The Only One I Know

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"The Only One I Know"
Charlatans The Only One I Know.jpg
UK 12-inch cover artwork
Single by the Charlatans
from the album Some Friendly
B-side
  • "Everything Changed"
  • "Imperial 109"
  • "You Can Talk to Me"
Released14 May 1990 (1990-05-14)
Studio The Winding Studios (Wrexham, Wales)
Genre
Length4:00
Label Situation Two
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Chris Nagle
The Charlatans singles chronology
"Indian Rope"
(1990)		"The Only One I Know"
(1990)		"Then"
(1990)

"The Only One I Know" is the second single by English rock band the Charlatans. It was their first top-10 hit, reaching No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart. In the UK, it was the highest-charting single from the Some Friendly album. Its best showing in the United States was on the Modern Rock Chart, where it reached No. 5 in September 1990.

Contents

Background

The song contained lines directly lifted from the Byrds' 1967 song "Everybody's Been Burned," [1] while the melody prominently features an organ riff lifted from the Deep Purple rendition of the song "Hush". [3] In addition, Martin Blunt has described Jon Baker's guitar part as resembling that of the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On".

Tim Burgess has described the song as being "about teenage feelings: I like somebody, why do they not like me? I was 21 or 22, but still had those powerful emotions". According to him, the band initially intended to record a different song, "Polar Bear", for release as their second single, but after both a friend of Burgess' and their record label Beggars Banquet Records suggested that "The Only One I Know" would be a better choice they changed plans. Burgess has described the song as having an unusual construction: "I’m still not sure which bit is the chorus. The title and main hook is in the verse, but the intro – before the main song crashes in – gives people just enough time to get on the dancefloor". Blunt has said that the breakdown to his bass part after the second verse was influenced by funk and Stax Records' southern soul sound. After the band recorded the track at The Winding Studios in Wrexham, it underwent further mixing by Chris Nagle at Strawberry Studios in Stockport. [4]

The song was also included as a track on the 1990 compilation album Happy Daze .

Track listings

All tracks were written by Baker, Blunt, Brookes, Burgess, and Collins, except "Then", written by Blunt, Brookes, Burgess, and Collins.

7-inch single [5]

  1. "The Only One I Know" – 3:56
  2. "Everything Changed" – 3:21

12-inch single [6]

A1. "The Only One I Know" – 4:00
B1. "Imperial 109" (edit) – 3:44
B2. "Everything Changed" – 3:23

UK CD single [7]

  1. "The Only One I Know" – 3:56
  2. "Imperial 109" (edit) – 3:41
  3. "Everything Changed" – 3:21
  4. "You Can Talk to Me" – 4:49

US cassette single [9]

  1. "The Only One I Know" (edit) – 3:25
  2. "Then" (alternative take) – 5:45

Charts

Chart (1990–1991)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [10] 75
Ireland (IRMA) [11] 11
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [12] 56
UK Singles (OCC) [13] 9
US Album Rock Tracks ( Billboard ) [14] 37
US Modern Rock Tracks ( Billboard ) [15] 5

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [16] Gold400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref(s).
United Kingdom14 May 1990
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
 Situation Two [17] [18]
21 May 19907-inch vinyl [19]
Australia16 July 1990
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • cassette
 [20]

Notable cover versions

The song was covered in a funk-infused take by English DJ and producer Mark Ronson for his 2007 studio album of cover versions, Version , featuring vocals by pop superstar and former Take That member Robbie Williams. [21] The Apple Music description of Version dubs Ronson and Williams' rendition as having "transformed a baggy anthem into a Northern soul stomper". [22] This version was also featured on select editions of Williams' 2010 greatest hits album In and Out of Consciousness: Greatest Hits 1990–2010 . [21] [23] When Ronson performed the song during his set at the 2007 BBC Electric Proms, after Williams was unavailable, the Charlatans' frontman Tim Burgess stepped in on vocals alongside Mark Collins, the band's guitarist since 1991. [24]

References

  1. 1 2 "BBC – Music TV – Pop on trial – 1950s-1990s". BBC Online . Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  2. ↑ Version (Bonus Tracks) by Mark Ronson on Apple Music, 14 April 2007, retrieved 1 August 2025
  3. ↑ Raggett, Ned. "The Charlatans UK – Only One I Know". AllMusic . Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  4. ↑ Simpson, Dave (15 November 2021). "The Charlatans: how we made The Only One I Know – 'I'm still not sure which bit's the chorus'". The Guardian . Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  5. ↑ The Only One I Know (UK 7-inch single vinyl disc). The Charlatans. Situation Two. 1990. SIT 70.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ↑ The Only One I Know (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). The Charlatans. Situation Two. 1990. SIT 70 T.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ↑ The Only One I Know (UK CD single liner notes). The Charlatans. Situation Two. 1990. SIT 70 CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ↑ The Only One I Know (US CD single liner notes). The Charlatans. RCA Records. 1990. 2690-2-HS.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ↑ The Only One I Know (US cassette single sleeve). The Charlatans. RCA Records. 1990. 2451-4-HS.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  11. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Only One I Know". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  12. ↑ "The Charlatans – The Only One I Know" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  13. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  14. ↑ "Mainstream Rock Airplay" . Billboard . 19 January 1991. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  15. ↑ "Alternative Airplay" . Billboard. 15 September 1990. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  16. ↑ "British single certifications – Charlatans – The Only One I Know". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  17. ↑ "New Singles". Music Week . 12 May 1990. p. 43.
  18. ↑ "Singles". Archived from the original on 1 May 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  19. ↑ "New Singles". Music Week. 19 May 1990. p. 37.
  20. ↑ "New Release Summary: Singles". The ARIA Report . No. 27. 15 July 1990. p. 19.
  21. 1 2 Mark Ronson feat. Robbie Williams - The Only One I Know - hitparade.ch , retrieved 11 July 2025
  22. ↑ Version (Bonus Tracks) by Mark Ronson on Apple Music, 14 April 2007, retrieved 1 August 2025
  23. ↑ "Robbie Williams - The Greatest Hits 1990-2010 In And Out Of Consciousness (3CD Deluxe Edition) - CDs at Play.com (UK)". www.play.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  24. ↑ "BBC - Electric Proms 2007 - Mark Ronson and special guests with the BBC Concert Orchestra". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
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