"People, I've Been Sad" (stylized in
sentence case
Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...
or sometimes as "People, I've been Sad") is a song by French singer and songwriter
Christine and the Queens. The song was released to digital retailers on 5 February 2020 and to American
adult alternative radio on 17 February 2020. The song features lyrics in both English and French. Christine performed the song on the ''
Together at Home'' concert pre-show, as well as on ''
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert''.
Critical reception
"People, I've Been Sad" received widespread critical acclaim. Kory Grow of ''
Rolling Stone'' compared the song to his previous single "
Girlfriend" and commented on the layered emotions of the song. He pointed out that while the song is shockingly direct and features "a starkness here that hasn't been as pronounced in some of
isprevious songs", Christine sings these honest lyrics with a sense of
ennui. Stacy Anderson from ''
Pitchfork'' called it "genuine and striking" and praised its intimate nature.
Accolades
The song was named the best song of 2020 by ''
Paste
Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to:
Science and technology
* Adhesive or paste
** Wallpaper paste
** Wheatpaste, A liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water
* Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves a ...
'' and ''
Time'', the second best song by ''
NPR'' and ''
Pitchfork'', the third by ''
The Guardian'' and ''
Rolling Stone'', and the sixth by ''
Crack Magazine
''Crack'' is a monthly independent music and culture magazine distributed across Europe.
Founded in Bristol in the UK in 2009, the magazine has featured Björk, MF Doom, Lil Yachty, FKA twigs, Gorillaz and Queens of the Stone Age on the cover. T ...
''.
The song was also included on ''
NME''s year-end list at number 11, ''
Consequence''s at 21, ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
s at 22, and ''
Vices at 52.
Charts
References
2020 singles
2020 songs
Christine and the Queens songs
Because Music singles
Songs written by Héloïse Letissier
Songs about depression
{{2020s-song-stub