“Who I Am”
Jessica Andrews
Written by Brett James and Troy Verges
Radio & Records
#1 (4 weeks)
March 30 – April 20, 2001
Billboard
#1 (3 weeks)
April 7 – April 21, 2001
It’s a credit to Jessica Andrews that she sells this so well that I’m surprised to learn that she’s not, in fact, Rosemary’s granddaughter.
But when an autobiographical hit isn’t your own story, you really start pushing up against the increasing artifice of country music at the turn of the century.
It’s not like teenage girls have nothing interesting to say. We’d learn that with certainty before the decade was through. But this catchy hit is all froth and no substance, with a laundry list of vague value statements (“they know just where I stand!”) and character traits (“I’m clueless and I’m clumsy”) that don’t add up to much.
This would be Andrews’ only major radio hit, another sign of the times where long runs at the top don’t lead to big record sales or follow up hits. But she did revisit the top twenty with the quite good “There’s More to Me Than You,” which came in both uptempo and ballad forms. It’s her best single to date.
“Who I Am” gets a B-.
Every No. 1 Single of the 2000s
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I always found this one painfully artificial. Not a single word of it sounds authentic or original, and I don’t think her bland vocals or the generic production do it any favors. I gave it a D.
She had good singles, especially “There’s More to Me Than You”.
Also, why the hell did this make the Latin Pop Airplay chart?!
I will respectfully disagaree. I give this one an “A-“. I find it much more authentic than what’s to come from Taylor Swift. She sounds like a teenager but with and old soul and I relate to that as I always liked music (& stuff) that were much older than my age would have you thinking I would like. I don’t think music has to be autobiographical to be good. To me singers are like actors. In fact I don’t think it would be a stretch to say that over 90% of material from the mid-80’s to present is probably fictional.
What 16-year-old dreams of seeing the seven wonders? What 16-year-old knows what those even ARE?
I would be one. Not all 16-year-olds are the same. I was listing to Tom T. Hall’s Old Dogs, Children & Watermelon Wine when I was younger than 16. A very adult song. Does it take on more meaning as I age. Yes, but I never acted like a kid or enjoyed kid stuff. We are all different. Kids have a variety of emotions and that’s why I hate phrased like “Kids will be kids” or “Boys will be boys”. Simply not true in my experiences.
This song isn’t without its flaws but I always thought it was better than the sum of its parts. I like Tom P’s comment that she seems like an old soul because I think Andrews does a good job finding the balance between selling an age-appropriate lyric while still coming across as wise beyond her years. She seems grounded and mature, not vapid or embittered. She explained in an interview that her grandmother wasn’t really named Rosemary, but it’s nonetheless the song’s emotional high point and she delivers it with charisma. It makes up for some of the other more rookie-sounding vocal mannerisms on the record, particularly the “alri-igh-igh-igh-ight” affects which didn’t work so well for me.
I was struck that after this career record, Jessica Andrews had absolutely zero momentum. I had to look up what her next single was from her sophomore album because I was drawing a complete blank. Even after seeing the title “Helplessly, Hopelessly”, I’m still drawing a blank about what that song sounded like. Whatever the case, I’ll concur with others in praising the modest hit from her third album, “There’s to Me Than You”. The uptempo single provided a much-needed burst of adrenaline to the radio airwaves in 2003. It’s too bad we couldn’t have heard more from her but I’m guessing she still made bank from the legacy of “Who I Am”. It was used as the theme song for the TV show “Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye” in the mid-2000s. I never watched the show but happened to leave it on a channel that it was on when the familiar-sounding opening guitar riffs, followed by the vocals of Jessica Andrews, awakened me from my distraction.
Grade: B
Solid B for the song and album (which has a lovely cover of Maria McKee’s oft-covered Show Me Heaven). That said, I liked her first album far better; Unbreakabke Heart vies with There’s More To Me Than You as her best single.
I used to find this song endearing when I thought it was autobiographical, but knowing it isnt made it lose some of its luster. I think country gets too caught up in authenticity sometimes, but for a song this simple and list-y, it needs to be more authentic to resonate with me more.
It’s a good song – maybe a B+
It was also the theme song for a quite good Canadian-produced television show loosely based on the story of the first deaf FBI agent Sue Thomas. The song perfectly fit the show.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_Thomas_(FBI_specialist)
The show has been aired continuously over the last two decades starring deaf actress Deana Bray-Kotsur. The show currently is airing on the Ovation network
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_Thomas:_F.B.Eye
Danielle Bradberry performed the song on THE VOICE