1 Thing 2762566 225239273 2008-07-12T17:08:14Z J Milburn Bot 7423137 All Music Guide has now been rebranded to Allmusic {{for|the Finger Eleven song|One Thing}} {{Infobox Single | Name = 1 Thing | Cover = 1 Thing.jpg | Artist = [[Amerie]] | Album = [[Hitch (film)|Hitch]] ''soundtrack and'' [[Touch (Amerie album)|Touch]] | Released = [[May 23]] [[2005]] | Format = [[CD single]], [[12-inch single|12" maxi single]], [[digital download]] | Recorded = Night Flight Recording Studios<br><small>([[Fort Washington, Maryland|Fort Washington]], [[Maryland]])</small> <br> [[Sony Music Studios]]<br><small>([[New York City]], [[New York]])</small> | Genre = [[contemporary R&B|R&B]], [[funk]], [[go-go]] | Length = 3:58 | Label = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] | Writer = Amerie Rogers, [[Rich Harrison]], Stanley Walden | Producer = Rich Harrison | Certification = Platinum <small>([[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]])</small> | Misc = {{Extra chronology | Artist = [[Amerie]] | Type = singles | Last single = "[[Paradise (song)|Paradise]]"<br>(2003) | This single = "'''1 Thing'''"<br>(2005) | Next single = "[[Touch (Amerie song)|Touch]]"<br>(2005) }} {{Extra album cover 2 | Upper caption = Alternate cover | Type = single | Cover = Amerie - 1 Thing - CD 2 cover.jpg | Lower caption = CD 2 cover }} {{Audiosample | Upper caption = Audio sample | Name = 1 Thing | Audio file = Amerie - One Thing.ogg }} }} "'''1 Thing'''" is an [[contemporary R&B|R&B]]/[[funk]]/[[go-go]] song written by [[United States|American]] singer-songwriter [[Amerie]] and [[Rich Harrison]], and recorded by Amerie. The first [[single (music)|single]] from Amerie's second studio album, ''[[Touch (Amerie album)|Touch]]'' (2005), and the only single from the soundtrack to the 2005 romantic comedy film ''[[Hitch (film)|Hitch]]'',<ref name=MTVNews-Feb2005/> "1 Thing" peaked at number eight in the United States and number four in the [[United Kingdom]], becoming Amerie's first top ten single and her biggest hit to date, also peaking at number one on the U.S. R&B singles chart. The single was certified platinum (200,000+ copies) by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]] and earned Amerie a [[Grammy Award]] nomination for "[[Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance|Best Female R&B Vocal Performance]]" at the [[48th Grammy Awards|2006 Grammy Awards]]. "1 Thing" was certified gold by the RIAA for selling 500,000 in [[ringtone]]s. A [[remix]] of the song features rapper [[Eve (rapper)|Eve]]. ==Theme and sound== "1 Thing" was produced by Harrison and is built around a [[sampling (music)|sample]] of [[The Meters]]' 1970 version of the theme song from ''[[Oh! Calcutta!]]'', "Oh, Calcutta!", written by Samuel Walden. Built around The Meters' [[funk]]y beat-driven percussion, "1 Thing" finds Amerie lamenting on an aspect of a relationship that keeps her satisfied. Even if other factors are less than positive, there is one thing that keeps her hooked ("It's this one thing that's got me trippin..."). Amerie said that the inspiration from the song came from a conversation she had with Harrison "about relationships and how there's always one thing that keeps you attracted to someone. No matter what they do or how they act, there's that one undeniable thing that keeps you coming back."<ref name=MTVNews-Feb2005>Hall, Rashaun. [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1496565/20050203/amerie.jhtml "Amerie Growing Up But Keeping Her Clothes On, Thank You"]. [[MTV News]]. [[February 3]] [[2005]].</ref> She told ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]'' that the "one thing" "could be bringing flowers, or something more ... physical. People think I'm just this good girl, but there are other sides they don't see."<ref name=Blender/> Despite being based on a Meters sample, the song belies a strong [[go-go]] influence. Amerie has said, "You don't hear go-go outside of [[Washington, D.C.|D.C.]] ... I was like, 'We have to do it in an up-tempo way because when you hear it on the radio in D.C., it's fast.' ... So it's a fresh sound for everybody but people in the D.C./[[Maryland]]/[[Virginia]] area. They [already] know what it is."<ref>Crosley, Hillary. [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1500747/20050425/amerie.jhtml Amerie Touches Up Her Go-Go Skills On New Record]. ''[[MTV.com]]'', [[April 26]] [[2005]]. Retrieved [[2008-02-17]].</ref> ==History== In 2004, when working on her second album, Amerie enlisted the services of producer Rich Harrison, who had helped produce and write her first album. In May 2004, Harrison heard "Oh, Calcutta!" for the first time and began working on the [[beat (music)|beat]] accompanying the ten-second back-and-forth [[breakdown (music)|breakdown]] between Meters drummer [[Ziggy Modeliste]] and guitarist [[Leo Nocentelli]]. Harrison said he "loved" the Meters and that "[[Music of New Orleans|New Orleans music]] is very close to [[Music of Washington, D.C.|[that of] D.C.]] Go-Go, very percussive and chant-oriented. And Ziggy, he's crazy."<ref name=Blender>Weiner, Jonah. [http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=1603 "Miss Thing"]. ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''. June 2005.</ref> He processed the way the breakdown could be "flipped", added a [[bongo drum]], a [[cowbell]], and a [[ride cymbal]], and sent it to Amerie. According to Harrison, they wrote and finished the song in two to three hours.<ref name=Blender/> Amerie's manager, Len Nicholson, felt the song was "[[lead single|the single]]" to release.<ref name=MTVNews-Feb2005/> When executives at Amerie's label, [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]/[[Sony Urban Music]], heard "1 Thing", they felt that the song's choruses needed to be "bigger" and that it was missing other necessary elements.<ref name=Blender/> Harrison and Amerie returned to the studio several times to rework the track, but each time they submitted a new version to the label, they were told it was unfinished; in Amerie's words, "People just weren't getting it".<ref name=Blender/> Harrison stepped in to vouch for the song; he had produced a similar-sounding hit, "[[Crazy in Love (Beyoncé song)|Crazy in Love]]", for [[Beyoncé Knowles|Beyoncé]] the year before, and hoped he could convince Sony to release the song based on the success of "Crazy in Love".{{Fact|date=August 2007}} Columbia was unconvinced and refused to release the single. Later in 2004, six months after recording "1 Thing", Amerie and Harrison leaked it to U.S. radio stations in an attempt to get it released officially.<ref name=Blender/><ref name=Stylus/> The response from DJs and listeners was positive, and it consequently garnered much airplay across the country. Columbia Records attempted to suppress the song because it was an unofficial release, and because [[Jennifer Lopez]] (another artist on the label) had expressed interest in recording the song for her own album, ''[[Rebirth (Jennifer Lopez album)|Rebirth]]''.<ref name=Stylus/> Radio stations refused to retract the song from their playlists, and Columbia eventually began promoting "1 Thing" as a single, making it a last-minute addition to the ''Hitch'' soundtrack.<ref name=Blender/> Lopez settled on another Harrison-produced, funk-infused track, the [[Usher (entertainer)|Usher]] outtake "[[Get Right]]".<ref name=Stylus>Shipley, Al. [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=3014 "Amerie - Touch"]. ''[[Stylus (entertainment magazine)|Stylus]]''. [[May 13]] [[2005]].</ref> ==Video, remixes, covers and other uses== The [[music video]] for "1 Thing", directed by [[Chris Robinson (director)|Chris Robinson]] and Amerie, revealed to the public the singer's sexual side.<ref name=MTVNews-Feb2005/> It focuses on her dance routines, featuring her as a [[go-go dancing|Go-Go dancer]] in various setups, intercut with footage from the film ''Hitch''. The song's only official [[remix]]<ref name=MTVNews-Apr2005>Reid, Shaheem and Bland, Bridget. [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1499585/20050405/amerie.jhtml "Amerie Shoots Down Goody-Goody Image, Says 'I'm Not A Prude'"]. [[MTV News]]. [[April 3]] [[2005]].</ref> features guest vocals from rapper [[Eve (rapper)|Eve]], and an alternate version of the music video was created for it. Amerie that said she chose Eve to appear on the remix because most other female R&B singers were accompanied by male rappers, and that Eve "epitomizes that whole independent fearless female doing her thing. She's fashionable and very much a woman even though she definitely has a lot of attitude, the strength that most would attribute to men. ... With '1 Thing' being such an aggressive track, it was perfect to see two females really doing it."<ref>Reid, Shaheem. [http://www.mtv.com/bands/a/amerie/news_feature_050509/ "Amerie: Hands-On Personal Touch"]. [[MTV News]]. [[May 9]] [[2005]].</ref> A second remix features [[Fabolous]], a third features [[B.G. (rapper)|B.G.]], and little-known [[Toronto]]nian producer Satya Rock arranged an extended underground remix to feature [[E-40]], [[Method Man]], [[Lyrics Born]], [[One Be Lo]], Dres, [[Joe Budden]], [[Talib Kweli]], [[Beanie Sigel]], [[Edan]], and [[Daniel Dumile|MF DOOM]]. Most of the unofficial remixes were released on [[mixtape]]s, and Amerie said that she liked them all, particularly those by Fabolous, B.G., and [[Juelz Santana]].<ref>[http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/mixtape_monday/032105/ "Mixtape Monday"]. [[MTV News]]. [[March 21]] [[2005]].</ref><ref name=MTVNews-Apr2005/> [[Lauryn Hill]] sampled "1 Thing" during the second and last part of "[[Doo Wop (That Thing)]]" during live performances. [[Girls Aloud]] mixed the song into performances of one of their biggest hits, "[[Love Machine (Girls Aloud song)|Love Machine]]", during their 2006 ''[[Chemistry Tour]]''. [[Foo Fighters]] member [[Dave Grohl]] showed the video for "1 Thing" during ''[[24 Hours of Foo]]'', during a segment in which each member of the band presented one song that they considered their "guilty pleasure". The band [[Elbow (band)|Elbow]] covered the song in a comedic fashion on [[BBC Radio 1]]'s ''[[Live Lounge]]''. "1 Thing" was used in the [[PlayStation 2]] karaoke game ''[[SingStar R&B]]''. ==Track listings== ;CD 1 #"1 Thing" (Radio Edit) – 4:02 #"1 Thing" (Remix featuring [[Eve (rapper)|Eve]]) – 3:34 ;CD 2 #"1 Thing" (Radio Edit) – 4:02 #"1 Thing" (Remix featuring [[B.G. (rapper)|B.G.]]) – 4:13 #"[[Talkin' to Me]]" ([[Mark Ronson]] Sunshine Remix - No Loop) – 4:49 #"1 Thing" (Instrumental) – 3:59 #"1 Thing" (Video) – 4:01 ==Charts== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} {| class="wikitable" !align="center"|Chart (2005)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wm05.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hzfoxq90ldfe~T51 |title=Amerie > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles |accessdate=2008-01-11 |work=[[Allmusic]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://acharts.us/song/712 |title=Amerie - 1 Thing - Music Charts |accessdate=2008-01-11 |work=αCharts.us}}</ref> !align="center"|Peak<br>position |- |align="left"|[[ARIA Charts|Australian ARIA Singles Chart]] |align="center"|13 |- |align="left"|[[Ö3 Austria Top 40]] |align="center"|54 |- |align="left"|[[Belgium|Belgian]] [[Ultratop 50]] Singles ([[Flanders]]) |align="center"|16 |- |align="left"|[[Canadian Singles Chart]] |align="center"|5 |- |align="left"|[[Denmark|Danish]] Singles Chart |align="center"|9 |- |align="left"|[[Dutch Top 40]] |align="center"|14 |- |align="left"|[[Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|European Hot 100 Singles]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=349&cfgn=Singles&cfn=European+Hot+100+Singles&ci=3059270&cdi=8354733&cid=06%2F18%2F2005 |title=European Hot 100 Singles |accessdate=2008-01-11 |work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> |align="center"|13 |- |align="left"|Euro 200<ref>{{cite web |url=http://euro200.eu.mialias.net/Euro-p1.htm |title=Euro 200 archives |accessdate=2008-01-11 |work=APC-stats}}</ref> |align="center"|23 |- |align="left"|[[Finland|Finnish]] Singles Chart |align="center"|5 |- |align="left"|[[France|French]] Singles Chart |align="center"|35 |- |align="left"|[[Media Control Charts|German Singles Chart]] |align="center"|34 |} {{col-2}} {| class="wikitable" !align="center"|Chart (2005) !align="center"|Peak<br>position |- |align="left"|[[Irish Singles Chart]] |align="center"|6 |- |align="left"|[[New Zealand]] [[Recording Industry Association of New Zealand|RIANZ]] Singles Chart |align="center"|12 |- |align="left"|[[Norway|Norwegian]] [[VG-lista]] |align="center"|10 |- |align="left"|[[Sweden|Swedish]] Singles Chart |align="center"|30 |- |align="left"|[[Switzerland|Swiss]] Singles Chart |align="center"|28 |- |align="left"|[[UK Singles Chart]] |align="center"|4 |- |align="left"|United World Chart |align="center"|17 |- |align="left"|U.S. [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] |align="center"|8 |- |align="left"|U.S. ''Billboard'' [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks]] |align="center"|1 |- |align="left"|U.S. ''Billboard'' [[Pop 100]] |align="center"|28 |- |align="left"|World R&B Top 30 Singles<ref>{{cite web |url=http://top40-charts.com/songs/full.php?sid=13690&sort=chartid |title=Amerie 1 Thing |accessdate=2008-11-01 |work=Top40-Charts.com}}</ref> |align="center"|1 |} {{col-end}} {{s-start}} {{succession box | before = "[[Hate It or Love It]]"<br>by [[The Game (rapper)|The Game]] featuring [[50 Cent]] | title = [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks]] [[R&B number-one hits of 2005 (USA)|number-one single]] | years = [[April 30]] [[2005]] | after = "[[Slow Down (Bobby Valentino song)|Slow Down]]" by [[Bobby Valentino]] }} {{end}} ==References== {{reflist}} {{Amerie}} [[Category:2005 singles]] [[Category:Amerie songs]] [[Category:Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number-one singles]] [[Category:Funk songs]] [[Category:Music videos directed by Chris Robinson]] [[Category:Songs from films]] [[Category:Songs that sample previously recorded songs]] [[fr:1 Thing]]