What I Am

Edie Brickell said:

The lyrics came from my one elective in my first year in college, world religions. From the time I could first think, I wondered, What does the rest of the world think? I know what these Texas folks think, but what’s going on in the rest of the world? So I took this world religions class, and I was immediately annoyed at the chatter going on in the classroom. To adopt behaviors, to adopt some sort of dogma, I felt defeated the purpose of evolution. That song just blossomed from irritation.^[2]

On the "choke me in the shallow water" lyric, she said, "That’s the part that was irritating about the class. Everybody was getting so deep in terms of making things up—'Does this mean this and does that mean that?' I was just irritated, like, just kill me now before I get out there and lose myself and my sense of who I am."^[2]

"What I Am" is written in the key of B minor in ⁴
₄ time with a tempo of 89 beats per minute. The song follows a chord progression of Bsus2–Dsus2–Asus2, and the vocals span from G₃ to B₄.^[3][4]

Betty Page from Record Mirror wrote, "Like so many other singles this week, this is pleasantly quirky but not terribly inspiring. Edie's yet another female singer/songstress who sings and strums a guitar in a rustic fashion which makes you forget what the song sounds like before it's finished."^[5] Cash Box called it "one of the catchiest, anti-philosophical, tongue-in-cheek ditties since Peggy Lee's 'Is That All There Is?.'"^[6]

US, European, and Australian 7-inch single; US cassette single^[7][8][9]

A. "What I Am" (LP version) – 4:54

B. "I Do" (LP version) – 2:00

Canadian and UK 7-inch single^[10][11]

A. "What I Am" (edit) – 3:43

B. "I Do" (LP version) – 2:00

12-inch and UK mini-CD single^[12][13]

1. "What I Am" (LP version)
2. "I Do" (LP version)
3. "Walk on the Wild Side" – 5:52

New Bohemians

• Edie Brickell – vocals
• Kenny Withrow – guitar
• Brad Houser – bass guitar
• Brandon Aly – drums
• John Bush – percussion

Additional personnel

• Robbie Blunt – guitar
• Chris Whitten – drums
• Paul "Wix" Wickens – keyboards
• John Henry – background vocals

Quick Facts from the album Eleven to Fly, B-side ...

"What I Am"
Single by Tin Tin Out and Emma Bunton
from the album Eleven to Fly
B-side	"Weird (Save Yourself)"
Released	November 1, 1999 (1999-11-1)
Recorded	June 1999
Studio	Sarm West (London, England)
Length	3:54
Label	Virgin VC
Songwriter(s)	Edie Brickell Kenny Withrow
Producer(s)	Tin Tin Out
Tin Tin Out singles chronology
"Eleven to Fly" (1999) "What I Am" (1999) "Anybody's Guess" (2000)
Emma Bunton singles chronology
"What I Am" (1999) "What Took You So Long?" (2001)
Audio
"What I Am" on YouTube

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The song was covered by English electronic music duo Tin Tin Out and English singer Emma Bunton. It was released on November 1, 1999, as the second single from Tin Tin Out's second studio album, Eleven to Fly (1999). It also appeared on Bunton's debut solo album, A Girl Like Me (2001). Bunton recorded her vocals at London's Sarm West Studios in June 1999.^[33] The collaboration was the first release for Bunton to appear as a solo artist.

Tin Tin Out and Bunton's version debuted and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, 29 places higher than the original version 11 years previously. It sold 106,300 copies during its first week of release and has sold over 234,000 copies in the UK.^[34] "What I Am" was the UK's 88th-best-selling single of 1999.