all, aren't you supposed
to have learnt something by
the end of a story?
My personal revelation
has been this;
real life is not televised.
And songs contain
pockets of energy
from your past life
which is released
when you perform them again.
It's real time travel.
Much better than Doctor Who .
As for Pulp?
It's hard to say really,
because the story of Pulp
is not over yet.
It keeps going and
I honestly have no idea
where it's gonna go next
Can you just do the intro there?
- [Jarvis VO] Which
is fine by me.
- [Audience cheers]
[Guitar plucking]
You might be forgiven
for thinking
after all these years,
why do we keep going?
[Audience cheers]
But I think the question
you should really be asking
yourself is this
[Audience cheers]
Why wouldn't we?
[ Babies plays on guitar]
[Audience roars]
[Audience claps]
Well, it happened years ago
When you lived
on Stanhope Road
We listened to your sister
When she came home from school
'Cause she was two years older
And she had boys in her room
I listened outside,
I heard her
Alright
That was alright for a while
But soon I wanted more
I wanna, I wanna see
as well as hear and so I
I hid inside her wardrobe
As she came home 'round four
And she was with some kid
Called David
From the garage up the road
I listened outside,
I heard her
Alright
Oh, I wanna take you home
I wanna give you children
And you might be my girlfriend
A-yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
When I saw you next day
You really couldn't tell
'Cause you might
Go and tell your mother
So you went with Neve
Neve was coming on
And I thought I heard
you laughing
When his mum and dad were gone
I listened outside,
I heard you
Alright
Oh, I wanna take you home
I wanna give you children
And you might be my girlfriend
A-yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh yeah
Oh well, I guess
It couldn't last too long
I came home one day
And all her things were gone
I fell asleep inside
I never heard her come
She opened up the wardrobe
And I had to get it on, yeah
Oh, listen
We were on the bed
When you came home
I heard you stop
outside the door
I know you won't
believe it's true
But I only went with her
'Cause she looks like you
My god
Oh, I wanna take you home
I wanna give you children
And you might be my girlfriend
A-yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
[Audience cheers]
[Music concludes]
[Audience roars]
Cheers, thank you very much.
[Audience cheers]
[Audience sings]
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah
[Audience cheers]
Reminds me of something.
Okay, we're not playing
that one.
[Audience boos]
Oh, you're disappointed
are you now?
[Audience] Yeah!
Let's see whether you're still
disappointed when you hear...
[Music plays Common People ]
[Audience roars]
She came from Greece,
She had a thirst for knowledge
She studied sculpture
St Martin's College
That's where I...
Caught her eye
She told me that her dad
Was loaded
I said, "In that
case I'll have
A rum and Coca Cola"
She said "fine"
And then in thirty
seconds' time -
She said:
"I want to live like
common people
I want to do whatever
common people do
I want to sleep with
common people
I want to sleep with
Common people like you"
Well, what else could I do?
I said, "I'll...
I'll see what I can do"
[Audience roars]
I took her to a supermarket
I don't know why,
but I had to start it somewhere
So it started there
I said "Pretend you've
got no money"
She just laughed and said
"Oh you're so funny"
I said "Yeah?"
Well, I can't see anyone else
Smiling in here
Are you sure?
You want to live
like common people
You want to see whatever
Common people see
You want to sleep
with common people
You want to sleep with
Common people like me"
But she didn't understand
And she just smiled
and held my hand
Rent a flat above a shop
Cut your hair and get a job
Smoke some fags and
play some pool
Pretend you never
went to school
But still you'll
never get it right
'Cause when you're
laid in bed at night
Watching roaches
climb the wall
If you called your dad
He could stop it all, yeah
You'll never live
like common people
You'll never do what
common people do
You'll never fail
like common people
You'll never watch your life
Slide out of view
And then dance and
drink and screw
Because there's nothing
else to do
[Instrumental break]
Sing along with
the common people
Sing along and it might just
Get you through
Laugh along with
the common people
Laugh along even though
They're laughing at you
And the stupid things
that you do
Because you think
that poor is cool
Like a dog lying in the corner
They will bite you
And never warn you: look out
They'll tear your insides out
'Cause everybody
hates a tourist
Especially one who thinks
It's all such a laugh
[Dry chuckle]
And the chip stains and grease
Will come out in the bath
You will never understand
How it feels to live your life
With no meaning or control
And with nowhere left to go
You are amazed that they exist
And they burn so bright
Whilst you can only wonder why
Rent a flat above a shop
Cut your hair and get a job
Smoke some fags and
play some pool
Pretend you never
went to school
And still you'll
never get it right
'Cause when you're laying
In bed at night
Watching roaches
climb the wall
If you called your dad
He could stop it all, yeah
Never live like common people
You never do
What common people do
Never fail like common people
You never watch your life
Slide out of view
And then dance and
drink and screw
Because there's nothing
else to do
[Audience chants] I wanna live
with common people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
Oh yeah?
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
[Chanting continues]
I wanna live with common
people like you
[Audience chants over music]
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
Like you
Like you
Like you
Like you
Oh, I want...
O2...
We love you, okay
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
Like you, like you, like you,
Like you, like you
Like you, like you, like you,
Like you, like you
Aha, aha
[Audience cheers]
I've just got one more thing
to say to you.
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with common
people like you
I wanna live with
common people
Like you, la, la, la, la
Oh, la, la, la, la
Oh, la, la, la, la
Oh, la, la, la, la, la, la
Oh yeah
[Bang]
[Audience cheers]
Yeah...
Yeah...
Yeah...
Yeah, yeah...
Yeah, yeah...
Yeah, yeah, yeah...
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah...
[Audience cheers]
[Audience cheers]
[Jarvis] This has been
the best day of my life.
[Audience cheers]
Until tomorrow.
[Jarvis VO] This day
was also the first
wedding anniversary
of my second marriage,
and my wife and my
manager, and I, travelled home
after the concert
on a boat on the river
and it was beautiful.
It was a really beautiful
journey.
Thanks for watching.
You only get to play 566 shows
if someone comes to see you.
Thank you.
[Music plays A Sunset ]
I scanned the menu options
I did not have a choice
I'd like to teach
the world to sing
But I do not have a voice
So I bought myself a ticket
To the happening of the year
The sky lit up with colours
The crowd let out a cheer
[Audience cheers]
"It's just a sunset",
someone said
Something that happens
every day
"Yes, it's a sunset",
someone said
But now they've found a way
To make it pay
I like to look
at pretty things
I like to feast my eyes
I went to see the
northern lights
But they were pale and weak
And not as advertised
So now I'm learning
about money
And I am learning about law
The first rule of economics
Unhappy people,
they spend more
"It's just a sunset",
someone said
Something that's
coming to an end
"Yes, it's a sunset",
someone said
And just exactly how
much did you spend?
Oh, I'd like to teach
the world to sing
But I do not have a voice
And I'd like to buy
the world some time
Some time and a choice
Yes, I'd like to teach
the world to sing
But I, I do not have a voice
And I'd like to buy
the world some time
Some time, some time
And a choice
[Applause]
Thank you ever so much
for being here.
[Audience cheers]
We'll see you another
time alright?
Bye, bye.
[Audience cheers]
[Music continues]
[Inaudible dialogue]
[Music fades]
[Cheering continues]
[Cheering fades]