“One of Me” by Lil Nas X (ft. Elton John)

The title of this song (“One of Me”), as used in the chorus, points to the concept of conformity. It is based on Lil Nas X being vehemently advised to fit into a certain mold(s) in the name of perpetuating his music career.

Now of course Nas X was the primary artist behind “Old Town Road“, a sort of novelty song that basically went on to become the biggest hit in Billboard Hot 100 history. Before that, nobody ever heard of him. As such many people speculated at the time that his career would be akin to that of a one-hit wonder. Yes, with a debut single that big of course a follow-up hit or two is inevitable. But instead, even now over two years later, whereas Nas’ debut album may not have done as well as initially expected, the strength of his discography shows that he has established himself as an industry mainstay.

“One of Us”

So “One of Us” is actually another one of the rapper’s I-told-you-so moments. However, this case doesn’t involve him actually throwing his success in the face of haters. Rather, as alluded to above, the lyrics represent the kinds of things he was told, basically to dissuade him from giving it his all. Many people simply didn’t believe that he was ‘bout it, and they weren’t afraid to express their doubts, in a non-constructive way, to him personally.

So let’s conclude by saying that one of the subthemes of Lil Nas X’s artistry up until this point has been the obstacles he went through not only in making it big but also in remaining A list. 

But his come-up story doesn’t read like that of other hip-hop artists, i.e. growing up in the ‘hood or what have you. Instead what Nas more notably dealt with is people not believing in him in the first place. And maybe, somewhere down the (old town) road, being affected by the negative musings of others will become a thing of the past. But at this early stage, it is apparently something that still bothers Lil Nas X.

Facts about “One of Me”

It should be noted that Elton John does not participate on this song in a vocal capacity. Where is Elton then? He is one of the song’s two pianists, alongside Jasper Sheff.

Jasper Sheff, a musician whose most notable works thus far have been working with the late XXXTentacion (1998-2018), also co-wrote and co-produced “One of Me”, as did John Cunningham. Additionally, Drew Slinger served as a producer and Nas X and Ilsey as writers.

This is a track that was first teased in April of 2019, eventually being released in full, on Nas X’s album “Montero”, on 17 September 2021. And to note, it also makes an appearance on Elton John’s 2021 album, “The Lockdown Sessions”.

Whereas “One of Us” may be Elton John and Lil Nas X’s first musical collaboration, the pair did team up for a food-related ad campaign about a week before its issuance. Elton John of course is a certified gay icon in the entertainment world, having come out of the closet back in 1976, when homosexuality was still largely frowned upon in the West. 

Meanwhile Nas X, who is over 50 years his junior and established himself with his 2019 super-mega hit “Old Town Road”, is more of a recent addition to the pantheon of LGBT pop stars.

The label behind this tune is Columbia Records.

Chart Success

“One of Us” made it’s debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at position 88 in September of 2021. This feat earned Elton John his 69th entry on the Hot 100. It also gave him his second entry for the year 2021. His first for the year was the song “Cold Heart” (a collaboration with Dua Lipa).

It should be mentioned that the last time, Elton had multiple of his songs charting on the iconic Hot 100 was in 1998.