"The People in Me" is a song by the American garage rock band the Music Machine, written by Sean Bonniwell, and first released as a track on their debut studio album (Turn On) The Music Machine in December 1966 on Original Sound Records.

"The People in Me"
Single by the Music Machine
from the album (Turn On) The Music Machine
B-side"Masculine Intuition"
ReleasedJanuary 21, 1967 (1967-01-21)
RecordedAugust 1966
StudioRCA (Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length3:01
LabelOriginal Sound
Songwriter(s)Sean Bonniwell
Producer(s)Brian Ross
The Music Machine singles chronology
"Talk Talk"
(1966)
"The People in Me"
(1967)
"Double Yellow Line"
(1967)

Background

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The song was also released as the A-side to the group's second single, which was distributed on January 21, 1967. Like many of Bonniwell's compositions, "The People in Me"'s lyrical content featured a gloomy rebellious mood, with eerie lead vocals by Bonniwell, and it explored with a hard-edged variation of psychedelic rock. It also featured guitarist Mark Landon's wiry distorted guitar melodies, joined by backing vocals near the conclusion of the song.[1][2] Though it was considered a strong follow-up to their debut release "Talk Talk", the song suffered from inadequate airplay when the band's management angered radio producers for exclusively airing the single on a rival station. Bonniwell would pen much more experimental compositions, but the dispute damaged The Music Machine's prospects for another charting hit.[3]

Personnel

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Chart performance

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"The People in Me", with the flip side "Masculine Intutition", was the final Music Machine single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 66.

Chart (1967) Peak
position
Canada RPM Top 100[4] 62
US Billboard Hot 100[5] 66

References

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  1. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "The People In Me – Song review". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  2. ^ Fricke, David (4 January 2012). "The Dark Prince of Garage Rock: A Tribute to Sean Bonniwell of the Music Machine". rollingstone.com. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  3. ^ Unterberger, Richie (1998). Unknown Legends of Rock 'n' Roll. Miller Freeman. p. 61. ISBN 9780879305345. Retrieved July 3, 2015. the music machine the people in me.
  4. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles – April 18, 1967" (PDF).
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955–2012. Record Research. p. 598.