I Am the Resurrection

"I Am the Resurrection" is a song by the Stone Roses and the final song on the UK version of their debut album.

This article is about the single by The Stone Roses. For the John Fahey song, see The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death. For the John Fahey tribute album, see I Am the Resurrection (album).

"I Am the Resurrection"
Single by The Stone Roses
from the album The Stone Roses
A-side"I Am The Resurrection (remix)"
B-side"I Am The Resurrection (dub)"
Released30 March 1992
Recorded1989
GenreMadchester[1][2]
Length8:13
LabelSilvertone
Songwriter(s)Ian Brown, John Squire
Producer(s)John Leckie
The Stone Roses singles chronology
"Waterfall"
(1991)		 "I Am the Resurrection"
(1992)		 "Love Spreads"
(1994)

The last four minutes of the song is an instrumental outro. The single was released on 30 March 1992, and reached number 33 on the UK Singles Chart.[3] It was the second of two singles released from their début album while the band were estranged from their label Silvertone.

The track's title and its placing as the final song on the album is believed to have influenced the title of their long-awaited follow-up album, Second Coming, which was released five years later.

Q magazine placed it at number 10 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.[4]

NME magazine placed "I Am the Resurrection" at number 8 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever. NME also placed it at number 100 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[5]

Originally, the 12" exclusively contained the 8:13 long "Extended 16:9 Ratio Club Mix". Other versions were considerably shorter.

Background

Regarding the song's origin, drummer Reni revealed the track originated when bassist Mani played the riff of The Beatles' "Taxman" backwards. Reni said, "Mani would play the riff backwards during sound-checks and we played along over the top for a laugh. Finally we said, Let's do this joke-song properly and see what happens."[6]

Artwork

John Squire designed the "I Am the Resurrection" cover, (an up-close shot from the cover of the first album) continuing the Jackson Pollock-influenced theme of singles from The Stone Roses.

Track listing
7" vinyl (Silvertone ORE 40)
Cassette (Silvertone ORE 40C)
  1. I Am the Resurrection (Pan and Scan Radio Version) (3:45)
  2. I Am the Resurrection (Highly Resurrected Dub) (3:30)
12" vinyl (Silvertone ORE T 40)
  1. I Am the Resurrection (Extended 16:9 Ratio Club Mix) by Simon Harris (8:22)
  2. I Am the Resurrection (Original LP version) (8:12)
  3. Fools Gold (Bottom Won Mix) (6:59)
CD (Silvertone ORE CD 40)
  1. I Am the Resurrection (Pan and Scan Radio Version) by Simon Harris (3:45)
  2. I Am the Resurrection (5:3 Stoned Out Club Mix) (5:40)
  3. I Am the Resurrection (Original LP version) (8:12)
  4. Fools Gold (Bottom Won Mix) (6:59)

Religious and Messianic language

Biblical scholar James Crossley has noted the biblical language throughout the song where the singer takes on the role of a Christ-like or God-like figure ("I am the resurrection and I am the life"). In addition to the title alluding to John 11, he argues that there are references to stubbornness and repentance found in the prophetic literature of the Old Testament (which repeatedly uses the language of "turning" to God) and persistence and redemption in the New Testament which uses the language of knocking at doors (e.g. Luke 11.5-10; Luke 13.23-27). The song therefore partly functions as "a story of God and Israel/humanity in the Bible" but now "applied to a human relationship".[7]

Personnel

References
  1. Haslam, Dave (2000). Manchester, England: The Story of the Pop Cult City. Fourth Estate. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-8411-5146-5. The sights and sounds of Madchester – from the thrilling, rolling drum beats of the Stone Roses' celebratory 'I Am The Resurrection', to Central Station's big colour sleeve and poster designs – were qualitatively different to old Manchester.
  2. "The Stone Roses: I Am the Resurrection". XFM. Archived from the original on 16 May 2010.
  3. "Stone Roses". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  4. "Q Magazine – 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks Ever!". Q. Rocklist.net. March 2005. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  5. "The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time: 100-1". NME. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  6. "The inspirations behind The Stone Roses' I Am the Resurrection". Radio X. 13 April 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  7. Crossley, James (April 2011). "For EveryManc a Religion: Biblical and Religious Language in the Manchester Music Scene, 1976–1994". Biblical Interpretation. 19 (2): 151–180. doi:10.1163/156851511X557343. ISSN 0927-2569.
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