Poet Lemn Sissay picks his favourite Pulp lyric
It’s every lyricist’s dream to have something that stands the test of time. For all of the great rock songs that have been made in an hour talking about a superficial topic, some of the greatest songwriters in the world have had their words poured over like pieces of scripture, from the intricate wordplay of Bob Dylan to John Lennon creating different images in the listener’s head on early Beatles records. As lyrics began to give way to borderline gibberish throughout the 1990s alt-rock scene, though, Pulp brought a distinct seductive nature back into rock and roll.
Crafted in the mould of many indie bands from the mid-1980s, Jarvis Cocker always approached his lyrics like a love-sick punk, looking to get into as much trouble with his lover as possible while knowing that any time they spend together might be fleeting. Although he had already made impressive strides during his career, it wasn’t until the landmark album Different Class that something began to turn a corner.
Outside of songs about love and lust, Cocker’s lyrics became far more poetic, almost playing into the retro aesthetic of the Britpop swing by giving his generation a nervy answer to David Bowie. As much as Cocker could have made slightly horny music for the rest of his career, it wasn’t until ‘Something Changed’ that he started gaining notoriety from the giants of the poetry world.
When asked about some of his favourite lyrics, famed British poet Lemn Sissay singled out ‘Something Changed’ as a highlight, telling The Guardian: “Jarvis Cocker is a poet: you could perform ‘Something Changed’ at any literary salon. ‘Something changed’ means everything changed; it’s subtle and seismic to the piece.” Though the song might have been a trademark ballad from the group, Cocker’s use of devotional love in the scenario differed from his usual style.
Since this song has to deal with someone discovering that they have more feelings for their lover than they realised, Cocker gave fans a huge switch-up from songs about a girl wanting to sleep with common people like him. After toying with the listener’s emotions throughout most of the record, hearing an earnest take on love feels like emotional growth coming from the same man who wrote lines like “I’ve kissed your mother twice, and now I’m working on your dad”.
Then again, Sissay thought that the power of the lyrics came from how direct and understated they were, continuing, “It’s a grand understatement, a deft lyrical move. Everyday language of the common people is rich with opportunities for exploration. Take a phrase, look at it on the page, and something changes.”
Though the song might have been about discovering new feelings, the fact that Cocker could articulate his feelings at all speaks volumes about the character in the song. There are much easier ways to play the lad who is too cool for school, but Cocker articulated more in those two words than most ’90s lyricists could do in their lifetime.
The rest of the country seemed to respond in kind, making ‘Something Changed’ one of Pulp’s biggest hits alongside tracks like ‘Common People’ and ‘Disco 2000’. There might not be a lot of subtlety in a lyric like this, but when an artist of Cocker’s stature opened himself up to that degree, there’s no other songwriter who could touch him.
