“I Am One” by The Smashing Pumpkins

"I Am One" was the Smashing Pumpkins' first single and their very first release, recorded in 1990 for the Limited Potential label and paid for out of the college money Billy Corgan's grandmother had left him. Only 1500 copies were pressed, and collectors have been chasing them ever since. The band re-cut it for Gish in 1991, with Corgan producing alongside Butch Vig, and put out a new single on Caroline and Hut, though Corgan later wished they had reworked it, since the two versions are close to identical.

Corgan and James Iha wrote the music, Corgan the words, and the song sets the template early: Jimmy Chamberlin's drums rolling like surf, D'Arcy Wretzky's bass underneath, and a doubled guitar solo, a trick the band returned to on "Ava Adore", "Tarantula" and "Bring the Light". It reached number 73 in the UK.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.