# I'm Not the Only One
**"I'm Not the Only One"** is a song by the English singer and songwriter [Sam Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-smith), released in 2014 on their debut album *In the Lonely Hour*. Smith wrote it with the English songwriter and producer [Jimmy Napes](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmy-napes), and it addresses infidelity from the perspective of a spouse who knows their partner is cheating[1](https://www.ecr.co.za/music/sam-smith-and-alicia-keys-perform-im-not-only-one/) • [2](https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/they-call-him-the-male-adele-and-he-is-set-to-sing-for-the-next-bond-movie-sam-smith-walks-t2-through-seven-tracks-of-his-uk-1-album-in-the-lonely-hour/cid/1559111).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist and writers | Sam Smith, co-written with Jimmy Napes[1](https://www.ecr.co.za/music/sam-smith-and-alicia-keys-perform-im-not-only-one/) |
| Album | *In the Lonely Hour* (2014)[2](https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/they-call-him-the-male-adele-and-he-is-set-to-sing-for-the-next-bond-movie-sam-smith-walks-t2-through-seven-tracks-of-his-uk-1-album-in-the-lonely-hour/cid/1559111) |
| Peak chart positions | Number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100; number 3 on the UK Top 100 Singles in 2014[3](https://hitslist.fyi/song/sam-smith-im-not-the-only-one-b6qpskyb392y) |
| US certification | 7x Platinum[4](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2024/06/12/sam-smith-in-the-lonely-hour-10-years-on/) |
| Streaming | Over 2.6 billion plays on Spotify, with about 835,000 daily[5](https://kworb.net/spotify/artist/2wY79sveU1sp5g7SokKOiI_songs.html) |
| Music video | Published August 1, 2014; directed by Luke Monaghan[6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCkpzqqog4k) |
| Notable reworkings | A$AP Rocky remix (2014); live re-recording with Alicia Keys (2024)[7](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-revealing-sam-smith/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab4i) • [8](https://www.samsmithworld.com/) |
## Subject and writing
The song describes a marriage from the point of view of the wronged partner. Smith walked a journalist through the album's tracks and described it as the perspective of "someone who is married and one of them is cheating and the other person knows it"[2](https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/they-call-him-the-male-adele-and-he-is-set-to-sing-for-the-next-bond-movie-sam-smith-walks-t2-through-seven-tracks-of-his-uk-1-album-in-the-lonely-hour/cid/1559111). The chorus states the situation directly: the narrator is called "baby" by a partner who believes their affair is undetected, and replies that they know they are not the only one[6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCkpzqqog4k).
Napes, Smith's frequent collaborator from 2012 onward, co-wrote the song[9](https://songexploder.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Song-Exploder-Sam-Smith-Transcript.pdf) • [1](https://www.ecr.co.za/music/sam-smith-and-alicia-keys-perform-im-not-only-one/). In an early-career interview, Smith described their aim in songwriting as a song "that anybody can sing, even if you're tone-deaf or you don't even speak English"[10](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/sam-smith), a quality the chorus's plain repetition serves. The chorus vocal itself was assembled from about 40 different takes, according to a [CBS News](https://www.edgepedia.org/cbs-news) report[7](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-revealing-sam-smith/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab4i).
## Release and chart performance
The single entered commercial charts in late summer 2014. FIMI, the Italian music industry federation, records a release date of August 31, 2014, on the Capitol label[11](https://www.fimi.it/top-of-the-music/music/?title=I%27m+Not+the+Only+One). In Italy the track entered the Digital chart at number 77 in week 39 of 2014 and peaked at number 56 two weeks later[11](https://www.fimi.it/top-of-the-music/music/?title=I%27m+Not+the+Only+One). In the two principal English-language markets it did considerably better: number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 3 on the UK Top 100 Singles, both in 2014[3](https://hitslist.fyi/song/sam-smith-im-not-the-only-one-b6qpskyb392y). The song also reached number 3 on the Spotify Weekly Chart for the United States and number 5 for the United Kingdom[3](https://hitslist.fyi/song/sam-smith-im-not-the-only-one-b6qpskyb392y).
The album on which it appears, *In the Lonely Hour*, went on to become, per Smith's label, the biggest selling debut album of the decade, and the song itself was certified 7x Platinum in the United States[4](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2024/06/12/sam-smith-in-the-lonely-hour-10-years-on/). An RIAA awards listing for 2015 includes the title among that year's certifications[12](https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/RIAAS-2015-GOLD-PLATINUM-AWARDS.pdf).
## Music video and later versions
The official music video was published on YouTube on August 1, 2014, and was directed by Luke Monaghan; it has accumulated over 1.7 billion views on Smith's official channel[6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCkpzqqog4k). The lyrics shown there trace the full arc of the song, from the wedding vow of the opening line to the resigned refrain[6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCkpzqqog4k).
The song has been remade repeatedly. A remix featuring the rapper A$AP Rocky followed soon after release[7](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-revealing-sam-smith/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab4i). For the song's tenth anniversary in 2024, Smith recorded a new version with [Alicia Keys](https://www.edgepedia.org/alicia-keys), released as a live recording from Jungle City Studios in New York, and performed it with Keys publicly for the first time that year[1](https://www.ecr.co.za/music/sam-smith-and-alicia-keys-perform-im-not-only-one/) • [8](https://www.samsmithworld.com/).
## Longevity
A decade after release, the song remains one of Smith's most-played recordings, with over 2.6 billion Spotify streams and roughly 835,000 daily plays[5](https://kworb.net/spotify/artist/2wY79sveU1sp5g7SokKOiI_songs.html). The anniversary re-recording with Alicia Keys is featured on Smith's official site among their live performances[8](https://www.samsmithworld.com/), and the original remains a listed top song in Smith's catalog on streaming platforms[13](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sam-smith/156488786).
## References
1. [Sam Smith and Alicia Keys perform 'I'm Not The Only One', ECR](https://www.ecr.co.za/music/sam-smith-and-alicia-keys-perform-im-not-only-one/)
2. [Sam Smith walks t2 through seven tracks of In The Lonely Hour, Telegraph India](https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/they-call-him-the-male-adele-and-he-is-set-to-sing-for-the-next-bond-movie-sam-smith-walks-t2-through-seven-tracks-of-his-uk-1-album-in-the-lonely-hour/cid/1559111)
3. [I'm Not the Only One by Sam Smith: chart & list history, hitslist](https://hitslist.fyi/song/sam-smith-im-not-the-only-one-b6qpskyb392y)
4. [Sam Smith In The Lonely Hour 10 Years On, Universal Music Canada](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2024/06/12/sam-smith-in-the-lonely-hour-10-years-on/)
5. [Sam Smith - Spotify Top Songs, kworb](https://kworb.net/spotify/artist/2wY79sveU1sp5g7SokKOiI_songs.html)
6. [Sam Smith - I'm Not The Only One (Official Music Video), YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCkpzqqog4k)
7. [The revealing Sam Smith, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-revealing-sam-smith/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab4i)
8. [Sam Smith official site](https://www.samsmithworld.com/)
9. [Song Exploder - Sam Smith transcript](https://songexploder.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Song-Exploder-Sam-Smith-Transcript.pdf)
10. [Sam Smith Feels For You, Interview Magazine](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/sam-smith)
11. [I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE - SAM SMITH, FIMI Top of the Music](https://www.fimi.it/top-of-the-music/music/?title=I%27m+Not+the+Only+One)
12. [RIAA Gold & Platinum Awards, 2015](https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/RIAAS-2015-GOLD-PLATINUM-AWARDS.pdf)
13. [Sam Smith on Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sam-smith/156488786)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › R&B and soul songs › Contemporary R&B songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license