You Forgot It in People
studio
ArtistBroken Social Scene
CoverYouForgotItInPeople.jpg
ReleasedOctober 15, 2002
RecordedDecember 2001 – July 2002
GenreIndie rock[1]
Label
ProducerDavid Newfeld
Prev year2001
Next year2004

You Forgot It in People is the second studio album by Canadian indie rock band Broken Social Scene, released on October 15, 2002. It was the band's commercial breakthrough.[2] You Forgot It in People features intricate, experimental production techniques and a large number of instruments coinciding with the band's vastly expanded size. Local excitement for the album was so big that initial pressings sold out quickly, necessitating a 2003 reissue.[3]

Music videos were made for "Stars and Sons", "Cause = Time", "Almost Crimes (Radio Kills Remix)", "Lover's Spit", and "I'm Still Your Fag".[4]

The songs that did not make it onto the album were featured in a B-sides compilation entitled Bee Hives, released in 2004.

Music

After releasing Feel Good Lost, Broken Social Scene changed their style from making ambient instrumental songs to full-blown rock songs.[5] As they expanded to an 11 piece collective, Broken Social Scene used a variety of sounds for the album.[6][7] Reflecting on this, frontman Kevin Drew said, "I was scared to see if people were going to embrace the idea of a whole shitload of sounds on one album."[8] You Forgot It in People also progresses to "proper" song style with defined verses and choruses.[7]

Reception

On review aggregate site Metacritic, it earned a normalized score of 86 out of 100, based on 18 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Critics were almost unanimously enthusiastic.[9] Pitchfork's Ryan Schreiber gave the album a 9.2 out of 10 saying "You Forgot It in People explodes with song after song of endlessly re-playable, perfect pop."[10] The songs "Cause = Time" and "Stars and Sons" are listed at No. 145 and No. 275 on Pitchfork Media's Top 500 Songs of the 2000s list, respectively.[11][12] A Kludge writer called it a "majestic" album, in which the group created a "unique sound of lush instrumentation."[13] A PopMatters review for the album was positive, although criticized the song "I'm Still Your Fag" for its "uncomfortably graphic lyrics".[3] Conversely, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice selected "Almost Crimes (Radio Kills Remix)" as a "choice cut",[14] indicating a "good song on an album that isn't worth your time or money."[15] In 2003, the album won the Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year.[6] The album received the following accolades:

PublicationListPlace
PitchforkThe Top 100 Albums of 2000−04[16]27
Staff Lists: The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s[8]23
RhapsodyAlt/Indie's Best Album of the Decade[17]9
Stylus MagazineTop 50 Albums: 2000−2005[18]7

By 2005, sales in the United States had exceeded 77,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[19]

In 2018, the album won the Polaris Heritage Prize Audience Award in the 1996-2005 category.[20]

"It's a very balmy and hungover post-rock record," observed Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke. "Really tender."[21]

Legacy

In June 2025, Arts & Crafts released Anthems: A Celebration of Broken Social Scene's You Forgot It in People, a cover album in which another artist each reimagines a track from the original album.[22]

Track listing

On the 2003 re-release, track 4 is listed as "Almost Crimes", track 7 as "Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl" and track 9 as "Late Night Bedroom Rock for the Missionaries".[23]

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Grischow, Chad (October 18, 2011). "The 25 Best Indie Rock Albums of the Last Decade". IGN. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  2. ^ Lobenfeld, Claire (14 July 2017). "How Broken Social Scene Became Whole Again: ‘The Friction Has Been Ironed Out’". Billboard. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  3. ^ Begrand, Adrien (June 6, 2003). "Broken Social Scene: You Forgot It in People". PopMatters. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  4. ^ "Broken Social Scene Videos". Official Broken Social Scene website. Archived from the original on January 16, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
  5. ^ Carruthers, Sean. "You Forgot It in People – Broken Social Scene". AllMusic. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  6. ^ Wilson, MacKenzie. "Broken Social Scene". AllMusic. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  7. ^ Siebelt, Olli (13 August 2003). "Review of Broken Social Scene – You Forgot It In People". BBC Music. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  8. ^ Ryan Dombal (October 1, 2009). "Staff Lists: The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 50-21". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  9. ^ "Reviews for You Forgot It In People by Broken Social Scene". Metacritic. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  10. ^ Schreiber, Ryan (February 2, 2003). "Broken Social Scene: You Forgot It in People". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  11. ^ "Staff Lists: The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s: 200-101". Pitchfork. August 18, 2009. Archived from the original on October 11, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  12. ^ "Staff Lists: The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s: 500-201". Pitchfork. August 17, 2009. Archived from the original on May 16, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  13. ^ Parise, Joseph. "Broken Social Scene: You Forgot It in People". Kludge. Archived January 5, 2004 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
  14. ^ Christgau, Robert (January 13, 2004). "Consumer Guide: MLK Fever". The Village Voice. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  15. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Key to Icons". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  16. ^ Brian Howe (February 7, 2005). "Staff Lists: The Top 100 Albums of 2000−04". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  17. ^ Stephanie Benson (November 23, 2009). "Alt/Indie's Best Album of the Decade". Rhapsody. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  18. ^ Nick Mims. "Top 50 Albums: 2000-2005". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  19. ^ "New Broken Social Scene: More Horns, More Canadians". Billboard, August 4, 2005.
  20. ^ "Rush, Alanis Morissette, Kid Koala Among Polaris Heritage Prize Winners". Exclaim!, October 23, 2018.
  21. ^ "All Back to My Place". Mojo. ' (140): 9. July 2005.
  22. ^ Corcoran, Nina (2025-04-24). "Broken Social Scene Announce You Forgot It in People Covers Album Featuring Toro y Moi, Maggie Rogers, and More". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
  23. ^ "Broken Social Scene – You Forgot It in People (2003, CD)". Discogs