I Am...I Said
Encyclopedia
"I Am...I Said" is a song written and recorded by Neil Diamond
. Released as a single in March 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.
"I Am...I Said" took Diamond four months to compose. One of his most intensely personal efforts, it depicts the singer lost between two worlds:
Verses start quietly in a low vocal range, half sung and half spoken, with a soft rock guitar and light strings backing. By the chorus climaxes, the vocals are much louder and higher in pitch, with horns, heavier drums and more strings joining in, but the singer even more uncertain:
"I Am...I Said" was later 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.
Critical opinion on "I Am...I Said" has generally been good, 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. 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 garnered Diamond his first Grammy Awards nomination, for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male.
"I Am...I Said" has been included in live versions on Diamond's Hot August Night
(from 1972, in a performance that Rolling Stone
would later label "fantastically overwrought") and The Greatest Hits: 1966-1992 (from 1992), as well as in various compilations.
Brooke White
performed the song on American Idol
' s seventh season
during its Neil Diamond week, changing the lyric to replace New York City with her home state of Arizona. Among the foreign versions are the Italian language
"La casa degli angeli" ("House of the angels"), performed by Caterina Caselli
in the original 1971. and by Dutchman Jan Rot
on his 2008 album Hallelujah as "Zeg God... zeg ik", taking the title as someone who curses, while the Jewish word for God is meaning 'I am'. The band Killdozer
also covered the song on their 1989 album Twelve Point Buck.
In May 2011 Diamond revealed on the Irish television chat show 'The Late Late Show
' that he had written the song in response to the nervousness he felt while auditioning for the part of Lenny Bruce
in 1974 biographical film of the same name.
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
. Released as a single in March 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
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
by May 1971. It fared similarly across the Atlantic, reaching number 4 on the UK pop singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
as well.
"I Am...I Said" took Diamond four months to compose. One of his most intensely personal efforts, it depicts the singer lost between two worlds:
- Well, I'm New York City born and raised
- But nowadays, I'm lost between two shores
- L.A.'s fine, but it ain't home —
- New York's home but it ain't mine no more ...
Verses start quietly in a low vocal range, half sung and half spoken, with a soft rock guitar and light strings backing. By the chorus climaxes, the vocals are much louder and higher in pitch, with horns, heavier drums and more strings joining in, but the singer even more uncertain:
- I am, I cried!
- I am, said I.
- And I am lost, and I can't even say why ...
"I Am...I Said" was later included on Diamond's November 1971 album Stones
Stones (Neil Diamond album)
Stones was an album by Neil Diamond. It was recorded and released in 1971 and was one of the bigger hit recordings of his career. The conductors and arrangers were Lee Holdridge, Marty Paich and Larry Muhoberac....
. 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.
Critical opinion on "I Am...I Said" has generally been good, with Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
calling its lyric excellent in a 1972 review, while The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
used it to exemplify Diamond's songwriting opaqueness in a 2006 retrospective. A 2008 Diamond profile in The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
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 garnered Diamond his first Grammy Awards nomination, for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male.
"I Am...I Said" has been included in live versions on Diamond's Hot August Night
Hot August Night
Hot August Night is a 1972 live double album by Neil Diamond. The album is a recording of a Diamond concert on Thursday August 24, 1972, one of ten sold out concerts that Diamond performed that month at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles...
(from 1972, in a performance that Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
would later label "fantastically overwrought") and The Greatest Hits: 1966-1992 (from 1992), as well as in various compilations.
Brooke White
Brooke White
Brooke Elizabeth White is an American indie pop/folk-pop singer-songwriter and actress from Mesa, Arizona who was the fifth place finalist on the seventh season of American Idol. In 2005, White released her first studio album, called Songs from the Attic.White's first post-Idol album High Hopes &...
performed the song on American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
American Idol (season 7)
The seventh season of American Idol, the annual reality show and singing competition, began on January 15, 2008 and concluded on May 21, 2008. Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returning as judges...
during its Neil Diamond week, changing the lyric to replace New York City with her home state of Arizona. Among the foreign versions are the Italian language
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
"La casa degli angeli" ("House of the angels"), performed by Caterina Caselli
Caterina Caselli
Caterina Caselli is an Italian record producer and former singer and actress.In 1966 she debuted in the Sanremo Festival with "Nessuno mi può giudicare", a song discarded by Adriano Celentano, scoring a notable success. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc...
in the original 1971. and by Dutchman Jan Rot
Jan Rot
Jan Rot is a Dutch singer-songwriter who is famous in the Netherlands for his many translations of songs, pop as well as classic. His Dutch translation of Bach's St.Matthews Passion peaked Easter 2006 on the Dutch popalbum charts.-External links:*...
on his 2008 album Hallelujah as "Zeg God... zeg ik", taking the title as someone who curses, while the Jewish word for God is meaning 'I am'. The band Killdozer
Killdozer (band)
Killdozer was an American noise-rock band, formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1983, with members Bill Hobson, Dan Hobson and Michael Gerald. They took their name from the 1974 TV movie, directed by Jerry London, itself based on a Theodore Sturgeon short story. They released their first album,...
also covered the song on their 1989 album Twelve Point Buck.
In May 2011 Diamond revealed on the Irish television chat show 'The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
' that he had written the song in response to the nervousness he felt while auditioning for the part of Lenny Bruce
Lenny Bruce
Leonard Alfred Schneider , better known by the stage name Lenny Bruce, was a Jewish-American comedian, social critic and satirist...
in 1974 biographical film of the same name.