“People” is an audio snapshot in the much-debated history of DARE. You see, way back on We Are the Dury, Murdoc claimed that Shaun Ryder was given the pre-written lyrics of, “It’s there,” but in his thick, fake Liverpool accent, it came out more like “It’s ‘der,” so the name of the track was altered from “It’s there,” to “DARE.” Then, in a MusicHead interview, Murdoc changed the story a bit. "The original vocal that Shaun did, right, he’s stuck in the vocal booth with his headphones on and just kind of going, ‘I can’t hear myself... can’t hear myself. Hey! Turn up the headphones would ya!’ So we’re turning them up and he’s going ‘Yeah... it’s coming up a bit... it’s coming up... it’s coming up... it’s coming up... It’s there!’ So that’s the bit we used for the chorus. A true story." So, what started out as a lyrical flub, turned into an improvised in-session happy accident. I called bullshit, and figured that the true story would never be told. Then, when I was told that “People” would be an early studio cut of “DARE,” I was hoping that some of my questions would be cleared up. Unfortunately all “People” can really tell us is that the evolution of “DARE” is more confusing and complicated than we first imagined. First off: Damon’s vocals include 100% different lyrics, with highlights including the refrain of “People, people, everybody people, everybody making a sound/People, people, everybody people, everybody standing around.” The sort of catchy Jibberish we’ve come to expect from this band. Secondly, the melody is also completely different. So how, then, is this an early cut of “DARE”? Simple: The back-beat is pretty much identical, save a neat little key change back and forth when 2-D sings, “"Your heart isn't there so you might as well say/I know it, I got it, but I know that time will set me together.” This incarnation of “DARE” is absolutely fascinating, really worth checking out. Honestly, it feels a lot more like a Gorillaz track than the original. It’s quite a bit deeper as far as the melody goes (even if it’s a lyrical babble-fest). Noodle’s background harmony is dead-on, too. It’s surprisingly polished, really. Perhaps less danceable than the album cut, but it’s a more interactive listen, intelligently speaking. I figured this would have “Early Studio session” written all over it. I never thought that I’d have to seriously consider whether or not "DARE" or “People” was the stronger track. - Wazawaii

Official song credits

Written by Gorillaz
Performed by Gorillaz
Produced by Gorillaz, Dangermouse, Jason Cox and James Dring
Co-produced by Jason Cox
Engineered by Jason Cox
Pro-Tools by James Dring
Assistant engineer: Toby Whelan

Versions & availibility(Click links for exact discographical details)

"People" [3:29] - available only on the UK DVD of DARE

Live

Not going to be performed live at the upcoming gigs.