Songs Called "One" or "The One"

mixed by Liam Eagle

PERFECT FOR:

Attempting to undersand a curious song-naming tendency.

INTRODUCTION:

If you're like me, you always thought it was odd that two popular, albeit radically different, bands, Metallica and U2, both released singles called "One" at effectively the same time (1989 and 1991). I also found it odd that both songs were arguably their respective creators' finest work (admittedly, this is an easier determination for Metallica than for U2). Ok, you don't actually have to be "like me" to have noticed this. And you certainly don't have to have shared my appreciation for Metallica. But at least we're on the same page, here. This "One" phenomenon has always been a back-burner fascination of mine, and every time i'd hear that, say, Sir Mix-A-Lot had a new song called "One," I'd become very interestested by both the question of whether the artist knew the title was already taken, and the very distinct possibility that "One" was the artist's best song.

TRACK LISTING:

One - Metallica
One - U2
The One - Elton John
One - Alanis Morissette
One - Creed
The One - Limp Bizkit
One - Ghostface Killah
One - Three Dog Night
One - John Digweed
One - Bustah Rhymes w/ Erykah Badu
The One - Tracy Bonham
One - Dokken
One - Ringo Starr
The One - Joe Cocker
One - The BeeGees
The One - Backstreet Boys

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

"One" is possibly the least creative song title available. I checked, and there are literally hundreds of songs, recorded and released, called "One" or "The One." Most of them are by bands or artists I've never heard of that probably suck and can therefore can not be reasonably expected to be all that creative. But a remarkable number of them are by well-known and often well-respected musicians. The point is, I think I've figured out why these otherwise-creative people have chosen to use this seemingly uncreative title over and over again, as well as why "One" is often among the artist's best works. "One," or "The One" is an epic song title. It's the kind of title that allows the songwriter to deal with emotional subjects too complex for longer, more descriptive titles like "Pass The Courvoisier, Part II." Musicians feel like they can let it all hang out on a song called "One." It's probably a music industry thing I don't know about.

LISTENING INSTRUCTIONS:

Get ready for some serious songs, dude. I don't neccessarily mean "good" songs. Just serious. Like I said, "One" is the song where the artist is going to be going through some cathartic shit, pulling out all the stops, like enlisting the aid of Erykah Badu or sampling war movies, or whatever. Setting-wise, there's no one best place to listen to this mix. Each song is going to evoke its own scene, and they might range from grassy hilltops to dark dungeons to like, cable car rides. Maybe the best setting for this one is sitting on a chair in the middle of a plain, white room. Also, you're drunk.