"**I'm Not the One**" is a song by the American rock band The Cars, from their fourth album, *Shake It Up*. It features Ric Ocasek on lead vocals, Benjamin Orr singing the phrase "you know why", with the entire group repeating "going round and round" as backing vocals throughout the song.

Overview
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"I'm Not the One" first appeared in 1981 on *Shake It Up*. It was not charting at the time, but was included on the band's 1985 *Greatest Hits* album. The song was remixed on the *Greatest Hits* album, emphasizing the drum track with additional reverb. It was then released as a single in 1986, following "Tonight She Comes", also from the *Greatest Hits* album. "I'm Not the One" debuted on the *Billboard* Top 40 chart on March 8, 1986 and peaked at number 32.

AllMusic reviewer Donald A. Guarisco described "I'm Not the One" as one of *Shake It Up*'s "strongest and most memorable tunes", commenting that its sound still sounded fresh on its 1986 re-release, five years after its first appearance on *Shake It Up*.

In 2005, the album *Substitution Mass Confusion: A Tribute to The Cars* was released on Not Lame Recordings, which featured a cover of Gigolo Aunts single "I'm Not The One.

Composition
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The song's intro and choruses are in the key of B minor. The intro features two layered synthesizer parts, one derived from Ric Ocasek's vocal melody and the other a supporting countermelody in a softer key. The intro/chorus begins with a chord progression of B minor, F♯ minor, E minor, and A major, but is immediately followed by in inversion, F♯ minor to B minor, retaining the E minor to A major movement. After another "reversed" repeat, the E minor to A functions as a ii-V-I turnaround in the key's relative major of D.

The D verses are not unlike The Beatles' song "Dear Prudence". The official sheet music folio lists the chord progression as D, to D/C, to D/B (enharmonic to a B minor seventh chord), to D/B♭ (enharmonic to a B♭ augmented major seventh chord), and video exists of Ocasek performing the song, solo on acoustic guitar, according to this progression. However, other transcriptionists describe the chord progression as D to D/C, to G/B, to Gm/B♭, which is identical to the verses of "Dear Prudence". Either way, the last chord of the verse is a G minor sixth chord, transitioning to the chorus in B minor. Each verse is introduced with a guitar melody by Elliot Easton, who layers several clean-tone guitar parts over the synthesizer-dominated arrangement. There is also a horn-like synth solo by Greg Hawkes, played over the chorus progression.

Other websites
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* Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

| * v
* t
* e
The Cars |
| --- |
| 
* **Elliot Easton**
* **Greg Hawkes**
* **Ric Ocasek**
* **Benjamin Orr**
* **David Robinson**

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| Studio albums | 
* *The Cars*
* *Candy-O*
* *Panorama*
* *Shake It Up*
* *Heartbeat City*
* *Door to Door*
* *Move Like This*

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| Other albums | 
* *Greatest Hits*
* *Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology*
* *Shake It Up & Other Hits*
* *Complete Greatest Hits*
* *The Essentials*
* *The Cars Unlocked: The Live Performances*
* *The Elektra Years 1978–1987*

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| Singles | 
* "Just What I Needed"
* "My Best Friend's Girl"
* "Good Times Roll"
* "Let's Go"
* "It's All I Can Do"
* "Double Life"
* "Touch and Go"
* "Don't Tell Me No"
* "Gimme Some Slack"
* "Shake It Up"
* "Since You're Gone"
* "Victim of Love"
* "Think It Over"
* "You Might Think"
* "Magic"
* "Drive"
* "Hello Again"
* "Why Can't I Have You"
* "Heartbeat City"
* "Tonight She Comes"
* "I'm Not the One"
* "You Are the Girl"
* "Strap Me In"
* "Coming Up You"
* "Sad Song"

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| Other songs | 
* "I'm in Touch with Your World"
* "Don't Cha Stop"
* "You're All I've Got Tonight"
* "Bye Bye Love"
* "Moving in Stereo"
* "All Mixed Up"
* "Candy-O"
* "Night Spots"
* "Dangerous Type"
* "Panorama"
* "Cruiser"
* "Blue Tip"

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| Concert tours | 
* Road Rage Tour
* North American Tour Spring 2011

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| Related articles | 
* Discography
* Songs
* *Substitution Mass Confusion: A Tribute to The Cars*
* *BrainDead*
* *Glamour Camp*

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| The New Cars | 
* Todd Rundgren
* Kasim Sulton
* Atom Ellis
* Prairie Prince
* *It's Alive!*
* Utopia

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| 
* **Category**

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