The Fear
You didn't think it'd be possible to top "Misshapes" as an opening song? Shame on you. The Fear is an absolute cranker of an opener, complete with brooding strings and backing vocals that sound like they've been ripped from the Grease soundtrack. If Misshapes was a communal prayer for all the outcasts in the world, then The Fear is an ode to those who've forgetten the words. "This is the sound of loneliness turned up to ten", warns Jarvis. "You're going to like it, but not a lot".

Dishes
A wonderful track which begins with the soon-to-be immortal opening lines "I am not Jesus, though I have the same initials", Dishes serves as a wonderful platform for the tale of an ordinary man coming to terms with his simplicity. Biblical references aside ("A man told me to beware of 33, he said 'it was not an easy time for me'), Dishes is an achingly simple concept executed flawlessly by the man himself. The simplest acts are the most heroic, so says Jarvis.

Party Hard
BIt's impossible to talk about this song without mentioning the very obvious David Bowie references. Sounding like it could be right at home on Scary Monsters, Party Hard is a grinding blend of guitar riffs and synth until it breaks down into a disco movement complete with (honest!) vocoder and (get ready for it) synth hits! And it works. Amazingly.

Help The Aged
We should all know this by now, and oddly, it keeps getting better. It's longevity on the British Top 40 (13 weeks) attests to this fact. Help The Aged starts off sounding a tad like Spandau Ballet and ends up distinctly in Pulp territory. Jarvis coming to terms with his own age has never been more heartbreaking. His sympathy and sadness for the aged are summed up in one simple line "And if you look very hard behind those lines upon my face / you will see where you are headed, and it's such a lonely place". Lovely.

This Is Hardcore
Epic and erotic with capital Es. By the time the pulsing drum beat and the sweeping horn samples fade, you'll be desperately in need of either a shag or a cigarette. Just when you thought Jarvis had expended all his sexual energy, This Is Hardcore sees him take things up a notch. Phew. Is it hot in here?

TV Movie
Jarvis continues his running theme of life on film with this simple acoustic song. Sounding at first like it's being recording in an airplane hangar, TV Movie is a tender singalong about relationships and coming to terms with them once they've ended. "Is it a kind of weakness to miss someone so much?" wonders Cocker. Keep an ear out for the whistling bit. Endearing.

A Little Soul
And here it is. The centrepiece of the album. A short and simple little song that possibly more infectious than the flu. Complete with trademark clever lyrics ("I could show you how to do it right / I used to practice every night on my wife, but now she's gone"). By the time the chorus rolls around, you'll be jumping around the room. Surprisingly, Mark Webber's DIY guitar solo actually works here. Pulp have cleverly put the chorus in only twice, so just when it feels like it's taking off it's ending. You'll be putting this one on repeat. Guaranteed.

I'm A Man
Back to the fast-paced, blinding pop that Pulp does so well. Another song about boredom and loneliness ("The car can get up to a hundred and ten / you've nowhere to go but you'll go there again"), I'm A Man is one of those guitar driven singalongs that would sound especially at home on His'n'Hers. Classic Pulp.

Seductive Barry
A mellow, epic, understated piece that does what F.E.E.L.I.N.G.S.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. failed to do on Different Class. Nenah Cherry's guest vocals on this provide an added sensuality. The band's whispered melody line weaves into and out of droning synths, and it all builds to a fantastic climax. Figuratively speaking, anyhow.

Sylvia
What would a Pulp album be without an ode to a women? Sylvia is pretty standard issue as far as Pulp songs go. Driven by an anthemesque chorus and a pretty guitar line, it's possibly the weakest track on the album. And it's still damn good. Go figure.

Glory Days
You knew it had to happen. The immense success of Common People was just too tantalizing for Jarvis not to address. So here it is: Glory Days is This Is Hardcore's Common People. Starting off with a discordant synth and Broadway-sounding piano chords, the similarities are too striking to deny. Cocker even expounds thematically on Common People with his inspirational sloganeering; "I could be a genius if I just put my mind to it / and i could do anything if only i could get round to it/ we were brought us up on the space race / now they expect us to clean toilets! / when you've seen how big the world is / how can you make do with that?" Inspirational, and quite good, even if it does conjure up memories of Glasto '95.

The Day After The Revolution
You'd expect a slow brooding song to close off the album, but Pulp choose to make their exit with this hazy, guitar-laden track. Cocker's closing lyrics provide the album with a sense of real cohesiveness: "Yeah, we made it. The future is over. Sheffield is over. The Fear is over. The guilt is over. The shame is over..." He keeps talking, as the guitars drone out, leaving only one last line of synth which gradually fades off into silence.