The Only One I Know

"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 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"
Released	14 May 1990 (1990-05-14)
Studio	The Winding Studios (Wrexham, Wales)
Genre	Madchester[1] baggy[2]
Length	4:00
Label	Situation Two
Songwriter(s)	John Baker Martin Blunt Jon Brookes Tim Burgess Mark Collins
Producer(s)	Chris Nagle
The Charlatans singles chronology
"Indian Rope" (1990) "The Only One I Know" (1990) "Then" (1990)

Background

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".^[3] 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.^[4]

The song was also included as a track on the 1990 compilation album Happy Daze.

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^[5]

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

12-inch single^[6]

A1. "The Only One I Know" – 4:00

B1. "Imperial 109" (edit) – 3:44

B2. "Everything Changed" – 3:23

UK CD single^[7]

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

• "You Can Talk to Me" was recorded on 20 March 1990 for the John Peel Show, BBC Radio 1, first broadcast on 9 April 1990. The US CD single switches tracks two and three.^[8]

US cassette single^[9]

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

Charts

Chart (1990–1991)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[10]	75
Ireland (IRMA)[11]	11
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12]	56
UK Singles (OCC)[13]	9
US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)[14]	37
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[15]	5

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[16]	Gold	400,000‡
‡ 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	[17][18]
	21 May 1990	7-inch vinyl		[19]

Notable cover versions

The song was covered in a funk-infused take by English DJ and producer Mark Ronson for his 2007 studio album of cover versions, Version, featuring vocals by pop superstar and former Take That member Robbie Williams.^[20] The Apple Music description of Version dubs Ronson and Williams' rendition as having "transformed a baggy anthem into a Northern soul stomper".^[21] This version was also featured on select editions of Williams' 2010 greatest hits album In and Out of Consciousness: Greatest Hits 1990–2010.^[20][22] When Ronson performed the song during his set at the 2007 BBC Electric Proms, after Williams was unavailable, the Charlatans' frontman Tim Burgess stepped in on vocals alongside Mark Collins, the band's guitarist since 1991.^[23]