"I Am the Resurrection" is a song by

the Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist I ...

and the final song on the UK version of their debut album. The last four minutes of the song is an

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

outro. The

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

was released on 30 March 1992, and reached number 33 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 ...

. It was the second of two singles released from their début album while the band were estranged from their label Silvertone.

Background

Regarding the song's origin, drummer Reni revealed the track originated when bassist

Mani Mani may refer to: Geography * Maní, Casanare, a town and municipality in Casanare Department, Colombia * Mani, Chad, a town and sub-prefecture in Chad * Mani, Evros, a village in northeastern Greece * Mani, Karnataka, a village in Dakshi ...

played the riff of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' "

Taxman "Taxman" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album ''Revolver''. Written by the group's lead guitarist, George Harrison, with some lyrical assistance from John Lennon, it protests against the higher level of progress ...

" backwards. Reni said, "Mani would play the riff backwards during sound-checks and we played along over the top for a laugh. Finally we said, Let's do this joke-song properly and see what happens."

Artwork

John Squire designed the "I Am the Resurrection" cover, (an up-close shot from the cover of the first album) continuing the

Jackson Pollock Paul Jackson Pollock (; January 28, 1912August 11, 1956) was an American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. He was widely noticed for his " drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household paint onto a hor ...

-influenced theme of singles from ''The Stone Roses''.

Reception

''Q'' magazine placed it at number 10 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' magazine placed "I Am the Resurrection" at number 8 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever. ''NME'' also placed it at number 100 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Religious and Messianic language

Biblical scholar James Crossley has noted the biblical language throughout the song where the singer takes on the role of a Christ-like or God-like figure ("I am the resurrection and I am the life"). In addition to the title alluding to John 11, he argues that there are references to stubbornness and repentance found in the prophetic literature of the Old Testament (which repeatedly uses the language of "turning" to God) and persistence and redemption in the New Testament which uses the language of knocking at doors (e.g. Luke 11.5-10; Luke 13.23-27). In Crossley's view, the song partly functions as "a story of God and Israel/humanity in the Bible" but now "applied to a human relationship".

Track listings

7-inch vinyl (Silvertone ORE 40), cassette (Silvertone ORE 40C) #"I Am the Resurrection" (Pan and Scan Radio Version) (3:45) #"I Am the Resurrection" (Highly Resurrected Dub) (3:30) 12-inch vinyl (Silvertone ORE T 40) #"I Am the Resurrection" (Extended 16:9 Ratio Club Mix) by

Simon Harris Simon Harris (born 17 October 1986) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael since 2024. A TD for the Wicklow constituency since 2011, he has served as a minister in the government of Ireland since 2016 and f ...

(8:22) #"I Am the Resurrection" (Original LP version) (8:12) #"Fools Gold" (Bottom Won Mix) (6:59) CD (Silvertone ORE CD 40) #"I Am the Resurrection" (Pan and Scan Radio Version) by

(3:45) #"I Am the Resurrection" (5:3 Stoned Out Club Mix) (5:40) #"I Am the Resurrection" (Original LP version) (8:12) #"Fools Gold" (Bottom Won Mix) (6:59)

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1992 singles 1992 songs The Stone Roses songs Songs written by Ian Brown Songs written by John Squire