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"I'm Not the One"
"I'm Not the One"
Single by the Cars
from the album Shake It Up
B-side	"Heartbeat City" (US); "Since You're Gone" (UK);
Released	January 13, 1986
Recorded	1981
Genre	New wave; synth-pop;
Length	4:12 (album version); 4:07 (remix version)
Label	Elektra 69569
Songwriter(s)	Ric Ocasek
Producer(s)	Roy Thomas Baker
The Cars singles chronology
Shake It Up track listing
	9 tracks Side one "Since You're Gone"; "Shake It Up"; "I'm Not the One"; "Victim of Love"; "Cruiser"; Side two ; "A Dream Away"; "This Could Be Love"; "Think It Over"; "Maybe Baby";

"I'm Not the One" is a song by the American rock band the Cars, from their fourth album, Shake It Up. It features Ric Ocasek on lead vocals, Benjamin Orr singing the 'you know why' phrase, and the whole group repeating "going round and round" as backing vocals throughout the song.^[1]

Overview

"I'm Not the One" first appeared in 1981 on Shake It Up. In 1985, the song was remixed for the Greatest Hits album, emphasizing the drum track with added reverb. It was released as a single in 1986, following "Tonight She Comes", also from the Greatest Hits album. "I'm Not the One" debuted on the Billboard Top 40 chart on March 8, 1986, and peaked at number 32.^[3]

AllMusic reviewer Donald A. Guarisco described "I'm Not the One" as one of Shake It Up's "strongest and most memorable tunes", commenting that its sound still sounded fresh upon its 1986 re-release, five years after its first appearance on Shake It Up.^[1] Cash Box called it a "laid back tune [that] may get new life from its single re-issue."^[4] Rolling Stone critic Rob Sheffield called it "the quintessential Ocasek combination: doom and gloom wrapped in a pop melody."^[5] The Sun critic Sadie Smith wrote that it "a pretty song that even though it is a ballad type song, it retains a rather strong beat for your average ballad."^[6]

The song is played in a scene from the 1995 comedy film Billy Madison, where the title character (Adam Sandler) reads Valentine's Day cards in third grade.^[5] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Bryan Wawzenek described it as a "modern rock radio favorite."^[7]

The song was sampled for the 2001 song "Thank You" by rapper Lil' Bow Wow.^[8]

In 2005, the album, Substitution Mass Confusion: A Tribute to The Cars, was released on Not Lame Recordings, which included a cover of "I'm Not the One" by Gigolo Aunts.

Composition

The song's intro and choruses are in the key of B minor. The intro features two synthesizer parts layered on top of each other, one derived from Ric Ocasek's vocal melody, and the other a supporting counter-melody in a softer tone. The intro/chorus begins with a chord progression of B minor, F♯ minor, E minor, and A major, but is immediately followed with a reversal, F♯ minor to B minor, retaining the E minor to A major movement. After another "reversed" repeat, the E minor to A functions as a ii-V-I turnaround in the key's relative major of D.

The official sheet music folio lists the chord progression as D, to D/C, to D/B (enharmonic to a B minor seventh chord), to D/B♭ (enharmonic to a B♭ augmented major seventh chord),^[9] and video exists of Ocasek performing the song, solo on acoustic guitar, according to this progression. However, other transcriptionists describe the chord progression as D to D/C, to G/B, or to Gm/B♭.^[10] Either way, the last chord of the verse is a G minor sixth chord, in transition to the chorus in B minor. Each verse is introduced with a guitar melody from Elliot Easton, who layers several clean-tone guitar parts over the synthesizer-dominated arrangement. There is also a horn-like synthesizer solo by Greg Hawkes, played over the chorus progression.

Charts

Chart performance for "I'm Not the One"
Chart (1986)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[11]	75
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[12]	82
US Billboard Hot 100^[13]	32
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[14]	24
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)^[15]	29
US Cash Box Top 100 Singles^[16]	34

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Guarisco, Donald A. "The Cars: I'm Not the One: Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
^ "The Cars – I'm Not The One". Discogs. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). Billboard Books. p. 109. ISBN 0-8230-7499-4.
^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. February 1, 1986. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
^ ^a ^b Dolan, Jon; Doyle, Patrick; Hiatt, Brian; Hoard, Christian; Leight, Elias; Sheffield, Rob; Shteamer, Hank (September 15, 2019). "The Cars' Ric Ocasek: 17 Essential Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
^ Smith, Sadie (November 26, 1981). "Record Review". The Sun. p. 33. Retrieved 2024-10-26 – via newspapers.com.
^ Wawzenek, Bryan (November 6, 2016). "How the Cars Balanced Rock and New Wave on 'Shake It Up'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
^ "Lil' Bow Wow feat. Jagged Edge and Fundisha's 'Thank You' - Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled.
^ Ocasek, Ric. The Cars: Shake It Up (1981, 1982) Warner Bros. Publications Inc., 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY, 10019
^ The Cars: Complete Greatest Hits (Guitar Recorded Versions), Universal Music Publishing Group, Distributed by Hal Leonard
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0646." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
^ "The Cars Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
^ "The Cars Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
^ "The Cars Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending March 22, 1986". Cash Box. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2021.