The People That We Love

The song was initially titled "Speed Kills", which can be found on early promotional copies, and it was serviced to rock radio in the United States on the same day as the September 11 attacks.^[2] Out of sensitivity for the victims, the title was changed to "The People That We Love";^[3] this title was borrowed from the first line of the chorus.

The song's lyrical theme revolves around global acts of violence and the destruction they cause, although it was also rumored to be inspired by the Clinton/Gore US presidential campaign documentary, The War Room.^[4] Gavin Rossdale noted that the title has "nothing to do with war and nothing to do with aggression – it was the speed of thought."^[5] Rossdale stated in 2023 that the song was initially inspired by Magdalene laundries in Ireland,^[6] in which "fallen women" were effectively forced into slavery in religious institutions that operated from the 18th century, only ending fully in 1996.

Stylistically, "The People That We Love" saw a return to form after the experimental sounds of Deconstructed and The Science of Things. Described once as "stop-start grunge heroics",^[1] the song also found significant radio play within the early weeks of release but was unable to persevere like early Bush singles.

The video was directed by Ulf Buddensieck in the summer of 2001 at a London studio. The music video was a big success on television outlets such as MTV2 and MMUSA. Gavin Rossdale expressed his thoughts on the video, stating:

"He (Ulf) came up with a treatment that was exactly what I was looking for.....It was as if I wrote a list and ticked off boxes. He wanted to do something that was edgy and vibrant and alive, and that's exactly what I wanted. Too many videos today are just too dark and moody. They all look like they were shot in a garage. We wanted to be unmoody and undark."

^[7]

• CD single

1. "The People That We Love" – 4:03
2. "American Eyes" – 3:36
3. "The People That We Love" [Golden Dub Mix] – 5:42