Ordinary People (song)

For the Neil Young song of the same name, see Chrome Dreams II.

"Ordinary People"
Single by John Legend
from the album Get Lifted
Released	February 7, 2005
Format	CD single
Recorded	2004
Genre	R&B, soul, soft rock
Length	4:41 (Album Version) 4:01 (Edit)
Label	Sony Music
Writer(s)	John Legend, will.i.am
Producer	John Legend, will.i.am
Certification	Gold (RIAA)
John Legend singles chronology
"Used to Love U" (2004) "Ordinary People" (2005) "Number One" (2005)

"Ordinary People" is the second single from John Legend's album Get Lifted. The single has been certified gold by the RIAA. Critics were positive towards the song, praising it for its raw emotion and simplicity. The track also ended up being featured on the compilation album Now That's What I Call Music 19!. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

Background and writing

The song was originally intended to be part of a The Black Eyed Peas project, but will.i.am decided to let John Legend keep the track, removing the Black Eyed Peas' vocals entirely.

Composition

The song's lyrical themes include contrast, contradiction, guilt, doubt and fear. Legend sings about how people make errors of judgment in relationships ("I know I misbehaved/And you've made your mistakes/And we both still got room left to grow."), and that fighting and making up in the end is a regular obstacle: "And though love sometimes hurts/I still put you first/And we'll make this thing work/But I think we should take it slow." The lyrics include parallel structure to address the common ups-and-downs of maintaining a relationship: "Maybe we'll live and learn/Maybe we'll crash and burn/Maybe you'll stay/Maybe you'll leave/Maybe you'll return/Maybe another fight/Maybe we won't survive/Maybe we'll grow, we never know." The song's title itself is taken from its famous chorus, "We're just ordinary people/We don't know which way to go/'Cause we're ordinary people/Maybe we should take it slow." Legend explained the song's lyrical content in the book Chicken Soup For the Soul: The Story Behind The Song: "The idea for the song is that relationships are difficult and the outcome uncertain. If a relationship is going to work, it will require compromise and, even then, it is not always going to end the way you want it to. No specific experience in my life led me to the lyrics for this song, although my parents were married twice to each other and divorced twice from each other. Their relationship is, of course, one of my reference points, but I didn't write this to be autobiographical or biographical. It is just a statement about relationships and my view on them." ^[1]

Reception

Critics were overwhelmingly positive towards "Ordinary People", many of whom complimented the song's juxtaposition of simple stark piano and John Legend's vocal range. Entertainment Weekly noted "Ordinary People" as being both "the simplest" and "perhaps the most perfectly realized song" of the Get Lifted album, describing it as "an exquisite ballad" that is "both immediately familiar and intensely exotic."^[2] A review from The Guardian called the song "a real gem", and lauded further: "[I]t's not only sonically arresting but lyrically reflective. Refusing to tie up loose ends, Legend is ambivalent about the relationship described in the song, admitting that there's 'no fairy-tale conclusion'. Good for him."^[3] PopMatters was favorable towards the single, stating it "is representative of true talent."^[4] Jonathan Forgang, reviewing for Stylus magazine, stated: "'Ordinary People,' the first of the piano and voice ballads, is a bit more derivative than the earlier tracks but expertly performed. Legend's voice has a naked quality to it, warm and full without any of the drawbacks of virtuosity."^[5] The Times thought the song was full of "remorseful reflection" and said that "the album as a whole is a stunning advertisement for the less-is-more, from-the-soul approach, and Legend’s extraordinary voice (alternately angelic keen and cracked rasp) and piano-playing are equalled in quality by the depth of his songs."^[6]

The song is regarded as one of the finest achievements of John Legend. The single won him the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance,^[7] and is to this day considered Legend's signature song. In fact, "Ordinary People" would remain Legend's most commercially successful song in the U.S. as a Top 40 hit until the release of 2008's "Green Light", featuring rapper Andre 3000, three years later.

Music video

The video for "Ordinary People" features Legend playing a grand piano in an all-white space, while couples and families of varying ethnic backgrounds fight and reconcile around and in front of the piano. For the final minute of the video, Legend is joined by a string section and (audibly) a harmonica. Legend walks to and from the piano with a glass of water, as a short bookending to the video proper.

Covers

• George Benson and Al Jarreau covered the song for their 2006 album Givin' It Up.
• Asher Book performs the song in the 2009 film Fame. Book's version is available on the soundtrack to the film.
• Aloe Blacc covered the song as Gente Ordinaria, singing it in Spanish.

Charts

Chart (2005)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	24
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs	4
U.S. Billboard Pop 100	55
Italian Singles Chart	27
UK Singles Chart	30

Notes

1. ^ Ordinary People Songfacts
2. ^ Get Lifted | Music Review|Entertainment Weekly
3. ^ CD: John Legend, Get Lifted | Music|The Guardian
4. ^ John Legend: Get Lifted - PopMatters Music Review
5. ^ John Legend - Get Lifted - Review - Stylus Magazine
6. ^ John Legend: Get Lifted Review | CD reviews|Music - Times online
7. ^ 48th Annual Grammy Awards Winners List