Just Like Anyone (song)
Encyclopedia
"Just Like Anyone" is a 1995 song by American
alternative rock
band Soul Asylum
from their seventh album, Let Your Dim Light Shine
. Written by lead singer Dave Pirner
and produced by the band with Butch Vig
, the song was released as the album's second single. It entered the singles charts in Canada
and the United Kingdom
, and reached the Modern Rock Tracks chart in the United States
. The song was included on the band's 2000 greatest hits
album, Black Gold: The Best of Soul Asylum
,
and a live version appears on the band's 2004 After the Flood: Live from the Grand Forks Prom, June 28, 1997
album.
for the song was filmed in Los Angeles during the summer of 1995.
Directed by P.J. Hogan and produced by William Green and Michelle Alexander, the video features actress Claire Danes
, who plays a high school student who is rejected and taunted by other students because she has two noticeable bumps on her back. Hidden beneath the bumps are angel wings, which are revealed later as she takes flight during a school dance. The video received exposure on MTV
and MuchMusic
, reaching the most-played charts on both networks.
and number 55 in Canada,
where it also reached number 12 on the Alternative chart.
In the U.S., the song was not released as a commercial single, but it received enough radio airplay to peak at number 11 on Billboard
's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 19 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.
New York Times
music critic Jon Pareles
said the song's lyrics "could have been written for the insecure high school students in the television drama My So-Called Life
," in which Danes also starred.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band that formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1983.The band originally formed in 1981 under the name Loud Fast Rules, with the original line-up consisting of Dan Murphy, Dave Pirner, Karl Mueller and Pat Morley. The latter was replaced by Grant Young in...
from their seventh album, Let Your Dim Light Shine
Let Your Dim Light Shine
Let Your Dim Light Shine is an album from 1995 from the band Soul Asylum. Critically, it suffered in comparison to its predecessor, Grave Dancers Union, the band's breakout release...
. Written by lead singer Dave Pirner
Dave Pirner
David Anthony "Dave" Pirner is an American songwriter, singer, and producer best known for being the lead vocalist and frontman for the alternative rock/grunge band, Soul Asylum.-Biography:...
and produced by the band with Butch Vig
Butch Vig
Butch Vig is an American musician and record producer, best known internationally as the drummer of the Madison, Wisconsin-based alternative rock band Garbage and the producer of multi-platinum selling album Nevermind by Nirvana....
, the song was released as the album's second single. It entered the singles charts in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and reached the Modern Rock Tracks chart in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The song was included on the band's 2000 greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album, Black Gold: The Best of Soul Asylum
Black Gold: The Best of Soul Asylum
Black Gold: The Best of Soul Asylum is a compilation album that contains 19 of the greatest hits from Soul Asylum.The title of the album, "Black Gold" comes from Soul Asylum's song with the same name, which was a hit single on their 1992 breakthrough album Grave Dancers Union.The disc also contains...
,
and a live version appears on the band's 2004 After the Flood: Live from the Grand Forks Prom, June 28, 1997
After the Flood: Live from the Grand Forks Prom, June 28, 1997
After the Flood: Live from the Grand Forks Prom, June 28, 1997 is the first live album released by Soul Asylum. It was recorded on June 28, 1997 about two months after the epic Red River Flood of 1997 hit the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota. Soul Asylum played the concert for the joint prom...
album.
Music video
A music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song was filmed in Los Angeles during the summer of 1995.
Directed by P.J. Hogan and produced by William Green and Michelle Alexander, the video features actress Claire Danes
Claire Danes
Claire Catherine Danes is an American actress of television, stage and film. She has appeared in roles as diverse as Angela Chase in My So-Called Life, as Juliet in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, as Kate Brewster in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, as Yvaine in Stardust and as Temple Grandin in...
, who plays a high school student who is rejected and taunted by other students because she has two noticeable bumps on her back. Hidden beneath the bumps are angel wings, which are revealed later as she takes flight during a school dance. The video received exposure on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
, reaching the most-played charts on both networks.
Reception
"Just Like Anyone" peaked at number 52 in the UKand number 55 in Canada,
where it also reached number 12 on the Alternative chart.
In the U.S., the song was not released as a commercial single, but it received enough radio airplay to peak at number 11 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 19 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.
New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
music critic Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
said the song's lyrics "could have been written for the insecure high school students in the television drama My So-Called Life
My So-Called Life
My So-Called Life is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995 and was distributed by The Bedford Falls Company with ABC Productions. Set at the...
," in which Danes also starred.
Chart performance
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Singles Chart RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
55 |
| Canadian Alternative Chart | 12 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
52 |
| U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks | 11 |
| U.S. Modern Rock Tracks | 19 |