When Joan Osborne released her chart-topping Relish album on Mercury way back in 1995, she worked with the production team of Rick Chertoff, Rob Hyman, and Eric Bazilian. That album yielded the single 'One of Us,' which has become a culturally ubiquitous song. It points to spiritual questions and ambivalence, but it also underscores the Lilith Fair period in pop music. Since that time, Osborne has recorded five more albums of varying quality (including a Christmas record), issued a greatest-hits comp, and was an integral part of the film and soundtrack for Standing in the Shadows of Motown; she was also an occasional member of theGrateful Dead's touring ensemble for a couple of years. She's done soul, singer/songwriter, and adult pop albums, but none of them, despite their aesthetic merit, have ever scored anything close to the popular acclaim as Relish did.
On Little Wild One, released on the Suguaro Records label, Osborne reunites the award-winning team that produced Relish and has written 9 of 11 songs with its various members. The album is consciously directed less at showcasing the force of nature that is her singing voice, and more toward showcasing her as a chanteuse of sophisticated, songwriter-oriented pop and soft rock. As a group, this quartet works well together. There is a seamless quality to these songs and their performances that is cohesive yet fluid. The opening track, 'Hallelujah in the City,' is a clear stunner; both a prayer to some nebulous spiritual force and a revisiting of 'One of Us's spiritual ambivalence from the other side; there is real reverence here, but ultimately we have no idea who this statement of need is directed toward: God? A betrayed loved one? A Muse? Its military snare, open, ringing electric guitars, hurdy-gurdy, and piano offer a framework for an anthem and Osborne delivers it but subtly. Her voice is wide and clear, singing both to the heavens and to her adopted hometown of New York City, which is both a topical and a poetic muse on Little Wild One and is referenced on numerous cuts. It gives way to 'Sweeter Than the Rest,' a midtempo, minor-key rocker that, because of its electric 12-string electric guitars, is reminiscent of some of Tom Petty's earlier work -- jazz bassist Mark Egan also returns from the Relish roster to play bass here and on other select cuts on the disc.
The title track features Osborne on vocals and Bazilian on everything else. It's a paean to wild desire delivered without overt force that contains a maximum of direct, unsubtle sensuality. There is a conscious debt to Bo Diddley on 'Rodeo,' it's framed with that wonderful, shuffling rhythmic structure and expands from there. One of the covers here is a contemporary -- nearly unrecognizable -- reading of the Rev. Gary Davis' 'Light of This World.' The set closes with an old-timey, gospel-style ballad called 'Bury Me on the Battery,' another homage to New York. Only Hyman accompanies Osborne and her guitar on his warm, upright piano. It's a beautiful closer to a varied set of tracks that does nothing to put Osborne in a cage, but serves to give notice that in her ongoing restless career, she's not above revisiting periods where the creative process of collaboration was symbiotic as well as successful.
When Joan Osborne released 'What if God was One of Us', I simply hated it. It's still one of my least favorite songs of all time. However, an indie FM station played some of the other songs on the radio. I was hooked! Joan Osborne is one of the most underrated singers, and this compilation proves it.
Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 04:16 | |||
2 | Eric Bazilian / Rick Chertoff / Joan Osborne | 04:08 | ||
3 | 04:16 | |||
4 | Eric Bazilian / Joan Osborne | 03:31 | ||
5 | Eric Bazilian / Rick Chertoff / Dave Forman / Joan Osborne | 03:39 | ||
6 | 04:25 | |||
7 | Eric Bazilian / Rick Chertoff / Dave Forman | 03:28 | ||
8 | 03:45 | |||
9 | Eric Bazilian / Rick Chertoff / Joan Osborne | 04:48 | ||
10 | 03:59 | |||
11 | 03:05 | |||
12 | 04:43 |
'One of Us' | |
---|---|
Single by Joan Osborne | |
from the album Relish | |
B-side | 'Dracula Moon, Crazy Baby (live)' |
Released | February 21, 1995 December 28, 1995 (re-release) |
Recorded |
|
Genre | |
Length | 5:21 |
Label |
|
Songwriter(s) | Eric Bazilian |
Producer(s) | Rick Chertoff |
Audio sample | |
'One of Us' |
'One of Us' is a song written by Eric Bazilian (of the Hooters) and originally released by Joan Osborne. Released in March 1995 on the album Relish and produced by Rick Chertoff, it became a chart hit in November of that year, peaking at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 and earning three Grammy nominations. The song was also a major success worldwide, topping the charts of Australia, Canada, Flemish Belgium and Sweden, reaching number six on the UK Singles Chart, and becoming a top-twenty hit in at least thirteen other counties.
The song is the theme song for the American television series Joan of Arcadia.
- 8Charts and certifications
History[edit]
Regarding his experience with 'One of Us', Bazilian said, 'I wrote that song one night — the quickest song I ever wrote — to impress a girl. Which worked, because we're married and have two kids. But we were in the middle of writing Joan's album, which was a group effort with Rick Chertoff and Joan and Rob and I, and I did a demo of 'One of Us,' this wacky little demo which I ended up putting as a hidden track on the CD of my first solo record, and I played [it] for them. And it really hadn't even occurred to me that it was something that Joan might do, but Rick, in his wisdom, asked Joan if she thought she could sing it. And I think it was better that he asked it that way rather than 'Do you want to sing it?' Because the answer to that might not have been yes. But she definitely said she could sing it, and we did a little live demo of a guitar and her singing it. And when I got into my car and popped the cassette in, I started practicing the Grammy speech that I should've gotten to give.'[1]
Lyrics[edit]
The song deals with various aspects of belief in God by asking questions inviting the listener to consider how one might relate to God, such as 'Would you call [God's name] to his face?' or 'Would you want to see [God's face] if seeing meant that you would have to believe in things like heaven and in Jesus and the saints and all the prophets?'
The album version starts off with the first four lines of a recording titled 'The Aeroplane Ride', made on October 27, 1937, by American folklorist Alan Lomax and his wife Elizabeth for the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress, with Mrs. Nell Hampton of Salyersville, Kentucky, singing a variation of the 1928 John S. McConnell hymn 'Heavenly Aeroplane'.[2][3]
Music video[edit]
Directed by Mark Seliger and Fred Woodward, the video was mainly shot on Coney Island, with various attractions like rollercoasters, ferris wheels and the New York Aquarium shown, interchanged with the vintage-looking shots in sepia and Joan singing in front of the camera.
Critical reception[edit]
Roch Parisien called the song 'a simple, direct statement of faith, honest and unadorned, one framed in a near-perfect chorus and delectable Neil Young-ish guitar riff'.[4]In 2007, the song was ranked at number 54 on 'VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s'[5] and number 10 on the network's 40 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the '90s.
Track listings[edit]
- 'One of Us' (single edit) – 5:05
CD single – France
- 'One of Us' (edit) – 4:16
- 'One of Us' (album version) – 5:21
CD single – US
- 'One of Us' (album version) – 5:21
- 'Dracula Moon' – 6:21
CD maxi single – Europe
- 'One of Us' (edit) – 4:16
- 'Dracula Moon' – 6:21
- 'One of Us' (album version) – 5:21
- 'Crazy Baby' (live from Fox Theatre) – 8:06
Personnel[edit]
- Joan Osborne – vocals
- Eric Bazilian – guitars, backing vocals, electric piano
- Mark Egan – bass guitar
- Rob Hyman – drums, Mellotron, backing vocals
- William Wittman – engineering, mixing
Accolades[edit]
The song received Grammy nominations in 1996 for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year.
Charts and certifications[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
Certifications[edit]
|
Appearances in other media[edit]
- The theme song for the CBStelevision seriesJoan of Arcadia was a version of 'One of Us' re-recorded by Osborne specifically for the show.
- 'One of Us' was played during a montage at the end of television seriesHomicide: Life on the Street episode 4x08, 'Sniper Part 1' (1996).
- The song appears in the 1996 movie Dear God.
- 'One of Us' was played during the end scenes of CBStelevision seriesCold Case episode 4x01, 'Rampage' (2006).
- The song appears twice in the 2001 thriller Vanilla Sky. First the main-character David Aames (Tom Cruise) sings it being transported to his face-transplantation; later the original song is played.
- The song also appears in the 2003 movie Bruce Almighty.
- Part of the song appeared in 2014 on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon during the skit Ew! with Taylor Swift. Jimmy (in drag as teenage girl Sara) dances to 'Come and Get It' by Selena Gomez when her unhip stepfather played by A. D. Miles barges in, confuses Selena for Joan, then proceeds to sing 'What if God was one of us/Just a...' when an embarrassed Sara screams 'Ewww!' to make him stop.
- The song partly appears in FOX's Lucifer show S02E16.
Cover versions and parodies[edit]
- Princecovered the song on his Emancipation album, changing the phrase 'just a slob' to 'just a slave like one of us' in several verses.
- Brad Roberts of the Crash Test Dummies recorded a cover of the song.
- Mohawk Barbie recorded a sarcastic rendition for the Happy Little Trees: A Tribute to Bob Ross compilation CD in 1999.
- In the 1999 film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, the character Dr. Evil (Mike Myers) sings part of the song's chorus as a duet with Mini-Me (Verne Troyer) on piano, and claims to have written it himself (after having time-traveled back to 1969).
- Dance covers of the song have been recorded by various artists, including Outta Control, Nasara, and Pariz.
- An R&B style cover of the song by Cheryl Pepsii Riley was featured in the film Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005).
- Martyn Joseph recorded a version of this song.
- Gregorian covered the song in their 2007 album Masters of Chant Chapter VI.
- Bob Rivers wrote the parody 'What If God Smoked Cannabis?' in 1997[51] (often incorrectly attributed to 'Weird Al' Yankovic[52]). A less well-known parody with the same title but different lyrics was produced in 1995 by Cincinnati radio station WEBN.[53]
- Theo Tams covered the song on his tour.
- In 2009, Rivers Cuomo, Joe LoPiccolo, and Rainn Wilson collaborated on a cover for Sirius XM radio.
- Indiana Gregg included a cover of this song on her album Woman at Work.
- The Italian singer Eugenio Finardi has recorded an Italian cover titled 'Uno di noi' (One of us in Italian) in 1996
- The German singer Klaus Lage recorded a German cover titled 'Was wenn Gott' in 2003.
- Another German version, 'Einer wie wir', 2007 by Erdmöbel has been performed by the Hooters themselves during recent German and European tours.
- Jermaine Sellers sang his version of 'One of Us' as his first audition in front of the judges on American Idol Season 9.
- In 2001, Chihiro Onitsuka covered this song at a special live.
- The song is covered on the Glee episode 'Grilled Cheesus', by the actors Jenna Ushkowitz, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, Chris Colfer, and Dianna Agron.[54]
- German singer/songwriter Stefan Stoppok [de] published his version of the song in 2000, with him performing together with bass player Reggie Worthy.[55]
- In 2011, Singapore singer Kit Chan covered this song on her comeback album (Re-interpreting '重譯').
- In 2009, Malcolm Middleton covered the song on his EPGirl Band Pop Songs.
- Eric Bazilian performed an acoustic rendition live on the Preston & Steve show at halftime of Possum Bowl I.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Will Harris (February 25, 2008). 'Popdose Interview: Eric Bazilian of the Hooters'.
- ^'The aeroplane ride / Nell Hampton [sound recording]' Traditional Music and Spoken Word Catalog from the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress [1]
- ^A sample of the recording 'The Airplane Ride' by Nell Hampton from the album 'The Gospel Ship' (New World Records)[2]
- ^Roch Parisien. 'Joan Osborne - Relish - Review'.
- ^'100 Greatest Songs of the '90s'. Blog.vh1.com. 2007-12-13. Archived from the original on 2007-12-20. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
- ^'Australian-charts.com – Joan Osborne – One of Us'. ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ^'Austriancharts.at – Joan Osborne – One of Us' (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ^'Ultratop.be – Joan Osborne – One of Us' (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ^'Ultratop.be – Joan Osborne – One of Us' (in French). Ultratop 50.
- ^'Top RPM Singles: Issue 2878.' RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
- ^'Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2945.' RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
- ^'Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 2845.' RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
- ^'Top 10 Czech Republic'(PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- ^Billboard April 27, 1996. Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
- ^'Joan Osborne: One of Us' (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
- ^'Lescharts.com – Joan Osborne – One of Us' (in French). Les classement single.
- ^'Offiziellecharts.de – Joan Osborne – One of Us'. GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- ^'Top 10 Hungary'(PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- ^'Íslenski Listinn Nr. 156: Vikuna 10.2. - 16.2. '96'(PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir. February 10, 1996. p. 26. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^'The Irish Charts – Search Results – One of Us'. Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ 'Nederlandse Top 40 – week 13, 1996' (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40
- ^'Dutchcharts.nl – Joan Osborne – One of Us' (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ^'Charts.nz – Joan Osborne – One of Us'. Top 40 Singles.
- ^'Norwegiancharts.com – Joan Osborne – One of Us'. VG-lista.
- ^'Notowanie nr736' (in Polish). LP3. March 9, 1996. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- ^'Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100'. Official Charts Company.
- ^'Swedishcharts.com – Joan Osborne – One of Us'. Singles Top 100.
- ^'Official Singles Chart Top 100'. Official Charts Company.
- ^'Joan Osborne Chart History (Hot 100)'. Billboard.
- ^'Joan Osborne Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)'. Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- ^'Joan Osborne Chart History (Adult Contemporary)'. Billboard.
- ^'Joan Osborne Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)'. Billboard.
- ^'Joan Osborne Chart History (Alternative Songs)'. Billboard.
- ^'Joan Osborne Chart History (Mainstream Rock)'. Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- ^'Joan Osborne Chart History (Pop Songs)'. Billboard.
- ^1996 Australian Singles Chart aria.com (Retrieved September 5, 2008)
- ^'Jaaroverzichten 1996' (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
- ^'Rapports annuels 1996' (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
- ^'RPM Year End Top 100 Hit Tracks'. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
- ^'RPM Year End Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks'. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
- ^'RPM Year End Alternative Top 50'. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
- ^1996 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.comArchived 2009-01-24 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved April 20, 2010)
- ^'Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts' (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
- ^'Single top 100 over 1996'(PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^'Najlepsze single na UK Top 40-1996 wg sprzedaży' (in Polish). Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on June 4, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
- ^'Billboard Top 100 - 1996'. Archived from the original on 2006-11-10. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
- ^'1996 ARIA Singles Chart'. ARIA. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
- ^'Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1996'. Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^'IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011' (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
- ^'American single certifications – Joan Osborne – One of Us'. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 24, 2018.If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH.
- ^What if God Smoked Cannabis? | The Bob Rivers Show
- ^The Not Al PageArchived August 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^What If God ... by JayGilbert | Jay Gilbert | Free Listening on SoundCloud
- ^Malkin, Mark (September 29, 2010). 'Hallelujah? Glee Has a Spiritual Awakening'. E! Online. E!. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
- ^'STOPPOK - Ergebnisse'. Stoppok.de. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
External links[edit]
- 'One of Us' music video on YouTube
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
- 'The Heavenly Airplane' featured in the album version