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I Am... I Said
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Wikipedia article
"'I Am... I Said'" is a song written and recorded by Neil Diamond. Released as a single on March 15, 1971, it was quite successful, at first slowly climbing the charts, then more quickly rising to number 4 on the U.S. pop singles chart by May 1971. It fared similarly across the Atlantic, reaching number 4 on the UK pop singles chart as well.
Inspiration
"I Am... I Said", which took Diamond four months to compose, is one of his most intensely personal efforts, making reference to both Los Angeles and New York City.Abramovitch, Seth (May 24, 2015) [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/neil-diamond-hollywood-bowl-concert-797802/ "Neil Diamond Marks L.A. Homecoming with Sold-Out Run at Hollywood Bowl"], 'Hollywood Reporter'. Retrieved September 1, 2021. Diamond told 'Mojo' magazine in July 2008 that the song came from a time he spent in therapy in Los Angeles. He said: In the same month, he told 'Q' that the song was written "to find [him]self" and added, "It's a tough thing for me to gather myself after singing that song."
But Diamond has also given another inspiration for this song: an unsuccessful tryout for a movie about the life and death of the comedian Lenny Bruce. Author David Wild interviewed Diamond for a 2008 book and he discussed how his efforts to channel Lenny Bruce evoked such intense emotions that it led him to spend some time in therapy.David Wild. 'He Is . . . I Say: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Neil Diamond'. Da Capo Press, 2008, pp. 107-108.
Reception
Critical opinion on "I Am... I Said" has generally been positive, with 'Rolling Stone' calling its lyric excellent in a 1972 review, while 'The New Yorker' used it to exemplify Diamond's songwriting opaqueness in a 2006 retrospective. 'Cash Box' described the song as having "excellent production and performance." A 2008 Diamond profile in 'The Daily Telegraph' simply referred to the song's "raging existential angst," and Allmusic calls it "an impassioned statement of emotional turmoil... very much in tune with the confessional singer/songwriter movement of the time."
The song was not without its detractors, however. Humorist Dave Barry said:
The song garnered Diamond his first Grammy Awards nomination, for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Other versions
"I Am... I Said" was included on Diamond's November 1971 album 'Stones'. The single version leads off the LP, while a reprise of the song, taken from midway to a variant ending with Diamond exclaiming "I am!", concludes. It has also been included in live versions on Diamond's 'Hot August Night' (from 1972, in a performance that 'Rolling Stone' would later label "fantastically overwrought").
Checkmates, Ltd. released a version of the song on their 1971 album, 'Life'.[http://www.discogs.com/Bobby-Stevens-3-And-The-Checkmates-Ltd-Life/release/3734092 Checkmates, Ltd., 'Life'] Retrieved January 29, 2016. Brooke White performed the song on 'American Idol'
See also
* Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs
* List of songs about Los Angeles
* List of songs about New York City
References
Category:1971 songs
Category:1971 singles
Category:Checkmates, Ltd. songs
Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
Category:Neil Diamond songs
Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand
Category:Songs about Los Angeles
Category:Songs about New York City
Category:Songs written by Neil Diamond
Category:Uni Records singles
Category:Song recordings produced by Tom Catalano
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