"One of Us" is a song by American singer Joan Osborne for her debut studio album, Relish (1995). Written by Eric Bazilian of the Hooters and produced by Rick Chertoff, the song was released on November 13, 1995, by Blue Gorilla and Mercury Records as the lead single from Relish and as Osborne's debut single. It became a chart hit, peaking at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Osborne's only charting single and earning three Grammy nominations: Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
"One of Us" was also a hit around the world, topping the charts of Australia, Canada, Flanders, and Sweden while reaching number six on the UK Singles Chart and becoming a top-20 hit in at least 12 other countries. The song went on to serve as the opening theme for the American television series Joan of Arcadia. The music video for "One of Us" was directed by Mark Seliger and Fred Woodward, and filmed in Coney Island, New York City. In 2007, the song was ranked at number 54 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s" and number ten on the network's "40 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the '90s".
Composition and recording
Regarding his experience of writing "One of Us", Eric Bazilian said: "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." As for the line "Just a slob like one of us", Bazilian said that he did not intend to mean God was a slob, but rather that the song is about human beings.
At the start of the song, a fragment of a song by a 1930s singer named Nell Hampton was added. Osborne had heard the song on an album of Appalachian folk songs and Chertoff suggested using it after Osborne played the song in the studio.
Lyrics
The song deals with various aspects of questioning God's anthropomorphism ("What if God was one of us?") inviting the listener to question how one might relate to such a God: for example "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 album version starts off with the first four lines of a recording titled "The Aeroplane Ride", made on October 27, 1937, by American folklorist Alan Lomax and his wife Elizabeth for the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress, with Mrs. Nell Hampton of Salyersville, Kentucky, singing a variation of the 1928 John S. McConnell hymn "Heavenly Aeroplane".
Critical reception
Roch Parisien from AllMusic named 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". Melody Maker wrote, "For appalling lyrics combined with enormous success though, no one could touch God-botherer Joan Osborne. Check out these lines from her extraordinary 'One of Us'—What if God were one of us/Just a slob like one of us/Just a stranger on the bus/Trying to make his way home/Like a holy rolling stone/Nobody calling on the phone/'Cept for the Pope, maybe, in Rome." Alan Jones from Music Week commented, "Joan Osborne has come up with a delicious debut single 'One of Us' – an electrically charged and retro-styled song with an intimate vocal. The track addresses the question What if God was one of us?, just a slob like one of us placing him on the bus and taking phone calls from the Pope, doing so with humour, energy and a great tune, in a taut clutter-free production. A real find." Paul Evans from Rolling Stone said it "imagines a God as hurt as any human".
Music video
The accompanying music video for "One of Us" was directed by Mark Seliger and Fred Woodward, and was mainly filmed at Coney Island. It intercuts shots of attractions (roller coasters, ferris wheels and the New York Aquarium) with vintage-style sepia-tone images and shots of Osborne singing in front of the camera.
Track listings
- US and Australian CD and cassette single
- "One of Us" (album version) – 5:21
- "Dracula Moon" – 6:21
- European CD single and UK cassette single
- "One of Us" (edit) – 4:16
- "One of Us" (album version) – 5:21
- UK CD single
- "One of Us" (edit) – 4:16
- "Dracula Moon" – 6:21
- "One of Us" – 5:21
- "Crazy Baby" (live from Fox Theatre) – 8:06
Personnel
- Joan Osborne – lead vocals
- Eric Bazilian – guitars, backing vocals, electric piano
- Mark Egan – bass
- Rob Hyman – drums, Mellotron, backing vocals
- William Wittman – engineering, mixing
Charts
Weekly charts
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Weekly chart performance for "One of Us"
!Chart (1995–1996)
!Peak<br />position
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!scope="row"|Czech Republic (IFPI CR)
| 2
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!scope="row"|Denmark (IFPI)
| 2
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!scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)
| 7
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!scope="row"|Hungary (Mahasz)
| 2
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!scope="row"|Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)
| 2
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!scope="row"|Italy Airplay (Music & Media)
| 3
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!scope="row"|US Cash Box Top 100
| 3
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!scope="row"|US Adult Alternative Top 30 Tracks (Radio & Records)
| 1
|}
Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Year-end chart performance for "One of Us"
!Chart (1996)
!Position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia (ARIA)
| 6
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!scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)
| 8
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!scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)
| 16
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!scope="row"|Canada Top Singles (RPM)
| 16
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!scope="row"|Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)
| 50
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!scope="row"|Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)
| 46
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!scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)
| 26
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!scope="row"|France (SNEP)
| 55
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!scope="row"|Germany (Media Control)
| 67
|-
!scope="row"|Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)
| 9
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!scope="row"|Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)
| 69
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!scope="row"|Sweden (Topplistan)
| 31
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!scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)
| 63
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!scope="row"|UK Airplay (Music Week)
| 30
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!scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100
| 30
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!scope="row"|US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)
| 60
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!scope="row"|US Top 40/Mainstream (Billboard)
| 14
|}