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"Who I Am Hates Who I've Been"
Single by Relient K
from the album Mmhmm
Released	June 27, 2005
Studio	Dark Horse Recording Studio Franklin, Tennessee
Genre	Pop punk Christian rock emo
Length	3:53
Label	Gotee Capitol
Songwriter(s)	Matt Thiessen
Producer(s)	Mark Lee Townsend Matt Thiessen
Relient K singles chronology
"Be My Escape" (2004) "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been" (2005) "The Truth" (2005)

"Who I Am Hates Who I've Been" is a song by American Christian rock band Relient K. It was released in June 2005 as the second single from their 2004 album Mmhmm. An acoustic version, originally recorded for Apathetic EP, is included on the B-side, was included on the 2008 The Bird and the Bee Sides album. The music video entered TRL's top 10 in 2005, reaching as high as eight on the countdown. "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been" was released to radio on August 23, 2005. The song reached No. 58 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it their most successful single to date. The song has been certified gold in the US for sales surpassing 500,000 units.

Background and writing

Matt Thiessen wrote the song in Australia in light of a feud with Brian Pittman, the band's bassist. The lyrics reflect remorse for his behavior, as well as pleas for forgiveness.

Music video

The music video for the song shows a woman encountering various events being rewound and replayed, interposed with scenes of Relient K performing on an urban rooftop. The video starts off with a view of a room and a young woman. The camera then pans out to see her step outside. The first series of event that happens is as follows; a grocer tosses her a random green fruit and she catches it, then she stops walking and realizes that everything else around her stopped too. She starts walking back and forth while watching an old woman drop and rewind her library books.

As the woman moves, her actions control everyone around her; an old man moving side to side with a TV, another young man on his cell phone and an Asian man crossing the street while preoccupied with reading a magazine. The young woman makes a mistake and takes too many steps and watches as she causes the Asian man to be hit by a Plymouth Reliant car. Shocked, she tries retracing her steps and starts back at where the grocer tosses her the fruit and takes a few steps to the side and starts walking again. Since it is not the same path as the first time, the events have changed. Instead of her catching the fruit, the man on the cell phone is instead, hit by it and he drops his phone. As he bends down to pick it up he accidentally kicks it into the path of a bicycle that has to swerve to miss him but instead nearly hits the old man with the TV and causes him to drop it.

This all results in the Asian man avoiding the hit and the video ends with her walking away. There is a short piano-only chorus in the middle of the song that was cut from the video. As with the "Be My Escape" video, exclusions visually include Dave Douglas singing background vocals, and Matt Thiessen playing the piano. The video was released in October 2005.

Single track listing

1. "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been" (radio edit)
2. "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been" (acoustic)

Video credits

• Matt Thiessen – lead vocals, guitar, piano
• Matt Hoopes – guitar, backing vocals
• Dave Douglas – drums, backing vocals
• John Warne – bass, backing vocals
• Jon Schneck – guitar
• C.C. Sheffield – girl on the street who controls time
• Jon Watts – director

Awards

In 2006, the song was nominated for a Dove Award for Rock Recorded Song of the Year at the 37th GMA Dove Awards.

Chart positions

Certifications

On February 15, 2006, the song was certified Gold in the United States.

References

1. Sharp, Tyler (25 February 2016). "14 Emo Songs that Any Pop-Punk Fan Will Like". Alternative Press. Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
2. "FMQB Airplay Archive: Modern Rock". Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Incorporated. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
3. ^ "American single certifications – Relient K – Who I Am Hates Who I've Been". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
4. 37th Annual GMA Dove Awards Nominations & Winners Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine on About.com; Jones, Kim
5. "R&R Canada CHR/Pop Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1650. March 24, 2006. p. 30. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
6. "Relient K Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
7. "Relient K Chart History (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
8. "Relient K Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2015.

• 2004 songs
• 2005 singles
• Relient K songs
• Songs written by Matt Thiessen
• Music videos directed by Jon Watts