Misplaced Pages

"My People"
Single by the Presets
from the album Apocalypso
Released	4 December 2007
Genre	Electropop dance-punk
Length	4:31 (album version) 3:49 (radio edit)
Label	Modular
Songwriter(s)	Julian Hamilton Kim Moyes
Producer(s)	The Presets
The Presets singles chronology
"Truth & Lies" (2007) "My People" (2007) "This Boy's in Love" (2008)

"My People" is the first single from Australian electronic music duo the Presets' second album Apocalypso. The song was nominated for two ARIA Awards, Single of the Year and Best Video (Kris Moyes). It won the latter.

On 26 October 2008—a week after their multiple ARIA Awards wins—"My People" jumped up 38 spots from number 52 to 14 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, surpassing its previous peak of 19. The song spent 27 weeks in the ARIA Top 50. Channel Australia named the song as the second biggest hit of 2008, behind only "Low" by Flo Rida. On 26/27 October 2008, "My People" made its return to the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, peaking higher at number 14. This chart rebound was partly due to the Presets' appearance at the 2008 ARIA Awards a week earlier.

Background

The song was written by Julian Hamilton about asylum seekers in Australian detention centres. "I wanted to write a song about this horrible phenomenon where people come out here in search of a better life and we lock them up. I felt so horrible about the way we treat these destitute people that I wanted to write a desperate-sounding song – the line 'let me hear you scream if you're with me' could be understood to come from the perspective of someone who is locked up, needing to hear that there are people outside who are behind him and supporting him."

Kim Moyes said "In a lot of ways a 'mega-mix' of three or four Presets ideas and it's a really glued-together, solid Presets . It's very informed by the touring process and crowd reactions." The song is written in the key of F minor and is in the Phrygian mode, and follows the chord progression of Fm–Gb–Ebm–Fm. The song was mixed by John Fields at Wishbone Studio of North Hollywood, CA.

Legacy

Despite its eventual success, the group initially had doubts if radio would play it due to the track's heaviness. Kim Moyes told Rolling Stone Australia: "I remember when we played it to our record company and they were like 'we love it but how the heck are we going to get this on the radio?' There were even doubts about how much Triple J would get behind it, let alone any commercial stations."

will.i.am from American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas, in an interview with Billboard magazine about their album The E.N.D, remarked that "the album had been inspired by a trip to Australia, specifically the sound of The Presets' 'My People'. The energy on the Presets' small little stage was crazy energy. That song 'My People' - that is wild. That's the reason why this record sounds the way it does - my three months in Australia."

In 2015, the song was listed at number 2 in In the Mix's '100 Greatest Australian Dance Tracks of All Time' with Nick Jarvis saying "The Presets took Australian indie-dance from the distant corners of the internet and street press magazines, and blasted it onto prime time radio and television, and from the main stages at mainstream festivals. And this was the song that did it."

Track listings

1. "My People"
2. "My People" (Kris Menace Remix)
3. "My People" (D.I.M. Remix)

Australian CD single

1. "My People"
2. "My People" (Kris Menace Remix)
3. "My People" (D.I.M. Remix)
4. "My People" (Mouse on Mars Acid Pretzels Remix)
5. "My People" (Music video)

Note: Australia radio stations were issued with a 'radio edit' (3:49) promo CD single.

Charts

Certifications

Usage and covers

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "My People" The Presets song – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

This song's popularity has resulted in it being played frequently across the media.

• The song was frequently used during Channel Seven's coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
• It was used to promote the 2008/09 Hyundai A-League season.
• It was also used to promote the 2008 ARIA Awards, which was broadcast on Network Ten.
• "My People" can also be heard during Brisbane Broncos home matches, Sydney Swans home and finals matches, as well as at some NRL, AFL and BBL games.
• In 2009, "My People" was sampled by Australian hip hop artist Phrase in his song "Phrase Meets The Presets". A music video was also created by DJ Flagrant to accompany it.
• It featured at the end of the Formula One broadcasts on Network Ten along with Daryl Beattie Shannon's commercials.
• It was used at halftime of the Hawthorn vs St Kilda preliminary final broadcast on Network Ten.
• It was repeated frequently during the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.
• Used in the pre-game promo of the Hawthorn vs Geelong match in round 1, 2009. Effects from the video clip were also used in this promo.
• It was used in a Superheroes advertisement for Channel V.
• The song has been played every year from its release during Brisbane RiverFire as the F-111 fighter jets approached and flew overhead, commencing their dump-and-burn.
• Used on an episode of Top Gear when Richard Hammond reviewed the Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst and the Holden HSV Maloo Ute.

• In October 2023, 3%'s debut single "Our People", sampling "My People", was released. It won Song of the Year at the National Indigenous Music Awards 2024.

References

1. "Cilmi, Presets dominate ARIAs". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 October 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2008.
2. "The Academy Has Spoken: Emerging Artists Dominate 2008 ARIA Award Nominations" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. 10 September 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2008.
3. Duncan, Alasdair (1 April 2008). "The Presets". Rave Magazine. Archived from the original on 13 August 2008. Retrieved 1 May 2008.
4. Weaver, Andrew (28 April 2008). "The Presets Interview". centralstation.com.au. Retrieved 1 May 2008.
5. Treuen, Jason. "The Presets: Apocalypso Kings". Rolling Stone Australia. Retrieved 5 April 2008.
6. "The 100 Greatest Australian Dance Tracks of All Time". 2015. Archived from the original on 16 December 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
7. "The Presets – My People". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
8. Top 50 Physical Singles Chart Archived 11 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Australian Recording Industry Association.
9. Top 40 Digital Track Chart. Australian Recording Industry Association.
10. Top 50 Club Chart Archived 10 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Australian Recording Industry Association.
11. Top 20 Australian Chart Archived 16 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Australian Recording Industry Association.
12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
13. "Official ARIA Charts - Top 100 - 2008 | [VanessaAmorosi.net]". Archived from the original on 24 January 2009. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
14. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
15. Clarke, Jenna (27 April 2015). "The Presets provoke fans with Bali execution Facebook posts". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
16. "Nooky, Dallas Woods and Angus Field Form Blak Supergroup 3%, Release Debut Single feat. The Presets". Music Feeds. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
17. Parkinson, (A)manda (10 August 2024). "National Indigenous Music awards 2024: Barkaa wins artist of the year". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
18. Charles, Bronte (10 August 2024). "Check out the full list of winners of the National Indigenous Music Awards 2024". NITV. Retrieved 11 August 2024.

• 2007 singles
• ARIA Award-winning songs
• The Presets songs
• Songs written by Kim Moyes
• Songs written by Julian Hamilton
• 2007 songs
• Protest songs
• Modular Recordings singles