"I Am, I Feel" is a song by British duo and sisters

Alisha's Attic Alisha's Attic were an English pop duo of the 1990s and early 2000s. The two members were sisters Shelly McErlaine (born Poole) and Karen Poole, born in Barking and Chadwell Heath respectively. Their father is Brian Poole of 1960s group Bria ...

, released as their debut single from the album, '' Alisha Rules the World'' (1996). It is written by sisters

Karen Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand ** Karen languages or Karenic l ...

and Shelly Poole, and produced by Dave Stewart. The single quickly became a radio and chart hit in the UK, peaking at number 14 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. A

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was also produced to promote the single. Lyrically, the duo has stated that it is about "a woman rebelling against a man" in a relationship gone bad. It was nominated in the category Best Song Musically & Lyrically at the 1997

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Chart performance

In the duo's native UK, "I Am, I Feel" debuted at number 15 on the

on July 28, 1996. The song peaked the following week at number 14. It then dropped to number 15 for two weeks, then number 18 for two more weeks, 25 and finally 35, before leaving the UK Top 40 in September. In France, it only spent one week in the SNEP singles chart, entering at number 40 on January 11, 1997. In Sweden, the single spent eight weeks inside

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, debuting in September 1996 and peaking three weeks later at number 23. The following weeks, the single dropped to number 27, 33, 36, 43 and 58 in November. Outside Europe, it peaked at number 18 in Australia.

Critical reception

"I Am, I Feel" received positive reviews from music critics. American magazine ''

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'' described it as a "engaging pop song", noting "the witty, assertive lyrics

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

show a confident act driven by intelligent songwriting capped with exciting vocals". Daina Darzin from ''

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'' stated that it "is well on its way to being a hit." She added that the song "is a great example of the more lighthearted end of this British female duo's quirky, funky sound (kinda like a cross between

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...

and

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) which adds a bit of

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

beat to a pretty melody and sarcastic lyrics like "I wanna bite his head off/Yeah that'd be fun."" Caroline Sullivan from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' said in her album review, "Their iron-fist-in-velvet-glove persona is mildly fetching on the kittenish singles I Am, I Said and Alisha Rules the World". A reviewer from ''

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'' rated it five out of five, picking it as Single of the Week and adding, "This brilliant pop song marks the debut of the

Dagenham Dagenham () is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred east of Charing Cross. It was historically a rural parish in the Becontree Hundred of Essex, stretching from Hainault Forest ...

duo of sisters and should launch them as one of the nation's finest pop hopes. Simply irresistible." ''

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'' complimented it as "catchy", stating that it "made you sing it over and over again!" In 2012, the song was picked as an Official Chart 'Pop Gem'. They noted that to date, it has sold 153,000 copies in the UK.

Track listing

* CD single, France (1996) #"I Am, I Feel" — 4:03 #"Angel Eyes" (Live @ The Corbin Hall) — 1:49 * CD single, UK (1996) #"I Am, I Feel" — 4:00 #"Angel Eyes" (Live @ The Corbin Hall) — 1:46 #"White Room" (Live @ The Corbin Hall) — 4:00 #"I Am, I Feel" (Dark Disco Mix) — 8:13 * CD maxi, Japan (1996) #"I Am, I Feel" — 4:00 #"Daffodil Or A Diamond" (Live @ The Corbin Hall) — 3:36 #"I Am, I Feel" (

Junior Vasquez Junior Vasquez (born Donald Gregory Mattern, August 24, 1949) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He has been referred to as one of the only DJs of his time to gain international attention. Career Mattern moved to New York City a ...

Urban Mix) — 5:55 #"I Am, I Feel" (Junior Vasquez Urban Beats) — 7:46

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Reflist 1996 debut singles 1996 songs British pop rock songs Mercury Records singles