People Are People

For the compilation album, see People Are People (album).

"People Are People"
Single by Depeche Mode
from the album Some Great Reward
B-side	"In Your Memory"
Released	12 March 1984
Format	Vinyl record (7" and 12") CD (1991 box set)
Recorded	1984
Genre	Synthpop, industrial, New Wave
Length	3:43 (7"/single version) 3:52 (album version) 7:11 (12" version)
Label	Mute Records
Writer(s)	Martin Gore
Producer	Depeche Mode, Daniel Miller, and Gareth Jones
Certification	Gold (RIAA) Silver (BPI)
Depeche Mode singles chronology
"Love, in Itself" (1983) "People Are People" (1984) "Master and Servant" (1984)

"People Are People" is Depeche Mode's tenth UK single, released on 12 March 1984. It was their first hit single in the US and the first single from the Some Great Reward album.

"People Are People" was written by Martin Gore, but the dancy, pop feel of the song may actually be credited to Alan Wilder. Wilder wrote the B-side, "In Your Memory". Each song has an extended remix, the "Different Mix" and the "Slik Mix" respectively (although the "In Your Memory" mix is often incorrectly called the "Slick Mix").

The Clive Richardson-directed "People Are People" video was released in two versions. The original video was made for the single version, but an alternate video was made with the "Different Mix". The music video featured footage of various war scenes, mixed with footage of the band aboard the HMS Belfast. The "Different Mix" video appears on Some Great Videos.

Despite "People Are People"'s success, Martin Gore considers it to be one of his least favourite songs. He prefers his songs to have subtle meanings so that people can find their own meanings to his songs, and feels "People Are People" does not fit that description^{[citation needed]}. It has not been played live since 1988^{[citation needed]}.

A compilation album titled People Are People was released in the US, featuring several songs not previously available in the US. The single itself was released in the USA on 11 July 1984 (though it did not reach the Billboard Hot 100 chart until May 1985, and initially was played only on modern rock and college radio). The single would eventually peak at #13. In the UK, the single reached #4, which was at the time the band's highest singles chart position in their homeland. Since then, "Barrel of a Gun" (1997) and "Precious" (2005) have also reached #4 in the UK.

In West Germany the song was a #1 hit and was used as the theme to West German TV's coverage of the 1984 Olympics, alluding to East Germany's participation in the Soviet-led boycott of the games. It was also used as the theme song of the 1990s BBC Children's factual TV series, It'll Never Work.

In 2011 the song was included on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".

Charts

Chart (1984–1985)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart	25
Austrian Singles Chart	6
German Singles Chart	1
Italian Singles Chart	20
Norway Singles Chart	10
Swedish Singles Chart	15
Swiss Singles Chart	4
UK Singles Chart	4
US Billboard Hot 100	13
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	44

Preceded by "Big in Japan" by Alphaville

German Media Control Charts number-one single (Depeche Mode version) 27 April - 11 May 1984

Succeeded by "Send Me an Angel" by Real Life

Cover versions

"People Are People" was first covered by the German artist Götz Alsmann in 1985, by A Perfect Circle on their anti-war album eMOTIVe, by Dope on their 2005 album American Apathy, and by RuPaul on his 2006 album Red Hot. RuPaul's version features Tom Trujillo and was released as a retail single on 26 January 2006. The single peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Christian techno/alternative band Code of Ethics also remade the single in 2008 on their "Lost in Egypt" disc. German industrial gothic metal band Atrocity also recorded a cover version of the song for their 2008 covers album Werk 80 II, a collection of 1980s tracks recorded in their style. Recently, Jason Derulo sampled the song for his debut album on the song "After Midnight."

Track listings

Depeche Mode version

7": Mute / Bong5 (UK) & Sire / 7-29221 (US)

1. "People Are People" – 3:43
2. "In Your Memory" – 4:01

12": Mute / 12Bong5 (UK)

1. "People Are People (Different Mix)" – 7:11
2. "In Your Memory (Slik Mix)" – 8:12

L12": Mute / L12Bong5 (UK)

1. "People Are People (On-USound Mix)" – 7:30 (remixed by Adrian Sherwood)
2. "People Are People" – 3:43
3. "In Your Memory" – 4:01

12": Sire / 0-20214 (US)

1. "People Are People (Different Mix)" – 7:11
2. "People Are People (On-USound Mix)" – 7:30
3. "In Your Memory" – 4:01

"In Your Memory" is falsely labeled as the "Slik Mix Edit"

CD: Mute / CDBong5 (UK)

1. "People Are People" – 3:43
2. "In Your Memory" – 4:01
3. "People Are People (Different Mix)" – 7:11
4. "In Your Memory (Slik Mix)" – 8:12

The CD single was released in 1991 as part of the singles box set compilations

"People Are People" is written by Martin Gore and "In Your Memory" is written by Alan Wilder

"People Are People (The RuMixes)"
Single by RuPaul
from the album ReWorked
Released	26 January 2006
Format	CD
Recorded	2004
Genre	Dance
Label	RuCo
Producer	RuPaul and Tom Trujillo
RuPaul singles chronology
"Workout" (2005) "People Are People (The RuMixes)" (2006) "Call Me Starrbooty" (2007)
Music video "People Are People" on YouTube

RuPaul version

CD: RuCo / 001-5 (US)

1. "People Are People (Craig C. Radio)" – 4:42
2. "People Are People (Giuseppe D's Rutroactive Club)" – 8:20
3. "The Price of One (Craig C. Ru Edit)" – 6:43
4. "People Are People (Craig C. Main Vocal)" – 8:01
5. "The Price of One (Craig C.'s Mo' Trippin' Dub)" – 10:02
6. "People Are People (Goodandevil)" – 3:42
7. "People Are People (DJ Record Player's SSSnakin' Breakin')" – 7:11
8. "The Price of One (Craig C.'s Mo' Trippin' Beats)" – 2:41
9. "People Are People (Craig C. Dub)" – 8:01
10. "I Just Can't Wait (Till Christmas)" – 2:42

Chart performance

Chart (2004)	Peak position
US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard)	10

External links

• People are People information from the official Depeche Mode web site