"I Am (I'm Me)" is a song by American heavy metal band

Twisted Sister Twisted Sister was an American heavy metal band originally from Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, and later based on Long Island, New York. Their best-known songs include " We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock", both of which were associated with m ...

, released in 1983 as the lead single from their second studio album, '' You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll''. The song was written by

Dee Snider Daniel "Dee" Snider (born March 15, 1955)Tayler, LettaTwisted Sister's Dee Snider remembers his challenging Long Island upbringing "Newsday", March 15, 2016Archived here/ref> is an American singer, songwriter, radio personality, and actor. He w ...

and produced by Stuart Epps. "I Am (I'm Me)" was Twisted Sister's first chart hit, reaching number 18 in 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 ...

. It was their highest-charting entry in the UK and remained in the top 75 for nine weeks.

Background

In a 2016 interview with Songfacts, Snider singled out "I Am (I'm Me)" as one Twisted Sister song which he felt deserved more attention. He recalled, "'I Am (I'm Me)' should have gotten a lot more ttention It was our first hit in England, but it never got released in the States, and it could have been as big as ' We're Not Gonna Take It' as a rock anthem. And it's one of my favorite songs statement-wise."

Release

"I Am (I'm Me)" was Twisted Sister's debut single on

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

and preceded the release of its parent album, ''You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll''. It was the label's senior vice president,

Phil Carson Phil Carson is an English former record label owner and London-based Senior Vice President of Atlantic Records from 1968 to 1985. He is known for his association several rock bands, including Led Zeppelin, Yes, AC/DC, and Twisted Sister. Born i ...

, who signed the band to the label after seeing them perform live and, after then receiving a demo tape from them, identified "I Am (I'm Me)", among others, as a potential hit. The band soon began recording ''You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll'' at

Sol Studios Sol Studios (also known as The Mill or The Sol) is a recording studio located in Cookham, Berkshire, England. The recording studio and control room are part of the complex property, along an old watermill and residential wheelhouse in the country ...

in Cookham, England, and as recording approached completion, Carson devised a plan to give them their commercial breakthrough by releasing "I Am (I'm Me)" as a single. To provide some B-sides without sourcing songs from the upcoming album, Carson arranged for the band to perform two shows at London's

Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed whe ...

on March 5 and 6, 1983. Three live recordings would be produced for the single: "Sin After Sin" for both the 7-inch and 12-inch releases and "Destroyer" and "

It's Only Rock 'n' Roll ''It's Only Rock 'n Roll'' is the 12th British and 14th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 18 October 1974 by Rolling Stones Records. It was the last Rolling Stones album to feature guitarist Mick Tay ...

" for the 12-inch release. The single was a success, reaching number 18 in the

Promotion

In April 1983, the band embarked on a 12-date UK tour to promote both the single and the new album. As the song climbed the UK charts, the band performed it on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

''. Their appearance on the show, in full makeup, resulted in the BBC receiving a number of complaints from viewers. Snider recalled in his 2012 autobiography ''Shut Up and Give Me the Mic: A Twisted Memoir'', "Despite the fact that we were on with

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, author and mixed media artist. Best known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance, Boy George has been the lead singe ...

and

Culture Club Culture Club are an English pop band formed in London in 1981. The band comprises Boy George (lead vocals), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards), Mikey Craig (bass guitar) and formerly included Jon Moss (drums and percussion). Emerging in the New ...

, the ''TOTP'' viewers were mortified by our appearance and demeanor. Of course the metal fans loved having one of their own on the show for a change."

Critical reception

Upon its release as a single, Kimberley Leston of ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' called "I Am (I'm Me)" "sweaty rock for the lads delivered by a gruesome-looking bunch in extremely ungainly togs". Jim Reid of ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' wrote, "People get paid quite good money to drill the roads. My advice to Twisted Sister, grab a pneumatic pretty damn quick, it'll make a sweeter sound than this record and pays a lot beter than the royalties from five record sales."

Track listing

7–inch single (UK and Europe) #"I Am (I'm Me)" – 3:36 #"Sin After Sin" (Recorded live at the Marquee, 5/6 March 1983) – 3:26 12–inch single (UK and Europe) #"I Am (I'm Me)" – 3:36 #"Sin After Sin" (Recorded live at the Marquee, 5/6 March 1983) – 3:26 #"Destroyer" (Recorded live at the Marquee, 5/6 March 1983) – 4:23 #"

" (Recorded live at the Marquee, 5/6 March 1983) – 11:09

Personnel

Twisted Sister *

– lead vocals, backing vocals * Jay Jay French – guitars, backing vocals * Eddie "Fingers" Ojeda – guitars, backing vocals * Mark "The Animal" Mendoza – bass, backing vocals *

A. J. Pero Anthony Jude Pero (October 14, 1959 – March 20, 2015) was an American drummer, in American heavy metal bands Twisted Sister and Adrenaline Mob. Biography Pero went to St. Peter's Boys High School in Staten Island but left because the faculty ...

– drums, backing vocals Production * Stuart Epps – production (all tracks), engineering ("I Am (I'm Me)" only), mixing (all tracks) * Mark "The Animal" Mendoza – studio assistance (all tracks) * Charles Barreca – live sound engineering ("Sin After Sin", "Destroyer" and "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll") * Phil Harding – engineering ("Sin After Sin", "Destroyer" and "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll") Other * Ross Halfin – front sleeve photography (7-inch single) * Fin Costello – back sleeve photography (7-inch single), photography (12-inch single) * Suzette Guilot Snider – costume and makeup design

Charts

References

{{authority control 1983 songs 1983 singles Twisted Sister songs Songs written by Dee Snider Atlantic Records singles