join our club / people get real

Saint Etienne put out the pop perfection call to arms of this double-a single as a stopgap between their first and second albums. 'People Get Real' was originally titled 'Kenny Get Real' about Kenny Thomas, a boxer who became a soul singer.  It was not considered commercial enough for their label; so the band came up with 'Join Our Club'.  'People Get Real' was eventually added to the US release of their debut 'Foxbase Alpha' and a version of 'Join Our Club' would end up on the US release of the followup 'So Tough'.  

http://www.saintetienne.com/





Bob Stanley recalls the genesis of 'Join Our Club': "Forced into recording ultra-commercial a-side by slave-driving corporate record company. It was supposed to be a bit tongue-in-cheek. It was supposed to be quite funny. But it was written up as 'elitist'! I mean, considering it was called 'Join Our Club', for God's sake!" Sarah Cracknell thinks: "It sounded terrible when it came out. That's a remixed version on 'Too Young To Die'." Bob says: "I remember driving through Kilburn, and hearing it on The Evening Session, and all I could hear on the car-radio was Sarah singing with this hi-hat going TSSS! TSSS! TSSS! I thought, 'Oh no, we've lost it.'"  Pete Wiggs jokes: "We lost it. And never regained it." 

(bup bup ba-da bup bup ba-da-da) 
Join our club! 
(bup bup ba-da bup bup ba-da-da) 
Don't you worry`bout a thing.  
Teen spirit is the '90s scene! 
I know you want to hold my hand, 
I know you're going to love my band, yeah! 

Join our club!  
(bup bup ba-da bup bup ba-da-da) 
(Do you believe in magic?) 
Join our club!  
(bup bup ba-da bup bup ba-da-da) 
(Do you believe in magic?) 

You should call us up tonight. 
Our time, everything's alright. 
There's gonna be a storm quite soon, 
Get ready `cause we're coming through, yeah! 

Join our club!  
(bup bup ba-da bup bup ba-da-da) 
(Do you believe in magic?) 
Join our club!  
(bup bup ba-da bup bup ba-da-da) 
(Do you believe in magic?) 
(Do you believe in magic?)  
(Do you believe in magic?) 

Slip on your pink fur coat, bring your rude pictures, put on your teenage head - this is a love thing! 
We all want to kiss the sky; join our club, we're going to try! 

Join our club! 
(bup bup ba-da bup bup ba-da-da) 
(Do you believe in magic?) 
Join our club! 
(bup bup ba-da bup bup ba-da-da) 
(Do you believe in magic?) 
Join our club! 
(bup bup ba-da bup bup ba-da-da) 
(Do you believe in magic?) 
Join our club! 
(bup bup ba-da bup bup ba-da-da) 
(Do you believe in magic?) 
(Do you believe in magic?) 
(Do you believe in magic?)  
(Do you believe in magic?) 




About 'People Get Real', Bob says: "It's about the way that when people stick to a certain kind of music, like acid jazz, or soul, they're considered 'authentic' and real. People being really po-faced about stuff getting taken seriously, whereas, if you don't take yourselves too seriously, everyone takes that at face value and thinks you're superficial.  Like the Doors, who everyone thinks are great, but they're absolutely preposterous, total shit - and then you think of the Lovin' Spoonful, who were far more imaginative and wrote way more inventive songs, and they're regarded as some kind of comedy group! If you go for this ridiculous 'authenticity' thing, you're allowed to get away with anything." 
Pete considers:  "That Jamiroquai song where he goes "sex-ee / lay-dee" - if we'd written that, we'd have been chased down the street!"   Bob quips:  "...By sexy ladies! People would've come up to us and said, 'I think I'm gonna squeeze ya.'"

(Get on the floor and look real sexy!)

Saw you, and when I saw you 

I thought "This is real, this is real!"  

Kissed you, and when I kissed you, 

I whispered "Forever,  forever!" 

I love the way, I love the way you move 

I love the way, I love the way you move 

Just lose yourself, lose yourself in circles of sound. 

People get real, people get real, people get real! 

Knowing the way the way we are feeling 

You told me that we'd turn clean, we turned clean. 

Talking, taking advantage. 

The other side of your dreams of your dreams. 

Don't tell me this is precious! 

Don't tell me this is soulful! 

Well you have to be, have to be kidding me on! 

People get real, people get real, people get real! 

So don't stop, don't stop believing, 

No and don't stop, don't stop believing, 

Just keep on, keep on, keep on believing it's here. 

People get real, people get real, people get real!