"Human" is a song by British singer and songwriter
Rag'n'Bone Man
Rory Charles Graham (born 29 January 1985), known professionally as Rag'n'Bone Man, is an English singer. He is known for his deep baritone voice. His first hit single, "Human", was released in 2016, and his first album ''Human'' was released ...
, co-written by
Jamie Hartman
Jamie Hartman (born 1971) is an English songwriter and producer based in Los Angeles, CA, and the former lead singer of the indie-pop band Ben's Brother.
Early life
Hartman was born and raised in London.
Career Ben's Brother
Hartman formed and ...
, and produced by
Two Inch Punch
Ben Ash, professionally known as Two Inch Punch, is an English record producer, musician, remixer and songwriter. He has written and produced records with Jessie Ware, Sam Smith, Years & Years, Rag'n'Bone Man, Tory Lanez, Ty Dolla $ign, Damon ...
. It was released as a download on 21 July 2016 through
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
. The song is included on his debut studio album of the same name, released in February 2017.
"Human" was used as the theme music to two
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime (styled as prime) is a paid subscription service of Amazon which is available in many countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services inclu ...
streaming television shows, ''
Oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentTom Clancy’s Jack Ryan'' in 2018. It was in the official launch trailer for the video game '' Mass Effect: Andromeda'', in the trailer for the 2017 film '' Thank You for Your Service'', in the television series ''
Inhumans
The Inhumans are a superhuman race of super beings appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The comic book series has usually focused more specifically on the adventures of the Inhuman Royal Family, and many people associat ...
'', and in the season 2 intro for the television series '' Into the Badlands''. The song was also used in an advertisement aired during
Super Bowl LVII
Super Bowl LVII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2022 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football Confere ...
for the "
He Gets Us
"He Gets Us" is an ongoing American religious advertising campaign formerly operated by the Servant Foundation. First launched in 2022, the campaign's stated goal is to "reintroduce people to the Jesus of the Bible".
Its campaigns are design ...
" campaign, in the outro for the 9th episode of season 3 of ''
Ash vs Evil Dead
''Ash vs Evil Dead'' is an American comedy horror television series developed by Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi, and Tom Spezialy for Starz. The series is set in the '' Evil Dead'' universe created by Raimi, with Bruce Campbell reprising his role a ...
'', and in the 16th episode of season 7 of the series '' Suits''.
Critical reception
Cameron Adams of ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
Hozier
Andrew John Hozier-Byrne (born 17 March 1990), known professionally as Hozier ( ), is an Irish musician. His music primarily draws from Folk music, folk, Soul music, soul and blues, often using religious and literary themes and taking politica ...
for both having an "instant impact, honest lyrics and throwback to ‘real’ music in a time of corporate pop."
In 2018, the song won a
Brit Award for British Single of the Year
The Brit Award for Song of the Year is an award given by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), an organisation which represents record companies and artists in the United Kingdom. The accolade is presented at the Brit Awards, an annual celebr ...
.
Live performances
Rag'n'Bone Man performed "Human" on '' Later... with Jools Holland'' on 20 September 2016. He also performed the song on Australian talk show '' The Morning Show'' on 28 October 2016. Another live performance of "Human" took place on ''
The Graham Norton Show
''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton ...
'' on 10 February 2017. He appeared on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...
'' on 16 February 2017.
Chart performance
On 23 December 2016, the song reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, scoring the Christmas number two of 2016. The song was certified Platinum on 17 February 2017 and 2× Platinum 21 July 2017 by the BPI. It has sold 1,269,000 combined units in the UK as of September 2017, which comprises 522,000 copies in actual sales and 75 million in streams.
In the United States, the song reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Alternative Songs Chart and number two on Rock Airplay. It was certified Gold by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
on 7 July 2017, and has sold 324,000 copies in the US as of September 2017. It is also Rag'n'Bone Man's only entry in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, as of 2022, and reached number 74 on a chart dated 27 May 2017.
The song had widespread chart success internationally, with it reaching the #1 spot on charts in more than 15 countries. As of March 2025, the music video has received 2 billion
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
views.
Formats and track listings
* Digital download
# "Human" – 3:19
* Digital download (Rudimental remix)
# "Human" – 4:21
Charts
Weekly charts
Monthly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
Release history
Tom Thum featuring Ruel cover
In December 2017, Australians
hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
beat boxer Tom Thum and vocalist Ruel released a cover version with the backing track constructed exclusively from layers of Tom's vocal technique and Ruel singing over top.
The video was filmed as part of YouTube Australia's Pop-Up Space in
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...