| The People in Me | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | the Music Machine |
| Album: | (Turn On) The Music Machine |
| B-Side: | Masculine Intuition |
| Recorded: | August 1966 |
| Studio: | RCA (Los Angeles, California) |
| Length: | 3:01 |
| Label: | Original Sound |
| Producer: | Brian Ross |
| Prev Title: | Talk Talk |
| Prev Year: | 1966 |
| Next Title: | Double Yellow Line |
| Next Year: | 1967 |
"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 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]
"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 |
. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955–2012 . Joel Whitburn . 2013 . Record Research . 598.