The Only One I Know

Album: Some Friendly (1990)
Charted: 9
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Songfacts®:

  • This was the song that launched the Charlatans career utilizing the Hammond organ, which became part of their sound. It is one of the songs of the Manchester "Baggy" sound in the early 1990s in North West England and its still played at indie clubs to this day.
  • The catchy organ riff was lifted from Deep Purple's 1968 hit "Hush." Sadly, the Hammond organ player responsible for this sound, Rob Collins, was killed in a 1996 car crash. The band carried on and continued producing UK Top 40 hits into the '00s.
  • In an interview with I Like Music, Tim Burgess and Martin Blunt of The Charlatans explained how this song came about:

    Burgess: "I remember how the melody came about, because I was just walking along and thinking about the music really. I like to walk (and hum)."

    Blunt: "And the music was something myself and Rob had got together early on. Great riff."

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