"The Way I Am" is a pop song written by Ingrid Michaelson on her album Girls and Boys.
On September 21, 2007, Michaelson made her network television debut performing the song on Last Call with Carson Daly.
American Idol Season 9 finalist Didi Benami performed a cover of the song on the Top 12 female performances on Tuesday, February 23, 2010.
[edit] Music video
The song's music video was directed by Autumn de Wilde.
It begins with Michaelson dancing with a man, then switches to her standing among streamers hanging from the ceiling wearing all black, obviously standing out from all the couples dancing. The apparent dance is for clowns or mimes. Michaelson, who is neither a clown nor a mime, is made out as an outcast and receives glares by other couples at the dance. It switches back to her and the man dancing (played by friend and fellow musician Greg Laswell)[1], she then pulls away and runs off, leaving the man dressed as a clown all alone in the spotlight, looking down sadly. It pans to a bathroom with two women mime or clowns laughing and redoing their makeup, then she enters the bathroom, the women give her dirty looks and then leave, the man follows her and waits in the hallway, leaning against the wall across from the door to the bathroom. She begins staring into the mirror at herself, it then cuts to two clown children who are clapping to the song, as the camera goes back to her she brushes her hair out of her face and then there is a red dot on the mirror where a clown nose would be, we guess she drew it on with lipstick, she takes lipstick again and writes "Freak" above the clown nose. She leaves the bathroom only to run into the man she had been dancing with again she then tries to walk away but he grabs her arm and pulls her into an embrace, between scenes they return to the clown children clapping, then when they pan back the man and her are playing thumb war, then the clapping again and when they pan back once again the man and her kiss as paper flowers appear and then disappear, they pull away for a moment, and then the video fades out to end.[original research?]
[edit] Chart performance
The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #80 on October 4, 2007 and has since then peaked at #37. On the Canadian Hot 100, "The Way I Am" peaked at #51. It has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.
[edit] Charts
[edit] References
