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One of Us (Joan Osborne song)

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This article is about the Joan Osborne song. For the ABBA song, see One of Us (ABBA song). For other uses, see One of Us (disambiguation).
"One of Us"
Song

"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 top 40 hit in November of that year.

History

Bazilian discussed the song in an interview, saying "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

The song deals with various aspects of belief in God by asking questions inviting the listener to consider how they 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 title of the song comes from the refrain, "What if God was one of us?"

The album version starts off with four lines from a gospel "The Heavenly Aeroplane":

Oh, one of these nights at about twelve o'clock
This whole earth is gonna reel and rock
Saints will tremble and cry for pain
For the Lord's gonna come in his heaven airplane.

Music video

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

In 1996, William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League, took issue with the song. Because "even [Joan Osborne's] admirers see something of the sacrilegious in her work", Donohue claimed the song was agenda-driven and danced "awfully close to the line of Catholic baiting".[2] On the other hand, 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."[3]

Track listings

CD single - France
  1. "One of Us" (edit) — 4:16
  2. "One of Us" (album version) — 5:21
CD single - USA
  1. "One of Us" (Album Version) — 5:21
  2. "Dracula Moon" — 6:21
CD maxi single - Europe
  1. "One of Us" (edit) — 4:16
  2. "Dracula Moon" — 6:21
  3. "One of Us" (album version) — 5:21
  4. "Crazy Baby" (live from Fox Theatre) — 8:06

Awards, chart performances and sales

The song received Grammy nominations in 1996 for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year.

In January 1996, "One of Us" hit the top 10, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.

Appearances in other media

Cover versions and parodies

Personnel

See also

References

  1. ^ Will Harris (February 25th, 2008). "Popdose Interview: Eric Bazilian of the Hooters". {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ Grammy Nominee Joan Osborne "Relishes" conterversy, The Catalyst Vol. 23, No. 3, April 1996
  3. ^ Roch Parisien. "Joan Osborne - Relish - Review".
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "One of Us", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved February 19, 2008)
  5. ^ RPM Top 100 Singles, week of March 4, 1996
  6. ^ a b "Single top 100 over 1996" (pdf) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  7. ^ "Joan Osborne singles, German Singles Chart" (in German). musicline. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  8. ^ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved February 19, 2008)
  9. ^ "One of Us", UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved September 5, 2008)
  10. ^ a b c d Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved September 5, 2008)
  11. ^ 1996 Australian Singles Chart aria.com (Retrieved September 5, 2008)
  12. ^ 1996 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved September 5, 2008)
  13. ^ 1996 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved September 5, 2008)
  14. ^ 1996 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved April 20, 2010)
  15. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1996". Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  16. ^ Norwegian certifications. Ifpi.no. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  17. ^ U.S. certifications. riaa.com. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  18. ^ The Not Al Page
  19. ^ http://bumpshack.com/2010/01/14/jermaine-sellers-american-idol-9-what-if-god-was-one-of-us-video/ Jermaine Sellers American Idol Season 9 "What If God Was One of Us Video" (Retrieved January 25, 2010)
  20. ^ Malkin, Mark (September 29, 2010). "Hallelujah? Glee Has a Spiritual Awakening". E! Online. E!. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
  21. ^ http://www.stoppok.de/index.php?option=com_jumi&fileid=5&Itemid=30&idplatte=13
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