The One I Love (Big Country song)

Last updated
"The One I Love"
Big Country The One I Love 1993 single cover.jpg
Single by Big Country
from the album The Buffalo Skinners
Released24 May 1993
Recorded1992
Length4:00 (edit)
5:03 (album version)
Label Fox Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Big Country
Big Country singles chronology
"Ships (Where Were You)"
(1993)		"The One I Love"
(1993)		"I'm Not Ashamed"
(1995)

"The One I Love" is a song by Scottish rock band Big Country, released in May 1993 as the third and final single from their sixth studio album, The Buffalo Skinners . It was written by Stuart Adamson and Bruce Watson, and was produced by Big Country.

Contents

"The One I Love" was released in the United States only, although a potential UK and European release was also considered at the time. [1] The song generated airplay on rock radio in the States and reached number 17 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and number 34 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks charts. [2] [3]

Background

In 2004, guitarist Bruce Watson recalled of the song, "It was originally demoed in my home studio in Charlestown. It was a case of me having the intro and the verse worked out and Stuart having the chorus and the middle 8 worked out. A lot of Big Country songs were bolted together and this song is a prime example." [4] Bassist Tony Butler said in 2006 that the song "should have been a massive hit". [5]

Critical reception

Upon its release, Larry Flick of Billboard described the song as an "urgent, anthemic ditty" which "marks a welcome and surprisingly potent return for the band". He added, "Adamson's voice is in top shape, and the production is forceful without flying over the edge into melodrama." [6] In a review of The Buffalo Skinners, Kim DeFalco of The Tampa Tribune commented, "Adamson burrows into his own psyche for moody, bluesy songs of alienation such as 'The One I Love'." [7] Dick Hogan of The Gazette wrote, "It opens with a mellow touch before breaking into layered guitars and features a catchy, multi-track sing-along hook." [8]

Roberto Gonzalez of the Hartford Courant considered the song "undeniably catchy" but reminiscent of the band's 1983 hit "In a Big Country". [9] John Everson of the Southtown Star commented, "Singles like 'Alone' and 'The One I Love' should have no trouble finding an FM home". [10] Johnny Loftus of AllMusic noted that the "strength of 'Seven Waves' and 'One I Love''s choruses is so pure and honest, it's hard not to get butterflies in the bridge". [11]

Track listing

Cassette single

  1. "The One I Love" – 5:03
  2. "The Selling of America" – 4:20

CD single (promo)

  1. "The One I Love" (Edit) – 4:00
  2. "The One I Love" (Remix) – 4:03
  3. "The One I Love" (Album Version) – 5:03

Personnel

Big Country

Additional musicians

Production

Other

Charts

Chart (1993)Peak
position
US Billboard Album Rock Tracks [3] 34
US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks [2] 17

References

  1. ↑ "Inwards Issue 4 - Page 4". Bigcountryinfo.com. Retrieved 2019-09-22.
  2. 1 2 Billboard. "Big Country The One I Love Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 22, 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-22.
  3. 1 2 Billboard. "Big Country The One I Love Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 22, 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-22.
  4. ↑ "The Buffalo Skinners (US Master Edition) - Liner notes by Bruce Watson". Bigcountryinfo.com. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  5. ↑ "The Buffalo Skinners: Notes by Tony Butler (from fan forum on www.bigcountry.co.uk)". Bigcountryinfo.com. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  6. ↑ Flick, Larry (21 August 1993). "Single Reviews". Billboard . Vol. 105, no. 34. Billboard Publications, Inc. p. 53. ISSN   0006-2510.
  7. ↑ DeFalco, Kim (17 September 1993). "Records". The Tampa Tribune.
  8. ↑ Hogan, Dick (1 October 1993). "'Buffalo' harkens back to Big Country's roots". The Gazette.
  9. ↑ Gonzalez, Roberto (23 September 1993). "Recordings". The Hartford Courant.
  10. ↑ Everson, John (4 November 1993). "Big Country, Meat Loaf return with new recordings". The Southtown Star.
  11. ↑ Johnny Loftus (1993-09-14). "The Buffalo Skinners - Big Country | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-09-22.
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