"I'm the Only One" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Melissa Etheridge Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist. Her Melissa Etheridge (album), eponymous debut album was released in 1988 and became an underground success. It peaked at No. 22 on the Billbo ...

from her fourth studio album, '' Yes I Am'' (1993). It was released as the first single in September 1993, by

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

, reaching No. 12 in Canada and No. 26 in the Netherlands. In the United States, it was slow to gain momentum, but after the success of " Come to My Window", it was re-released, peaking at No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 1 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

chart in January 1995. It remains Etheridge's biggest hit on either chart and earned her a nomination for the

Grammy Award for Best Rock Song The Grammy Award for Best Rock Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rock music genre. Honors in several ...

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

Content

Like many songs on her first album, ''

'', "I'm the Only One" deals with non-monogamous relationships. In the verses, the singer tells how much she suffers because her partner desires someone else. In the chorus, the singer reminds her partner that even if her partner is in a new relationship, that the singer will always be the only one who really loves them with passion.

Accolades

Music video

The music video for "I'm the Only One" shows Etheridge performing at a club, with several close-up shots of her face, while couples dance sensually. It was directed by David Hogan, marking their first collaboration on a video, and won the

GLAAD Media Award The GLAAD Media Award is a US accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding portrayals of LGBTQ people and the issues that affect their lives. In addition to film and television, the Awards ...

for Outstanding Music Video. Hogan, who became friends with Etheridge, later helmed several other of her videos, including " Your Little Secret" in 1995 and " I Want to Be in Love" in 2001.

Track listings

All songs were written by Melissa Etheridge, except for Maggie May, written by

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...

and

Martin Quittenton Martin Quittenton (22 April 1945 – 16 April 2015) was a British guitarist and composer. He played in the blues rock band Steamhammer, formed in 1968. Their debut album '' Steamhammer'' was released in 1969. Quittenton also worked with Rod Stew ...

. * US cassette single # "I'm the Only One" (album version) – 4:54 # "Maggie May" (live) – 6:18 * US maxi-CD single # "I'm the Only One" (album version) – 4:54 # "Maggie May" (live) – 6:18 # "Ain't It Heavy" (live) – 4:13 # "I'm the Only One" (live) – 5:26 * UK 7-inch single :A. "I'm the Only One" (edit) – 4:15 :B. "I'm the Only One" (live) – 5:30 * UK CD single # "I'm the Only One" (edit) – 4:15 # " Bring Me Some Water" – 4:22 # "I'm the Only One" (live) – 5:30 # "Yes I Am" (live) – 5:02 * Dutch CD single # "I'm the Only One" (edit) – 4:15 # "I'm the Only One" (live) – 5:30 # "Yes I Am" (live) – 5:02

Credits and personnel

* Vocals and acoustic guitar by Melissa Etheridge * Drums and percussion by Mauricio Fritz Lewak * Electric guitar by

Waddy Wachtel Robert "Waddy" Wachtel (born May 24, 1947) is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work. Wachtel has worked as session musician for other artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Beth Hart, Stevie Nicks, Miranda ...

* Keyboards by Scott Thurston * Bass by

Pino Palladino Giuseppe Henry "Pino" Palladino (born 17 October 1957) is a Welsh musician, songwriter, and record producer. A session bassist, he has played bass for a number of acts such as the Who, the John Mayer Trio, Gary Numan, Paul Young, Don Henle ...

Engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

by Hugh Padgham * Assistant engineering by Greg Goldman, John Aguto, and Mike Baumgartner * Mixing by Hugh Padgham * Mastering by

Bob Ludwig Robert Carl Ludwig (born December 11, 1944), is a retired American mastering engineer. He mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists, including Led Zeppeli ...

at Gateway Mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

* Melissa Etheridge – ''Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled'' – Bonus DVD

External links

musicmoz.org
{{Authority control 1993 singles 1993 songs Island Records singles Melissa Etheridge songs Music videos directed by David Hogan Song recordings produced by Hugh Padgham Songs written by Melissa Etheridge