You Forgot It in People
2002 studio album by Broken Social Scene
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You Forgot It in People is the second studio album by Canadian indie rock band Broken Social Scene, released on October 15, 2002. It was the band's commercial breakthrough.[2] You Forgot It in People features intricate, experimental production techniques and a large number of instruments coinciding with the band's vastly expanded size. Local excitement for the album was so big that initial pressings sold out quickly, necessitating a 2003 reissue.[3]
| You Forgot It in People | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 15, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | December 2001 – July 2002 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock[1] | |||
| Length | 56:11 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | David Newfeld | |||
| Broken Social Scene chronology | ||||
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| 2003 reissue cover | ||||
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Music videos were made for "Stars and Sons", "Cause = Time", "Almost Crimes (Radio Kills Remix)", "Lover's Spit", and "I'm Still Your Fag".[4]
The songs that did not make it onto the album were featured in a B-sides compilation entitled Bee Hives, released in 2004.
Music
After releasing Feel Good Lost, Broken Social Scene changed their style from making ambient instrumental songs to full-blown rock songs.[5] As they expanded to an 11 piece collective, Broken Social Scene used a variety of sounds for the album.[6][7] Reflecting on this, frontman Kevin Drew said "I was scared to see if people were going to embrace the idea of a whole shitload of sounds on one album."[8] You Forgot It in People also progresses to "proper" song style with defined verses and choruses.[7]
Reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 86/100[9] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Eye Weekly | [10] |
| Houston Chronicle | [11] |
| Now | 5/5[12] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | [13] |
| Pitchfork | 9.2/10[14] |
| Q |  [15] |
| Rolling Stone | [16] |
| Spin | B+[17] |
| Stylus Magazine | A−[18] |
On review aggregate site Metacritic, it earned a normalized score of 86 out of 100, based on 18 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Critics were almost unanimously enthusiastic.[9] Pitchfork's Ryan Schreiber gave the album a 9.2 out of 10 saying "You Forgot It in People explodes with song after song of endlessly re-playable, perfect pop."[14] The songs "Cause = Time" and "Stars and Sons" are listed at No. 145 and No. 275 on Pitchfork Media's Top 500 Songs of the 2000s list, respectively.[19][20] A Kludge writer called it a "majestic" album, in which the group created a "unique sound of lush instrumentation."[21] A PopMatters review for the album was positive, although criticized the song "I'm Still Your Fag" for its "uncomfortably graphic lyrics".[3] Conversely, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice selected "Almost Crimes (Radio Kills Remix)" as a "choice cut",[22] indicating a "good song on an album that isn't worth your time or money."[23] In 2003, the album won the Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year.[6] The album received the following accolades:
By 2005, sales in the United States had exceeded 77,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[27]
In 2018, the album won the Polaris Heritage Prize Audience Award in the 1996-2005 category.[28]
"It's a very balmy and hungover post-rock record," observed Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke. "Really tender."[29]
Legacy
In June 2025, Arts & Crafts released Anthems: A Celebration of Broken Social Scene's You Forgot It in People, a cover album in which another artist each reimagines a track from the original album.[30]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Capture the Flag" | 2:08 |
| 2. | "KC Accidental" | 3:50 |
| 3. | "Stars and Sons" | 5:08 |
| 4. | "Almost Crimes (Radio Kills Remix)" | 4:22 |
| 5. | "Looks Just Like the Sun" | 4:23 |
| 6. | "Pacific Theme" | 5:09 |
| 7. | "Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl" | 4:35 |
| 8. | "Cause = Time" | 5:30 |
| 9. | "Late Nineties Bedroom Rock for the Missionaries" | 3:46 |
| 10. | "Shampoo Suicide" | 4:05 |
| 11. | "Lover's Spit" | 6:22 |
| 12. | "I'm Still Your Fag" | 4:23 |
| 13. | "Pitter Patter Goes My Heart" | 2:26 |
On the 2003 re-release, track 4 is listed as "Almost Crimes", track 7 as "Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl" and track 9 as "Late Night Bedroom Rock for the Missionaries".[31]
Personnel
- Kevin Drew – keyboards, vocals, guitar, feedback, bass, drums, piano
- Brendan Canning − bass, double bass, vocals, organ, acoustic guitar, drum machine, guitar, piano, keyboards
- Andrew Whiteman − guitar, tres, organ, vocals, bass, keyboards, tambourine
- Charles Spearin − guitar, bass, percussion, drum machine, harmonica, effects, acoustic guitar, organ, sampler
- Justin Peroff − drums, percussion, shaker, artwork
- John Crossingham − guitar, feedback, drums, bass
- Evan Cranley − trombone, strings, percussion
- James Shaw − trumpet, guitar, acoustic guitar
- Feist − vocals
- Emily Haines − vocals
- Jessica Moss − violin
- Ohad Benchetrit − flute
- Bill Priddle − guitar
- Brodie West − saxophone
- Susannah Brady − speaking
- David Newfeld − producer, mastering
- Noah Mintz − mastering
- Louise Upperton − artwork design