I Am Mine

Origin and recording

"I Am Mine" was written by vocalist Eddie Vedder in a hotel room near Virginia Beach, Virginia before the band's first show after the Roskilde tragedy in 2000. Vedder said that he wrote the song to "reassure myself that this is going to be all right."

Composition

Drummer Matt Cameron on "I Am Mine":

It seems like it has all the elements this band is known for: strong lyrics, strong hook, and a good sense of melody. It wasn't a really tough decision to have that be the starting point for the record.

Lyrics

The lyrics for "I Am Mine" tackle existential matters. At the band's April 8, 2003 show in New Orleans, Louisiana at the UNO Lakefront Arena, Vedder stated, "This song is about what's inside you. You own it, and you have the freedom for it to come out. It's allowed to come out." At the band's July 8, 2003 show in New York City at Madison Square Garden, Vedder stated, "This song’s about personal safety, and the feeling of being secure, and even free."

Release and reception

"I Am Mine" was released as a single in 2002 in various versions with the previously unreleased B-sides "Down" and "Undone", both of which can also be found on the compilation album, Lost Dogs (2003), the latter as an alternate version. "I Am Mine" was the most successful song from Riot Act on the American rock charts. The song peaked at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100, number seven on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and number six on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Outside the United States, the single was released commercially in Australia, Austria, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. In Canada, the song reached the top ten on the Canadian Singles Chart. "I Am Mine" reached the top 30 in the UK and peaked at number 12 on the Australian Singles Chart where it was also certified gold. "I Am Mine" reached the top 60 in Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, the top 50 in New Zealand, the top 40 in Ireland, the top 30 in Sweden, and was a top ten success in Italy and Norway. It was a moderate top 20 success in Finland.

Music video

The music video for "I Am Mine" was directed by James Frost. The video was filmed at Seattle, Washington's Chop Suey club in September 2002. The video consists of a filmed live performance of the band rather than a conceptual video. It was one of five videos shot at the club to promote Riot Act (including "Save You", "Love Boat Captain", "Thumbing My Way", and "1/2 Full"). Up to that point, the band had not made any music videos since 1998's "Do the Evolution". The video was released in October 2002.

Live performances

"I Am Mine" was first performed live at Neil Young's 2001 Bridge School Benefit. The band played this song when it appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman in November 2002 in support of Riot Act. Live performances of "I Am Mine" can be found on various official bootlegs and the Live at the Gorge 05/06 box set. Performances of the song are also included on the DVDs Live at the Showbox and Live at the Garden.

Cover versions

On June 12, 2014 Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo performed an acoustic rendition of the song on the MLB Network program, "Intentional Talk" when interviewers Kevin Millar and Chris Rose inquired about his music hobby.

Track listing

All songs written by Eddie Vedder, except where noted:

1. "I Am Mine" – 3:35
2. "Down" (Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Vedder) – 3:17

1. "I Am Mine" – 3:35
2. "Down" (Gossard, McCready, Vedder) – 3:17
3. "Bu$hleaguer" (Gossard, Vedder) – 3:57
4. "Undone" – 3:08

1. "I Am Mine" – 3:35
2. "Bu$hleaguer" (Gossard, Vedder) – 3:57
3. "Undone" – 3:08