Phil Ochs - Outside Of A Small Circle Of Friends

About "Outside Of A Small Circle Of Friends"

"Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" is a song by Phil Ochs, a U.S. protest singer from the 1960s. "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends", which was originally released on Ochs' 1967 album Pleasures of the Harbor, became one of Ochs' most popular songs.Ochs was inspired to write "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" by the case of Kitty Genovese, who was stabbed to death on March 13, 1964, outside her home in Queens, New York, while dozens of her neighbors reportedly ignored her cries for help. The song's refrain, and its title, came from a conversation Ochs had with an acquaintance:



[It] came out of a chance remark, late at night at a coffeehouse. I was talking to a Canadian guy, and he said, "Oh, I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody outside of a small circle of friends." I said, "What'd you say?" and I picked up a guitar and ZOOM, the chords came right away.

The lyrics of "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" condemn social apathy by relating different situations that should demand action on the part of the narrator, but in each case the narrator evades responsibility by giving a mundane excuse, and invariably concludes that "I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody outside of a small circle of friends". The five scenarios include a woman who's being stabbed outside the window, an automobile accident that has left a car hanging on a cliff, the terrible living conditions in the city's ghetto, a magazine publisher who's been fined for publishing pornography, and a friend who's been arrested for smoking marijuana and sentenced to thirty years in prison.The song's arrangement provides a sharp contrast to its lyrics. For ironic effect Ochs wanted an upbeat arrangement. Producer Larry Marks and pianist Lincoln Mayorga produced an arrangement that is almost as memorable as the lyrics of the song. A decade after the song was recorded, Marks said:



The arrangement added to the irony of the whole song. Tacky piano played by Lincoln and a banjo and small rhythm section, nothing more. It's almost like a saloon song you shouldn't pay any attention to, and the lyric means practically everything in the world.

In 2001, an author remarked that the recording "pitted a disturbing lyric about murder and social irresponsibility against a backing of insanely cheerful banjo and a honky-tonk piano".