''I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter'' is the third studio album by Irish singer-songwriter

Gilbert O'Sullivan Raymond Edward "Gilbert" O'Sullivan (born 1 December 1946) is an Irish singer-songwriter who achieved his most significant success during the early 1970s, with hits including " Alone Again (Naturally)", " Clair" and "Get Down". His songs are of ...

, originally released by

MAM Records MAM Records was a British record label launched in 1970 by the management company Management Agency & Music Ltd. (MAM). It was founded by Gordon Mills and Tom Jones and distributed by Decca Records. The first single released on MAM was "I Hear ...

in September 1973. After becoming one of the most successful performers worldwide in 1972, O'Sullivan pursued new directions with the album, taking influence from

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

and incorporating an array of then-new

electric keyboards An electronic keyboard, portable keyboard, or digital keyboard is an electronic musical instrument based on keyboard instruments. Electronic keyboards include synthesizers, digital pianos, stage pianos, electronic organs and digital audio work ...

, as well as emphasizing a new, more rhythmic focus. The album was recorded "on and off" with producer

Gordon Mills Gordon William Mills (15 May 1935 – 29 July 1986) was a successful London-based music industry manager and songwriter. He was born in Madras, British India and grew up in Trealaw in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales. During the 1960s and 1970s, ...

at the latter's studio, and although several

overdub Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more a ...

s were recorded in the United States, O'Sullivan referred to the album as an ultimately "very ad hoc home-based" project. Released months ahead of the album, "

Get Down Get Down may refer to: * Get down, a stance or movement in traditional African culture, in African American culture, and throughout the Black African diaspora Film and television * ''Get Down'' (film) or ''Treed Murray'', a 2001 Canadian film * ...

" was a number one single in the United Kingdom and also reached the top ten in the United States. In the ensuing months, O'Sullivan toured internationally for the first time. The release of the album in September coincided with a new rock-influenced image for the singer. The funk-influenced single "Ooh Baby" failed to make the UK top 10 and marked the start of the singer's decline in popularity, while the album itself reached number 2 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

, and although it spent 25 weeks on the chart, this was less than its predecessors. Critics are divided on the album's merits, but the response has been generally favourable over time. The Salvo record label released a remastered version of it in April 2012 as part of the ''Gilbert O'Sullivan – A Singer & His Songs'' collection.

Background and recording

Gilbert O'Sullivan became one of 1972's most successful musicians and, for a time, the biggest-selling British-based musician worldwide, owing to the success of his second album '' Back to Front'' and internationally successful singles such as "

Alone Again (Naturally) "Alone Again (Naturally)" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan. Recorded in 1971, it became a worldwide hit. The song did not originally appear on his 1972 studio album '' Back to Front'', but has been included in reissues ...

" and " Clair". To support the album, O'Sullivan toured the United Kingdom for the first time, beginning in late 1972 and continuing into 1973. It was with these performances that he debuted his college-style sweaters with a "G" symbol. Critics applauded the shows, while female audiences turned O'Sullivan into a

heartthrob Heartthrob or Heart Throb may refer to: * "Heart Throb" (''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!''), a live-action episode of ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' * "Heartthrob" (''Angel''), an episode of the American television show ''Angel'' * '' ...

, a position he felt uninterested in. Many of the songs on ''I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter'' were written by O'Sullivan in his

Weybridge Weybridge () is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge, Elmbridge district in Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. The settlement is recorded as ''Waigebrugge'' and ''Weibrugge'' in the 7th century and the name derives from a cro ...

home. Between tours of the UK, O'Sullivan spent time in Spain, where he installed a piano and wrote further songs for the album. He had avoided touring worldwide until later that year because he felt the busy schedule would have made the album difficult to write, and the Britain-only touring ensured that the trip to Spain was possible. The recording of ''I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter'' departed from O'Sullivan's previous two albums, as instead of recording within several three hour sessions in various studios, O'Sullivan and his manager and producer

recorded the album "on and off" in early 1973 at Mills' recently built studio located beside his home, spending a total of several days in the studio. Mills would play keyboards and add backing vocals to tracks, while a rhythm section was also in place and

Johnnie Spence Johnnie Spence, born John Spence Abrahams (4 February 1936 – 15 August 1977),Johnnie Spence
...

returned to provide

string arrangement The string section of an orchestra is composed of bowed instruments belonging to the violin family. It normally consists of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. It is the most numerous group in the standard orchestra. In ...

s. Although several

s were recorded in the United States, O'Sullivan ultimately referred to the album as "a very ad hoc home-based project," which he felt gave the resulting album a "continuity running through it, unlike perhaps the previous two albums." In August 1973, around the time of the album's completion, O'Sullivan moved house as he felt "too vulnerable."

Composition

''I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter'' was influenced by

, and updates O'Sullivan's sound by incorporating a selection of

electronic keyboard An electronic keyboard, portable keyboard, or digital keyboard is an electronic musical instrument based on keyboard instruments. Electronic keyboards include synthesizers, digital pianos, stage pianos, electronic organs and digital audio work ...

s played by himself and Mills, reflecting the emergence of such instruments at the time, although the album also features the singer's signature acoustic piano playing. O'Sullivan explained: "It was the early days of synths and

clavinet The Clavinet is an electric clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds with rubber pads, each matching one of the keys and respond ...

s, these instruments were emerging, much to any keyboard players' pleasure led in no small part by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

, so me and Gordon had some of these and just played around with them." Contemporary keyboard trends reflected on the album include the use of the

electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument that has a piano-style musical keyboard, where sound is produced by means of mechanical hammers striking metal strings or reeds or wire tines, which leads to vibrations which are then converted into ele ...

and at one point a sound resembling a

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

. The album also features more ambitious rhythms, with an emphasis on percussion and incorporation of instruments like the bongoes,

maraca A maraca ( , , ), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. Maracas, also known as tamaracas, were rattles of d ...

s and

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, thoug ...

, while O'Sullivan's singing is more robust than on previous albums, the result of his voice improving over his live performances. Stevie Wonder 1973

The album breaks with an O'Sullivan tradition by not featuring a short,

meta Meta most commonly refers to: * Meta (prefix), a common affix and word in English ( in Greek) * Meta Platforms, an American multinational technology conglomerate (formerly ''Facebook, Inc.'') Meta or META may also refer to: Businesses * Meta (ac ...

intro song, instead opening with the album's title track, which fuses

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

and

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

, and features

-styled guitar, reflecting the influence of Stevie Wonder. In the opinion of Tony Stewart, the following song "A Friend of Mine" returns O'Sullivan to the "gossipy writing" of ''Himself''. The song's eccentric narrative plots the singer greeting women and offering them advice and his friendship. "They've Only Themselves to Blame" is one of several ballads on the album, detailing a couple thwarting their young son's attempt to romance, while "Who Knows, Perhaps, Maybe" features a bluesy electric piano and a

four on the floor ''Four on the Floor'' is a 1999 compilation album consisting of songs by bands on Panic Button Records. It features four tracks by four of the labels bands, Screeching Weasel, Moral Crux, Enemy You, and The Teen Idols The Teen Idols were a pop ...

bass drum, again highlighting the album's Stevie Wonder influence. Side one closer "Where the Peaceful Water Flows" is another ballad which alternates between and time, and features a

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

-style ending. Similarly to the title track, "Ooh Baby" features a funk-inflected sound, and is defined by a muscular rhythm and diminished chords, while "I Have Never Loved You As Much As I Love You Today" sees the singer assume the position of a serviceman stationed abroad writing home to his partner. "Not in a Million Years" is one of the album's experiments with different rhythms, fusing

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

with

rhumba Rhumba, also known as ballroom rumba, is a genre of ballroom music and ballroom dance, dance that appeared in the East Coast of the United States during the 1930s. It combined American big band music with Afro-Cuban rhythms, primarily the son cub ...

, and has been described as a "left-field musical gem" with harmonic and melodic surprises. "If You Love Me Like You Love Me" is loosely based on the theme of

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was a British singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop mus ...

's hit "

I Only Want to Be with You "I Only Want to Be with You" is a song written by Mike Hawker and Ivor Raymonde. Released as a debut solo single by British singer Dusty Springfield under her long-time producer Johnny Franz, "I Only Want to Be with You" peaked at number 4 o ...

", while the hit single "

" is built on a chugging

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

groove and features chiming piano hits during the chorus. O'Sullivan explained the song's lyrics to

Paul Gambaccini Paul Matthew Gambaccini (born 2 April 1949) is an American-British radio and television presenter and author. He is a dual citizen of the United States and United Kingdom, having become a British citizen in 2005. Known as "The Great Gambo" and ...

of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'':

Promotion and release

Over half a year before the album's release, "Get Down" was released as a single by

; in March 1973, it became O'Sullivan's second and final number one hit on the UK Singles Chart, while also reaching number 7 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Allmusic.com - Charts & Awards (singles)/ref> O'Sullivan's profile was high throughout 1973, aided not just by record sales but also by tours and television appearances. It was also the first year he toured internationally, picking up his concert schedule again in late spring; after touring the UK and Europe in May and the first half of June, he played several shows in Ireland. He fainted at the end of the final show, and rested for a while in

Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...

, before touring the United States over six weeks, backed by a 22-piece orchestra. He made his

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

debut at the

Avery Fisher Hall David Geffen Hall is a concert hall at Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The 2,200-seat auditorium opened in 1962, and is the home of the New York Philharmonic. The facility, designed by Max Abramovitz, was o ...

in early October, where he played some of the songs from the upcoming album to positive audience reception. O'Sullivan announced in June that, after the completion of the American tour, he would change his image to coincide with the album's rock influences, reinventing himself to play "really tough rock". He was inspired by

Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin from its founding in 1968 until their breakup in 1980. Since then, he has had a successful solo ca ...

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

and

Ian Gillan Ian Gillan (born 19 August 1945) is an English singer who is best known as the lead singer and lyricist for the rock band Deep Purple. He is known for his powerful and wide-ranging singing voice. Initially influenced by Elvis Presley, Gillan ...

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...

, who he felt could "hold a wild show flogging themselves as much as their fans whereas I always had to sit at the piano well-behaved." His stylistic change included wearing "fashionable suits" instead of "coloured sweaters." To launch the promotion of ''I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter'', the label released the single "Ooh Baby", a song which fitted into the "funk-flected" trend of the era that also included T. Rex's " Teenage Dream" (1974) and

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

's "

Bennie and the Jets "Bennie and the Jets" (also titled "Benny & the Jets") is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. The song first appeared on the ''Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'' album in 1973. "Bennie and ...

" (1974). The song alienated O'Sullivan's fan base, and in September, it became the singer's first single to miss the top ten of the UK Singles Chart since his first top ten hit two years earlier, instead peaking at number 18. It also reached number 25 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. O'Sullivan and Mills also convinced

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

to partake in photoshoots to promote the album featuring O'Sullivan and Ali at his training camp in Dear Lake,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, were the two also sparred recreationally. ''I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter'' was released by MAM Records in September 1973. Although peaking at number 2 on the

, this was a relative disappointment compared to ''Back to Front'', and by the time the album left the top 10 in February 1974, the singer appeared to have become "a spent force", according to writer Bob Stanley, and his success began to decline. The album ultimately spent 25 weeks on the chart. In the United States, the album peaked at number 101 on the ''Billboard'' Top LPs and Tape chart, and spent only ten weeks on the chart, becoming his last charting album. In April 2012, the Union Square Music reissue label Salvo released a remastered version of ''I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter'' as part of their ''Gilbert O'Sullivan – A Singer & His Songs'' series. This edition features numerous bonus tracks; the album's B-sides "A Very Extraordinary Sort of Girl" and "Good Company", alongside the non-album single "Why, Oh Why, Oh Why" and its B-side "You Don't Have to Tell Me."

Critical reception and legacy

In a contemporary review, Tony Stewart of the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'', who did not enjoy ''Back to Front'', felt that ''I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter'' re-established O'Sullivan, "in my eyes, as a writer-performer." He panned the two singles, but felt there was "little to criticise" elsewhere, praising the "well expressed" subject matters and lyrical substance, O'Sullivan's "originality in composing" and the instrumentation and arrangement, among other things. He concluded that "O'Sullivan has got back in part, if not wholly to some serious music." The pop reviewer for the ''

Reading Evening Post The ''Reading Post'' (formerly the ''Reading Evening Post'') was an English local newspaper covering Reading, Berkshire and surrounding areas. The title page of the paper featured the Maiwand Lion, a local landmark at Forbury Gardens. The paper ...

'' hailed the album as "another beauty" from O'Sullivan that proved he "goes from strength from strength," hailing the "clever and amusing" lyrics for continuing to bring a "down-to-earth" image to "humdrum, everyday incidents." By contrast, a reviewer for the ''

Buckinghamshire Examiner The ''Buckinghamshire Examiner'' more usually known as the ''Bucks Examiner'' was a weekly newspaper, published on Wednesdays and distributed in the towns of Amersham, Chesham, and the surrounding villages in the Chiltern area of Buckinghamsh ...

'' felt the album was "firmly cast" in the mould of derivative

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

pop, with "the ever-present

syncopated In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat (music), off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of ...

piano and bass-line" failing to distinguish individual songs. However, they praised O'Sulluvan's lyrics, which they felt were defined by "the threading of colloquialisms through a mesh of home-spun philosophy." ''

Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels * Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 * Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing compa ...

'' described the album as a collection of "hot rock songs." In a 1974 article on O'Sullivan, ''The Story of Pop'' magazine felt that the album was more sophisticated than O'Sullivan's previous albums, plotting him moving "gradually away from the fairly slushy efforts" that had defined ''Himself'' in 1971. Sue James of ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...

'' listed it among her favourite albums of 1973. Among retrospective reviews, Sharon Mawer of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

also criticised "Ooh Baby," which she felt lacked "any sort of melody and lyrical ingenuity," and also felt the Stevie Wonder-influenced tracks were poor because "O'Sullivan did not have Wonder's voice, and this type of song really didn't suit him." She did however praise the record's ballads, and wrote that "Get Down" was the best track on the album, before noting "O'Sullivan would never again hit these heights." Tom Ewing of ''

Freaky Trigger ''Freaky Trigger'' is an Internet publication and e-zine that focuses on popular culture with topics varying from music to cinema. It was founded by the music critic Tom Ewing in 1999 and features Pete Baran and Mark Sinker as editors. From 2 ...

'' called "Get Down" a "rumbustious thing," praising the "chiming piano hits on the chorus" though deriding the "dog/girl metaphor which Sullivan doesn’t take anywhere." The song has featured on

Sean Rowley Sean Rowley is a British disc jockey and television and radio presenter. He started his DJ career in the mid-1990s touring with the likes of Paul Weller and Oasis. He came up with a concept for the radio show ''All Back to Mine'', which saw him ...

's ''Guilty Pleasures'' compilation series, which aims to play music that has been considered

guilty pleasure A guilty pleasure is something, such as an activity or a piece of media, that one enjoys despite understanding that it is not generally held in high regard or is seen as unusual. For example, a person may secretly enjoy a film while acknowledg ...

s over time but which he believes should be guilt-free.

Track listing

All songs written by Gilbert O'Sullivan.

Side one

# "I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter" – 3:18 # "A Friend of Mine" – 3:23 # "They've Only Themselves To Blame" – 2:45 # "Who Knows, Perhaps Maybe" 3:14 # "Where Peaceful Waters Flow" – 4:16

Side two

"Ooh Baby" – 3:45 # "I Have Never Loved You As Much As I Love You Today" – 2:33 # "Not In a Million Years" – 3:01 # "If You Love Me Like You Love Me" – 3:18 # "

" – 2:45

Bonus tracks on the 2012 remaster

"A Very Extraordinary Sort of Girl" (b-side of "Get Down") – 2:20 # "Good Company" (b-side of "Ooh Baby") – 2:49 # "Why, Oh Why, Oh Why" (single, November 1973) – 3:53 # "You Don't Have To Tell Me" (b-side of "Why, Oh Why, Oh Why") – 3:15

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Personnel

*Gilbert O'Sullivan – vocals, piano *

Laurie Holloway Laurence Holloway (31 March 1938 – 9 January 2025) was an English pianist, musical director and composer from Oldham, Lancashire. In the 1970s, he was the Musical Director for the singer Engelbert Humperdinck, and on the television talk show ' ...

–

on "

" *

Johnnie Spence Johnnie Spence, born John Spence Abrahams (4 February 1936 – 15 August 1977),Johnnie Spence
...

– arrangements *Peter Rynston – engineer * Terry O'Neill – photography

References

External links

Official Gilbert O'Sullivan page
{{DEFAULTSORT:I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter (Gilbert O'Sullivan album) 1973 albums Gilbert O'Sullivan albums MAM Records albums 1970s in Irish music Rock albums by Irish artists Easy listening albums