People (The 1975 song)

"People"
Single by the 1975
from the album Notes on a Conditional Form
Released22 August 2019 (2019-08-22)
Genre
Length2:40
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
The 1975 singles chronology
"It's Not Living (If It's Not with You)"
(2018) 		"People"
(2019) 		"Frail State of Mind"
(2019)
Music video
"People" on YouTube

"People" is a song by English band the 1975 from their fourth studio album, Notes on a Conditional Form (2020). The song was released on 22 August 2019, through Dirty Hit and Polydor Records as the lead single from the album. It was written by band members Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald. Production of the song was handled by Daniel and Healy alongside Jonathan Gilmore. An anarcho-punk and screamo song, it features an intense, heavy rock instrumentation consisting of desert-rock guitar riffs, straightforward chords, breakneck drums and "renegade" percussion. Lyrically, it is a protest song that calls for change and rebellion to deal with global, political and environmental turmoil, and deals with themes of desperation, urgency and anxiety.

Upon release, "People" received positive reviews from contemporary music critics, although fan reaction was generally mixed. Reviewers praised the heavier rock-indebted sound, Healy's vocal delivery and the sonic departure from the band's third studio album, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships (2018). Commercially, the song achieved moderate success on worldwide music charts. In the 1975's native United Kingdom, the song peaked at number 54 on the UK Singles Chart, number 59 in Scotland and topped the UK Rock & Metal chart. Internationally, the song reached number 15 on the US Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, number 36 in New Zealand and number 68 in Ireland. A music video for the song was released on 22 August 2019. It features the band performing inside of a cube composed of LED screens and was compared to Marilyn Manson and the Joker.