"I Am What I Am" is a song written by

Victor Willis Victor Edward Willis (born July 1, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is the founding member of the disco group Village People. He performed as their lead singer and was co-songwriter for all of their most successful singles ...

Henri Belolo Henri Belolo (; 27 November 1936 – 3 August 2019) was a French music producer and songwriter active during the disco era. Born in Morocco, he started his career as a club DJ and A&R man. In the 1970s, with his friend, composer Jacques Moral ...

, Peter Whitehead and

Jacques Morali Jacques Morali (4 July 1947 – 15 November 1991) was a French disco and dance music record producer and songwriter, known for creating acts like The Ritchie Family and Village People. Early life Morali was born in Casablanca, Morocco ...

that was first released by the

Village People Village People is an American disco group known for its on-stage costumes and suggestive lyrics in their music. The group was originally formed by French producers Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis following the release ...

on their 1978 album '' Macho Man''. It was also released as a single with "Key West" as the b-side in some countries including Germany and the UK. It did not chart in those countries, but it reached #4 on the

Billboard Dance Chart Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

in a medley with "Key West" and " Macho Man". It has since been released on several Village People greatest hits

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

s. It was also included on the soundtrack for the 1978 film '' Thank God It's Friday''. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' critic Mitchell Schneider described "I Am What I Am" as a "human-rights anthem". Village People singer Randy Jones describes the song as "a gay liberation statement, aimed directly at gays and lesbians who were standing up without apology for their lifestyle" and as the group's "first gay liberation song". He says that the theme of the song is the virtue of being yourself, and not just if you're gay or

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

but even just if you want to dress in an unusual manner, as long as you don't hurt anyone else. Co-writer Willis similar says that the theme is not limited to gays but that "we're saying to everyone – be who you are. We're for people liberation." Michael DeAngelis describes the theme as being "pride and faithfulness to the individual and authentic self." DeAngelis notes that this theme had particular resonance at the time, when the gay community was in the process of "coming out" and a general cultural obsession was finding healthy ways to feel good about oneself. Frédéric Martel identifies "I Am What I Am" as one of five Village People songs that were touchstones to the gay movement in France when they came out ("

San Francisco (You've Got Me) "San Francisco (You've Got Me)" is the debut single by the American disco group Village People. It was released in 1977 as the lead single from their self-titled debut studio album. The song reached number fifteen on the Australian Kent Music ...

", "Macho Man", "

Y.M.C.A. YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

" and "

In the Navy "In the Navy" is a song by American disco group Village People. It was released as the first single from their fourth studio album, '' Go West'' (1979). It was a number one hit in Canada, Flanders, Japan and the Netherlands, while reaching numbe ...

" being the others). Judith A. Peraino described "I Am What I Am" as a "hit single" while Boze Hadleigh described it as a "pre-hit". Sharon Davis claimed that lyrics are "so camp they have to held down with tent pegs." But ''

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 advertise ...

'' described it as "provocative", describing it as a "gay pride anthem with its activist lyrics and basic theme." ''Billboard'' also praised the

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...

and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

and horn arrangements.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

critic Amy Hanson described it as "a well-constructed slab of

groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...

", despite lacking subtlety. ''

'' critic Mitchell Schneider regarded "I Am What I Am" as the best song on ''Macho Man'' stating that Willis' voice is "full of anger and delight" on the song and concluding that "because the song seems so committed, it makes the rest of the material sound downright pointless." The song's title was later reused by

Jerry Herman Gerald Sheldon Herman (July 10, 1931December 26, 2019) was an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway theatre. One of the most commercially successful Broadway songwriters of his time, Herman was the composer and lyricis ...

for a 1983 hit song performed by

Gloria Gaynor Gloria Gaynor ( née Fowles; born September 7, 1943) is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits "I Will Survive" (1978), " Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (1979), " I Am What I Am" (1983), and her version of "Never Can Say Goodbye" ( ...

, which also had gay pride as a theme.

Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...

later used the title phrase for a successful trainers advertising campaign.

"Key West"

The b-side of the "I Am What I Am" single was "Key West". Like "I Am What I Am", "Key West" was part of the medley that reached #4 on the ''Billboard'' Dance Chart and Peraino also described "Key West" as a "hit single". Jones described "Key West" as "a salute to the Florida town that

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

and

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

, along with gay men and women, had made a vacation destination." He noted that it is a "gay friendly resort" that is so "different-thinking" that it remained in the Union despite Florida seceding in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. Author Chuck Eddy describes "Key West" as one of the Village People's "small hits" and one of several of their songs to "stump for substitute

utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...

s...where there's plenty of 'unity,' 'happiness,' 'liberation' and 'togetherness.' "Key West" has been included on several Village People greatest hits

compilation albums A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

Charts

References

{{authority control 1978 singles Village People songs Casablanca Records singles Songs written by Victor Willis Songs written by Henri Belolo Songs written by Jacques Morali Disco songs LGBT-related songs Song recordings produced by Jacques Morali 1978 songs