“Common People” Fan Edit
William Shatner’s musical work has been the punchline may times over through the years. In fairness, the icon invites it often with his…er, unique interpretations of songs. Not just the infamous “Rocket Man” performance, but also this crazypants version of “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”. As noted, Shatner’s particular cadence has led to jokes in the likes of Futurama and Family Guy. But here’s the thing: if used properly, he’s actually a pretty great attribute in a song.
Singer/songwriter Ben Folds is an avowed fan of the actor’s 1968 album The Transformed Man. This led to Folds inviting Shatner to appear on one of the musician’s many side projects, Fear Of Pop. A short-lived collective, the group included the T.J. Hooker star where he featured prominently on their single, “In Love” (performed live on Late Night With Conan O’Brien). Truthfully, it was mostly just spoken word over various melodies and additional instrumentation, but it showed how much emotion the oft-mocked actor could imbue into a song.
Folds enjoyed working with his idol so much that he would produce Shatner’s 2004 album, Has Been.
While not as stripped down, there is an element of Johnny Cash’s work with Rick Rubin that permeates the songs; a sort of wistful look back at tragedies and triumphs while trying to make some sense of it all, but coming up short. Unlike Cash’s American Recordings work, Has Been is not a collection of covers. Except for the opening song, and lead single, which is Shatner performing Pulp’s “Common People” (with back-up vocals by Joe Jackson). It’s a rollicking version that provides a new context; it’s no longer an impoverished type giving a tour of the mundane to some rich lady slumming it, but now it’s an older man looking back at experiences from his hectic youth.
Shatner and company (Jackson and Folds) performed the song on multiple shows and did a small tour. But the best depictions of the performance can be found in fan edits. There’s one that’s pseudo-slash fic for Spock/Kirk using footage from the Star Trek animated series. And then there’s the one below by YouTuber LordRicco666, which is easily my favorite utilizing stuff from TOS to create a really fun representation. Enjoy!