People Have the Power
| "People Have the Power" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Patti Smith | ||||
| from the album Dream of Life | ||||
| B-side | "Where Duty Calls", "Wild Leaves" | |||
| Released | June 1, 1988[1] | |||
| Recorded | The Hit Factory | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 5:07 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Songwriters | Patti Smith, Fred Smith | |||
| Producers | Fred Smith, Jimmy Iovine | |||
| Patti Smith singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
"People Have the Power" is a rock song written by Patti Smith and Fred "Sonic" Smith, and released as a lead single from Patti Smith's 1988 album Dream of Life. The cover photograph is by Robert Mapplethorpe. The music video is filmed mostly in black-and-white and features Patti Smith singing, writing and walking.
The song was ranked number 22 on NME magazine's list of the "Singles of the Year".[2]
Live performances
[edit]In 2019, Smith performed the song with 250 volunteer singers at The Public Theater.[3] For most of U2's 2015 Innocence + Experience Tour, the group used "People Have the Power" as their entrance music.[citation needed] Smith herself joined them to close their show with a performance of the song at London's O2 Arena on October 29, as well as the December 6 show at Accorhotels Arena in Paris. On December 7, to close their show and the tour at Accorhotels Arena, U2 invited Eagles of Death Metal on-stage to perform the song with them. It was Eagles of Death Metal's first public performance since the attack on their 13 November 2015 concert at the Bataclan in Paris that resulted in 89 fatalities.
In March 2026, Smith performed the song at the 30th anniversary celebration of independent media outlet Democracy Now! in New York City. Smith was joined on stage by Bruce Springsteen[4][5], Michael Stipe of R.E.M. and others.[6][7]
Lyrical content
[edit]According to Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove the song including the lyrics "People have the power to redeem the work of fools" was performed frequently as a protest song during the Iraq War.[8] Mark Tushnet included this quote in the Preface for his book Taking the Constitution Away from the Courts.[9]
Charts
[edit]Weekly charts
[edit]| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Italy Airplay (Music & Media)[10] | 18 |
| UK Singles Chart[11] | 97 |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks[12] | 19 |
Notes
[edit]- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2025-04-25. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ↑ "1988 Best Albums And Tracks Of The Year". NME. October 10, 2016. Archived from the original on October 2, 2025. Retrieved October 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Patti Smith Sings "People Have the Power" with a Choir of 250 Fellow Singers | Open Culture".
- ↑ LUSTIG, JAY (2026-03-24). "Springsteen makes surprise appearance at Democracy Now! event (WATCH HERE)". NJArts.net. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
- ↑ "Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Stipe & More Perform At Democracy Now! 30th Anniversary Event". JamBase. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
- ↑ "Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Michael Stipe perform at Democracy Now's 30th anniversary – Classic Rock 93.9". 2026-03-24. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
- ↑ ""People Have the Power": Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Stipe at Democracy Now! Celebration". Democracy Now!. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
- ↑ Zinn, H., Arnove, A. (2011). Voices of a People's History of the United States. United States: Seven Stories Press.
- ↑ Tushnet, Mark V. (1999). Taking the Constitution Away from the Courts. Princeton paperbacks. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press. pp. ix. ISBN 978-0-691-07035-3.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ↑ "Playlist Report: RAI - Italy" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 20. 14 May 1988. p. 6.
- ↑ "UK chart". Official Charts. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
- ↑ "Billboard chart". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
External links
[edit]
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