I'm Not the One

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"I'm Not the One"
I'm Not the One cover.jpg
Single by the Cars
from the album Shake It Up
B-side
ReleasedJanuary 13, 1986
Recorded1981
Genre
Length4:12 (album version)
4:07 (remix version)
Label Elektra 69569
Songwriter(s) Ric Ocasek
Producer(s) Roy Thomas Baker
The Cars singles chronology
"Tonight She Comes"
(1985)		"I'm Not the One"
(1986)		"You Are the Girl"
(1987)
Shake It Up track listing
9 tracks
Side one
  1. "Since You're Gone"
  2. "Shake It Up"
  3. "I'm Not the One"
  4. "Victim of Love"
  5. "Cruiser"
Side two
  1. "A Dream Away"
  2. "This Could Be Love"
  3. "Think It Over"
  4. "Maybe Baby"

"I'm Not the One" is a song by the American rock band the Cars, from their fourth album, Shake It Up . It features Ric Ocasek on lead vocals, Benjamin Orr singing the 'You Know Why' phrase, with the whole group repeating "going round and round" as backing vocals throughout the song. [1]

Contents

Overview

"I'm Not the One" first appeared in 1981 on Shake It Up. It was not a charting single at the time, but was nonetheless included on the band's 1985 Greatest Hits album. [1] The song was remixed on the Greatest Hits album, emphasizing the drum track with added reverb. It was then released as a single in 1986, following "Tonight She Comes", also from the Greatest Hits album. "I'm Not the One" debuted on the Billboard Top 40 chart on March 8, 1986, and peaked at number 32. [3]

AllMusic reviewer Donald A. Guarisco described "I'm Not the One" as one of Shake It Up's "strongest and most memorable tunes", commenting that its sound still sounded fresh upon its 1986 re-release, five years after its first appearance on Shake It Up. [1] Cash Box called it a "laid back tune [that] may get new life from its single re-issue." [4]

The song is played in a scene from the 1995 comedy film Billy Madison , where the title character (Adam Sandler) reads Valentine's Day cards in third grade.

The song was sampled for the 2001 song "Thank You" by rapper Lil' Bow Wow. [5]

In 2005, the album, Substitution Mass Confusion: A Tribute to The Cars , was released on Not Lame Recordings, which included a cover of "I'm Not the One" by Gigolo Aunts.

Composition

The song's intro and choruses are in the key of B minor. The intro features two synthesizer parts layered on top of each other, one derived from Ric Ocasek's vocal melody, and the other a supporting counter-melody in a softer tone. The intro/chorus begins with a chord progression of B minor, F♯ minor, E minor, and A major, but is immediately followed with a reversal, F♯ minor to B minor, retaining the E minor to A major movement. After another "reversed" repeat, the E minor to A functions as a ii-V-I turnaround in the key's relative major of D.

The official sheet music folio lists the chord progression as D, to D/C, to D/B (enharmonic to a B minor seventh chord), to D/B♭ (enharmonic to a B♭ augmented major seventh chord), [6] and video exists of Ocasek performing the song, solo on acoustic guitar, according to this progression. However, other transcriptionists describe the chord progression as D to D/C, to G/B, or to Gm/B♭. [7] Either way, the last chord of the verse is a G minor sixth chord, in transition to the chorus in B minor. Each verse is introduced with a guitar melody from Elliot Easton, who layers several clean-tone guitar parts over the synthesizer-dominated arrangement. There is also a horn-like synthesizer solo by Greg Hawkes, played over the chorus progression.

Charts

Chart performance for "I'm Not the One"
Chart (1986)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [8] 75
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [9] 82
US Billboard Hot 100 [10] 32
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [11] 24
US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [12] 29
US Cash Box Top 100 Singles [13] 34

Related Research Articles

The Cars American pop-rock band

The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, it consisted of Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes (keyboards), Ric Ocasek, Benjamin Orr, and David Robinson (drums). Ocasek and Orr shared lead vocals, and Ocasek was the band's principal songwriter.

Ric Ocasek American singer, songwriter, and rock musician (1944–2019)

Richard Theodore Otcasek, known as Ric Ocasek, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. He was the primary co-lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the rock band the Cars. In addition to his work with the Cars, Ocasek recorded seven solo albums, and his song "Emotion in Motion" was a top 20 hit in the United States in 1986. Ocasek also worked as a record producer for artists such as Motion City Soundtrack, Suicide, Bad Brains, Weezer, Nada Surf, Guided by Voices, and No Doubt. In 2018, Ocasek was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Cars.

Benjamin Orr American musician and founding member of the Cars

Benjamin Orzechowski, known professionally as Benjamin Orr, was an American musician and singer best known as the bassist, co-founder, and co-lead vocalist of the rock band the Cars. He sang lead vocals on several of their best known songs, including "Just What I Needed", "Let's Go" and "Drive". He also had a moderate solo hit with "Stay the Night".

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Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by American rock band the Cars, released on October 25, 1985, by Elektra Records. "Tonight She Comes", a previously unreleased song, and a remix of "I'm Not the One" were issued as singles to support the album. It was a commercial success, going six-times platinum.

Just What I Needed 1978 single by The Cars

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<i>This Side of Paradise</i> (album) 1986 studio album by Ric Ocasek

This Side of Paradise is the second solo studio album released by Ric Ocasek, lead singer and songwriter of the Cars. It was released in 1986 by Geffen Records. Though it was a solo album, other members of the Cars played significant roles. Greg Hawkes plays keyboards and bass throughout the album, and also co-wrote "Hello Darkness". Benjamin Orr is on backing vocals for three songs. Along with Hawkes and Orr, the track "True To You" also features Elliot Easton on guitar. Both production and drumming were by Chris Hughes. Hughes was the recent producer of Tears for Fears most popular two albums. Steve Stevens from Billy Idol's band plays guitar on over half of the album.

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Youre All Ive Got Tonight 1978 song by The Cars

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"Tonight She Comes" is a 1985 song by American rock band the Cars, from their Greatest Hits album. It was released as a single in October 1985, reaching number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1986. The song reached number one on the Top Rock Tracks chart, where it stayed for three weeks.

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Touch and Go (The Cars song) 1980 single by the Cars

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Guarisco, Donald A. "The Cars: I'm Not the One: Song Review". AllMusic . Retrieved November 25, 2010.
  2. ↑ "The Cars – I'm Not The One". Discogs . Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). Billboard Books. p. 109. ISBN   0-8230-7499-4.
  4. ↑ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. February 1, 1986. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  5. ↑ "Lil' Bow Wow feat. Jagged Edge and Fundisha's 'Thank You' - Discover the Sample Source".
  6. ↑ Ocasek, Ric. The Cars: Shake It Up (1981, 1982) Warner Bros. Publications Inc., 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY, 10019
  7. ↑ The Cars: Complete Greatest Hits (Guitar Recorded Versions), Universal Music Publishing Group, Distributed by Hal Leonard
  8. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  9. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0646." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  10. ↑ "The Cars Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  11. ↑ "The Cars Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  12. ↑ "The Cars Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
  13. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending March 22, 1986". Cash Box . Retrieved May 22, 2021.
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