One

Album

The Story of Beat Club, Volume 2: 1968–1970

Label

Dunhill Records

Genre

Pop rock

Composer(s)

Harry Nilsson

Entered Chart

May 3, 1969

Peak Date

Jun 28, 1969

Released

April 1969

Recorded

1968

Catalog #

Dunhill 45-4191

B-Side

Chest Fever

This was written by Harry Nilsson, a popular songwriter who had hits as a singer with "Everybody's Talkin'" and "Without You." Nilsson was inspired to write "One" from the rhythm of a telephone busy signal that he kept hearing. This is about loneliness. It was used in the film Recess: School's Out when the character of TJ is lonely and bored after all his friends go to summer camps. >> This was the first song on Three Dog Night's first album. It was one of 21 US Top 40 hits for the group, who did very well with songs written by other artists. Other hits by Three Dog Night include "Joy to the World" (written by Hoyt Axton), "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" (written by Randy Newman) and "The Show Must Go On" (written by Leo Sayer). Aimee Mann covered this for the 1999 film Magnolia. It was used in the title sequence, and became part of a soundtrack that put Mann back in the spotlight. In the '80s, she was lead singer of the group Til Tuesday. Three Dog Night had three members at the time that were capable of singing lead vocals. This track went to Chuck Negron. Report an ad In Episode 6, "Mistaken Identity" of Season 1 of the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Will and Carlton are locked in with a criminal who sings this song at the end of the show. >> This song was used on the Family Guy episode "Brian Wallows And Peter's Swallows," were it was played at a laser show. >> The Beta Band did a cover of this (titled "Won") on their album Hot Shots II, which had nothing to do with the movie Hot Shots Part Deux. >>

One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
Two can be as bad as one
It's the loneliest number since the number one

No is the saddest experience you'll ever know
Yes, it's the saddest experience you'll ever know

'Cause one is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
One is the loneliest number, whoa, worse than two

It's just no good anymore since you went away
Now I spend my time just making rhymes of yesterday

One is the loneliest number
One is the loneliest number
One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do

One is the loneliest
One is the loneliest
One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do

It's just no good anymore since you went away

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One is the loneliest (number)
One is the loneliest (number)
One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do

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One is the loneliest (number)
One is the loneliest (number)
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One (one is the loneliest number that you'll ever do)
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One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
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One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do