''I'm the One'' is an

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, Folk music, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm ...

released in May 1982 which reached #59 on the album chart in ''

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 ...

'' whose R&B album chart afforded the album a #16 peak. The

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...

Carole Bayer Sager Carole Bayer Sager (born Carol Bayer on March 8, 1944) is an American lyricist, singer, songwriter, and painter. Early life and career Carole Bayer was born in New York City, to Anita Nathan Bayer and Eli Bayer. Her family was Jewish. She gradu ...

-produced "

Making Love ''Making Love'' is a 1982 American drama (film and television), drama film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Kate Jackson, Harry Hamlin and Michael Ontkean. The film tells the story of a married man coming to terms with his homosexuality an ...

", which appeared in the film of the same name and in the spring of 1982 had afforded Flack her final solo

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

hit (#13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100), was included on the ''I'm the One'' album along with eight new tracks co-produced by William Eaton,

Ralph MacDonald Ralph Anthony MacDonald (March 15, 1944 – December 18, 2011) was an American percussionist, steelpan virtuoso, songwriter, musical arranger, and record producer. His compositions include " Where Is the Love", a Grammy Award winner for the due ...

, William Salter and Flack herself. The track "I'm the One," given parallel single release with the album, peaked at #42 on the Hot 100 where it marked Flack's final solo appearance, although she'd return to the Hot 100 in 1983 with the duets "

Tonight, I Celebrate My Love "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" is a romantic ballad written by lyricist Gerry Goffin with Michael Masser and recorded by Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack for their 1983 album of duets, '' Born to Love'', issued as the lead single. The track—produ ...

" (#16) and "You're Looking Like Love to Me" (#58) (both with

Peabo Bryson Robert Peapo "Peabo" Bryson ( ; born April 13, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for singing soul ballads (often as a duet with female singers) including the hit singles " Tonight, I Celebrate My Love", "You're Looking Like ...

) and again in 1991 with "Set the Night to Music" (with

Maxi Priest Max Alfred Elliott (born 10 June 1961), known by his stage name Maxi Priest, is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with an Contemporary R&B, R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion. ...

/ #6). A third single from the ''I'm the One'' album: "In the Name of Love", reached #24 on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart.

Track listing

#"I'm the One" (William Eaton,

, William Salter) - 4:05

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 ...

A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

#"'Till the Morning Comes" (Casey Daniels, Ralph MacDonald, William Salter) - 3:54
Single 2

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

#"Love and Let Love" (William Eaton, Ralph MacDonald, William Salter) - 4:34 #"Never Loved Before" (

Bobby Caldwell Robert Hunter Caldwell (August 15, 1951 – March 14, 2023) was an American singer and songwriter. He released several albums spanning R&B, soul, jazz, and adult contemporary. He is known for his soulful and versatile vocals. Caldwell release ...

, Henry Grumpo Marx) - 3:58 #"In the Name of Love" (Ralph MacDonald, William Salter,

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He is known for having several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), "Use Me ( ...

) - 4:00
Single 3 A-side #"Ordinary Man" (

) - 4:26 #"

" (

, Bruce Roberts,

) - 3:43
Single 1 A-side #"Happiness" (

Harriet Schock Harriet Schock (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter. She made three albums for a major label in the 1970s, scoring gold and platinum awards for her Grammy-nominated " Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady". She later moved into t ...

, William D. Smith) - 3:22
Single 3 B-side #"My Love for You" (

Brenda Russell Brenda Russell (née Gordon; born April 8, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and keyboardist. Russell has a diverse musical range which encompasses Rhythm and blues, R&B, pop music, pop, soul music, soul, dance music, dance, and ...

, William D. Smith) - 3:22

Personnel

* Roberta Flack – vocals *

Richard Tee Richard Edward Tee (born Richard Edward Ten Ryk; November 24, 1943 – July 21, 1993) was an American jazz fusion pianist, studio musician, singer and arranger, who had several hundred studio credits and played on such notable hits as " I'll B ...

–

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...

(1-6, 7-9), acoustic piano (7) * Paul Griffin –

Oberheim OB-X The Oberheim OB-X was the first of Oberheim Electronics, Oberheim's OB-series polyphony (instrument), polyphonic Analog synthesizer, analog Subtractive synthesis, subtractive synthesizers. First commercially available in June 1979, the OB-X was ...

(1-6, 8, 9) *

– synthesizers (7) * Craig Hundley – synthesizers (7) *

Eric Gale Eric Gale (September 20, 1938 – May 25, 1994) was an American jazz and jazz fusion guitarist. Biography Eric Gale was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. His grandfather was English, and Gale had relatives in Venezuela and Bar ...

– guitars (1-6, 8, 9) *

Lee Ritenour Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s. Biography Ritenour was born in 1952, in Los Angeles, California. At the age of eight he started playing guitar and four years l ...

– guitars (7) *

Marcus Miller William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonists Wayne Shorter and David Sa ...

– bass (1-6, 8, 9) *

Neil Stubenhaus Neil Stubenhaus is an American bass guitarist. Career He started his musical training playing drums and switched to bass guitar at the age of 12. In one of his early bands, The Neighbourhood in 1969, he played with future Kiss guitarist Vinnie V ...

– bass (7) *

Steve Gadd Stephen Kendall Gadd (born April 9, 1945) is an American jazz fusion drummer, percussionist, and session musician. Gadd is one of the best-known and most highly regarded session and studio drummers in the industry, recognized by his induction i ...

– drums (1-3, 5, 6, 8, 9) * Buddy Williams – drums (4) *

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Do ...

– drums (7) *

– percussion (1-6, 8, 9) *

Paulinho da Costa Paulinho da Costa (, born Paulo Roberto da Costa on May 31, 1948) is a Brazilian percussionist. Beginning his career as a samba musician in Brazil, he moved to the United States in the early 1970s and worked with Brazilian bandleader Sérgio Me ...

– percussion (7) * Grover Washington Jr. – soprano sax solo (5, 9) * Vivian Cherry – backing vocals *

Kasey Cisyk Kvitka Cisyk (April 4, 1953The Myth of Kvitka
The Ukrainian Week (11 April 2013) – March 29, 199 ...

– backing vocals * William Eaton – backing vocals, all arrangements * Frank Floyd – backing vocals *

Diva Gray Diva Gray (September 14, 1952 – November 19, 2024) was an American singer. She was best known as a background vocalist behind the band Chic with Luther Vandross and Robin Clark, as well as in other disco groups, including Change, and Lemon with ...

– backing vocals * Zachary Sanders – backing vocals

Production

* William Eaton – producer (1-6, 8, 9) * Roberta Flack – producer (1-6, 8, 9) * Ralph MacDonald – producer (1-6, 8, 9) * William Salter – producer (1-6, 8, 9) * Burt Bacharach – producer (7) * Carole Bayer Sager – producer (7) * Richard Alderson – engineer (1-6, 8, 9) * Carla Bandini – engineer (1-6, 8, 9) * Mike Bradley – engineer (1-6, 8, 9) * Ollie Cotton – engineer (1-6, 8, 9) * Ed Rak – engineer (1-6, 8, 9) *

Elliot Scheiner Elliot Ray Scheiner (born March 18, 1947) is a music producer, mixer and engineer. Scheiner has received 27 Grammy Award nominations (winning eight), four Emmy nominations (winning two Emmy Awards for his work with the Eagles on their farewell t ...

– engineer (1-6, 8, 9), remixing *

Bruce Swedien Bruce Swedien ( ) (April 19, 1934 – November 16, 2020) was an American recording engineer, mixing engineer and record producer. He was widely known for his work with Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney and Barbra Streisand. Swedie ...

– engineer (7) * Kendall Brown – assistant engineer (1-6, 8, 9) * Eddie Heath – assistant engineer (1-6, 8, 9) * Anthony McDonald – assistant engineer (1-6, 8, 9) * Lamont Moreno – assistant engineer (1-6, 8, 9) * Renee Bell – production coordinator * Janaire Boger – production coordinator * Jacklyn Brown – production coordinator * Kirk D. Fancher – production coordinator * Bob Defrin – art direction, design * Kinko Y. Craft – illustration

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control Roberta Flack albums 1982 albums Albums produced by Burt Bacharach Atlantic Records albums