Human Lyrics
They fall from your mouth
Propelled by your belly and your tongue
I shiver when you shake and I fold into jelly
I think I loved you more than me
[Chorus]
Are you human, or a dud?
Are you human, or d'you make it up?
[Verse 2]
My baby cherry slipped
Pass me through your fingertips
Throw me down like an old rag
I'm not standing, don't look back
[Chorus]
Are you human, or a dud?
Are you human, or d'you make it up?
Are you human, or a dud?
Are you human, or d'you make it up?
[Bridge]
They went searching for your body
They went looking, but there's nobody
Who smells like you
Who looks like you
You're not human... too
Are you human, or a dud?
Are you human, or d'you make it up?
Are you human, or a dud?
Are you human, or d'you make it up?
[Outro]
Are you human, or a dud?
About
“Human” is a mixture of sinister metaphors involving body parts, a fuzzy Latin groove, and heavy percussion sprinkled with electronic glitches. Alison’s Edith Piaf-inspired tones are menacing, lowering the dynamics to a whisper on the verse, her words asking uncomfortable questions in an almost seductive tone.
It was released as Felt Mountain’s third single on February 26, 2001. It reached #87 in the UK Singles Chart.
In an interview with Munkio, Alison Goldfrapp commented on the song:
I was thinking “Human” is about an orgiastic idea — whether that’s sex or whatever — it’s kind of a slightly unpleasant feeling about someone and, because they are so grotesque, you ask yourself whether they are actually human or not."
It was co-written with Tim Norfolk and Bob Locke of the jazz group Startled Insects, before the formation of Goldfrapp. Will Gregory took insterest in Alison after listening to her singing on an early version of this song, and they both produced the final version together.
In 2016, the song was sampled by Kanye West on “Freestyle 4” from The Life of Pablo.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 1.Lovely Head
- 2.Paper Bag
- 3.Human
- 4.Pilots
- 5.Deer Stop
- 7.Oompa Radar
- 8.Utopia
- 9.Horse Tears
- 12.Lovely Head (Miss World Mix) (Missing Lyrics)
- 13.Utopia (New Ears Mix) (Missing Lyrics)
- 14.Human (Calexico Vocal) (Missing Lyrics)
- 15.Human (Massey’s Cro-Magnon Mix) (Missing Lyrics)
- 16.Utopia (Tom Middelton’s Cosmos Vocal Mix) (Missing Lyrics)