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"The Only One I Know"
UK 12-inch cover artwork
Single by the Charlatans
from the album Some Friendly
B-side
  • "Everything Changed"
  • "Imperial 109"
  • "You Can Talk to Me"
Released14 May 1990 (1990-05-14)
StudioThe Winding Studios (Wrexham, Wales)
GenreMadchester[1]
Length4:00
LabelSituation Two
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Chris Nagle
The Charlatans singles chronology
"Indian Rope"
(1990) 		"The Only One I Know"
(1990) 		"Then"
(1990)

"The Only One I Know" is the second single by English rock band the Charlatans. It was their first top-10 hit, reaching No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart. In the UK, it was the highest-charting single from the Some Friendly album. Its best showing in the United States was on the Modern Rock Chart, where it reached No. 5 in September 1990.

The song contained lines directly lifted from the Byrds' 1967 song "Everybody's Been Burned,"[1] while the melody prominently features an organ riff lifted from the Deep Purple rendition of the song "Hush".[2] In addition, Martin Blunt has described Jon Baker's guitar part as resembling that of the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On". Tim Burgess has described the song as being "about teenage feelings: I like somebody, why do they not like me? I was 21 or 22, but still had those powerful emotions". According to him, the band initially intended to record a different song, "Polar Bear", for release as their second single, but after both a friend of Burgess' and their record label Beggars Banquet Records suggested that "The Only One I Know" would be a better choice they changed plans. Burgess has described the song as having an unusual construction: "I’m still not sure which bit is the chorus. The title and main hook is in the verse, but the intro – before the main song crashes in – gives people just enough time to get on the dancefloor". Blunt has said that the breakdown to his bass part after the second verse was influenced by funk and Stax Records' southern soul sound. After the band recorded the track at The Winding Studios in Wrexham, it underwent further mixing by Chris Nagle at Strawberry Studios in Stockport.[3]

The song was included as a track on the influential compilation album Happy Daze. A funk-styled cover version with vocals by Robbie Williams appeared on Mark Ronson's 2007 album, Version. In 2010, the song was used in a TV advert for Cadbury's chocolate. In 2012 the song featured in the film California Solo.

Tim Burgess, in his memoir Telling Stories, says the single went on to sell 250,000 copies.[citation needed]

Track listings

All tracks were written by Brookes, Day, Collins, Blunt and Burgess except "Then", written by Brookes, Collins, Blunt and Burgess.

7-inch single[4]

  1. "The Only One I Know" – 3:56
  2. "Everything Changed" – 3:21

12-inch single[5]

A1. "The Only One I Know" – 4:00
B1. "Imperial 109" (edit) – 3:44
B2. "Everything Changed" – 3:23

UK CD single[6]

  1. "The Only One I Know" – 3:56
  2. "Imperial 109" (edit) – 3:41
  3. "Everything Changed" – 3:21
  4. "You Can Talk to Me" – 4:49

US cassette single[8]

  1. "The Only One I Know" (edit) – 3:25
  2. "Then" (alternative take) – 5:45

Charts

Chart (1990) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[9] 75
Ireland (IRMA)[10] 11
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11] 56
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 9
US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks[13] 37
US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks[14] 5

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United Kingdom 14 May 1990
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
 Situation Two [16][17]
21 May 1990 7-inch vinyl [18]

References

  1. ^ a b "BBC – Music TV – Pop on trial – 1950s-1990s". BBC Online. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  2. ^ Raggett, Ned. "The Charlatans UK – Only One I Know". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  3. ^ Simpson, Dave (15 November 2021). "The Charlatans: how we made The Only One I Know – 'I'm still not sure which bit's the chorus'". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  4. ^ The Only One I Know (UK 7-inch single vinyl disc). The Charlatans. Situation Two. 1990. SIT 70.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ The Only One I Know (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). The Charlatans. Situation Two. 1990. SIT 70 T.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ The Only One I Know (UK CD single liner notes). The Charlatans. Situation Two. 1990. SIT 70 CD.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ The Only One I Know (US CD single liner notes). The Charlatans. RCA Records. 1990. 2690-2-HS.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ The Only One I Know (US cassette single sleeve). The Charlatans. RCA Records. 1990. 2451-4-HS.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  10. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Only One I Know". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  11. ^ "The Charlatans – The Only One I Know" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  12. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  13. ^ "Some Friendly – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  14. ^ "September 15, 1990 – Alternative Songs". Billboard. 15 September 1990. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
  15. ^ "British single certifications – Charlatans – The Only One I Know". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  16. ^ "New Singles". Music Week. 12 May 1990. p. 43.
  17. ^ "Singles". Archived from the original on 1 May 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  18. ^ "New Singles". Music Week. 19 May 1990. p. 37.
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