"People Like Us" is a song by American singer Kelly Clarkson, from her first greatest hits album, Greatest Hits – Chapter One (2012). One of the three songs recorded for the compilation, it was released as its third and final single through RCA Records on April 8, 2013. Written by Meghan Kabir, James Michael, Blair Daly, and produced by Greg Kurstin, "People Like Us" is an uptempo pop song, with its lyrical content primarily dealing with themes of empowerment, acceptance, and assurance for the eccentrics, who were being dedicated to as "people like us".
Upon Chapter Ones release, "People Like Us" received positive reviews from music critics, many of whom complimented its lyrical content and Clarkson's vocal performance. In the United States, it peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 65 and has topped the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. It also charted on the Adult Pop Songs and Pop Songs charts. Internationally, "People Like Us" attained a top forty position in the national charts of Canada, New Zealand, Slovakia, South Korea, and Ukraine.
Filmed by Chris Marrs Piliero, the accompanying music video for "People Like Us" is presented in a predominantly monochromatic atmosphere and featured Clarkson portraying an undercover scientist who furtively escapes an experimental subject with a full colored appearance into freedom. The video has met with positive reception from critics, who complimented its visual treatment and compared it to the 1998 film Pleasantville. Clarkson has performed the song in limited live performances, premiering it on the twelfth season of American Idol.
Production and release
Less than a year after the release of her fifth studio album, Stronger (2011), Clarkson began to record tracks with Greg Kurstin for a potential sixth studio album during the Labor Day weekend in 2012. She explained, "We're always working, I go overseas and when I come back it's the holidays. I wanna make sure I have actual time off, so I like to get ahead of the game." Kurstin had previously collaborated with Clarkson for Stronger, producing the songs "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)", "Dark Side" and "Honestly". She remarked, "He has this whole jazz background, brings kind of a cool element to pop music. The cool thing about it is he gets in the studio and he doesn't have a formula. It's like everything could change."
One of the three songs recorded for Greatest Hits – Chapter One, along with "Catch My Breath" and "Don't Rush", "People Like Us" was written by Meghan Kabir, James Michael and Blair Daly, with production handled by Greg Kurstin. It marked the first time Michael, lead singer of the rock band Sixx:A.M., had co-written a single for a pop artist, having previously written songs for rock musicians such as Sixx:A.M., Meat Loaf, and Papa Roach. On November 14, 2012, five days ahead of Chapter Ones release, the song premiered online on Clarkson's YouTube channel.
Composition
"People Like Us" is a pop anthem with a length of four minutes and 20 seconds, a radio edit of it omits a part of the final chorus. The track begins with a spoken word intro and opens into an up-tempo pop melody, with its lyrics mainly exploring the themes of assurance, empowerment, celebration for the eccentrics and outcasts, which were dedicated by Clarkson as "people like us".
The song is performed in the key of E minor with a tempo of 128 beats per minute in common time. It follows a chord progression of Em–G–Bm–A, and Clarkson's vocals span from D4 to E5.
Reception
Critical response
The single received generally favorable reviews from critics. Carl Williott of Idolator wrote in a review, "'People Like Us' showcases Kelly’s ability to turn frustration into uplifting (and danceable) catharsis. With lines like 'We are all misfits livin' in a world on fire,' it’s another colossal, fist-in-the-air pop anthem from Clarkson." Andy Scott of Celebuzz also wrote a positive review, remarking: "the latest single from the Grammy-winning superstar is exactly what we've come to expect from her: infectious beats; uplifting lyrics; and a powerful chorus that reminds one of her past hits like "Since U Been Gone" and "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)". Multiple music critics also considered it to be a gay anthem. Zara Golden of VH1 compared the song's lyrical theme to Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" (2011), but also noted that "Clarkson is an old expert at spinning hope from hard times and this is the perfect final entry to Clarkson’s 'Chapter One.'"