"I'm One" is a song by

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

. It was released on the group's

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

rock opera album ''

Quadrophenia ''Quadrophenia'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the two previous being the "mini-opera" song "A Quick One, Whil ...

''. Written and sung by

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...

, the song has since become a fan favorite.

Background

"I'm One" is one of the main moments of introspection spread throughout the narrative and also an indication that Jimmy, the main character of the album's story, may not be as Mod as he would wish to appear, given the way he asks a fellow Mod where he got his clothes (Mods would lose face asking another Mod where he obtained his clothes from). Pete Townshend said of the song's lyrical inspiration: The song features an acoustic opening followed by the rest of the band (excluding singer Roger Daltrey) joining in. "I'm One" was one of the ten original ''Quadrophenia'' tracks to appear in remixed form on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...

to the Who's 1979 film ''Quadrophenia'', which was based on the original rock opera. This version of the song also saw single release as the B-side to the 1979 remixed single release of "5.15." The song is featured on the soundtrack for ''

Freaks and Geeks ''Freaks and Geeks'' is an American teen drama, teen comedy-drama television series created by Paul Feig and executive producer, executive-produced by Judd Apatow that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 United States network television schedul ...

'' in the episode "Dead Dogs and Gym Teachers", which featured many of the Who's songs.

Live performances

This song was performed first on the band's original

- 1974 ''Quadrophenia'' Tour, but it was never performed with Moon again afterwards. It made sporadic appearances in the

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

(only once), 1982 (only the first verse; as an intro to "The Punk and the Godfather") and

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

tours as well. It was then brought back for every concert on the 1996-1997 ''Quadrophenia'' Tour. Performances after that, from

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

onward, were often performed by Pete Townshend alone on stage (although some feature the full band).

Appearances

The following ''Who'' albums and DVDs feature "I'm One": *''

'' *''

'' (soundtrack) *'' Live at the Royal Albert Hall'' (with Eddie Vedder) *'' The Who & Special Guests: Live at the Royal Albert Hall'' (with Eddie Vedder) *'' Tommy and Quadrophenia Live'' *''

Encore Series 2002 The Encore Series are concert recordings developed initially in 2002 through a partnership between The Who anTheMusic.com The series was created as legal alternative to bootlegs of major artists' complete concert tours. Each series is authorised ...

'' (certain concerts) *'' Encore Series 2004'' (one concert) *'' Encore Series 2006 and 2007'' (certain concerts) *'' Quadrophenia Live in London''

Personnel

– lead vocals, guitar, keyboards * John Entwistle – bass * Keith Moon – drums

In Popular Culture

The song is featured in the

episode "Dead Dogs and Gym Teachers", in a montage where Bill Haverchuck eats and watches TV after school.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:I'm One 1973 songs The Who songs Songs written by Pete Townshend Song recordings produced by Glyn Johns Song recordings produced by Pete Townshend