| "I'm Easy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byKeith Carradine | ||||
| B-side | "200 Years (Henry Gibson)" | |||
| Released | May 1976 | |||
| Genre | Folk pop | |||
| Length | 2:59 | |||
| Label | ABC | |||
| Songwriter | Keith Carradine | |||
| Producer | Richard Baskin | |||
| Keith Carradine singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"I'm Easy" is anAcademy Award-winning song written and performed byKeith Carradine for the 1975 movieNashville.[1] Carradine recorded a slightly faster version that became a popular music hit in 1976 in theUnited States.
The song is a ballad about a lover who is guileless and in awe of the object of his love. The film juxtaposes these lyrics by presenting the song in the context of Tom, a character played by Carradine, who is a manipulative womanizer. In the film, when Tom performs the song at theExit/In (a real-lifeNashville music club where the scene was shot), he dedicates it to "a special someone". Several women in the audience, past, recent and future conquests, believe the song has been written for them.
"I'm Easy" was initially released as an acoustic guitar ballad played by guitarist Ben Benay, with a cello accompaniment. It was re-recorded by Carradine at a slightly higher tempo with the addition of percussion, keyboards and synthesizer accompaniment on Asylum Records. The album was issued late fall 1976.
The song is often mistakenly associated withJim Croce due to the similarity of Carradine's voice, vocal style and guitar playing. Croce had died in a plane crash two years beforeNashville was released.
"I'm Easy" won theAcademy Award for Best Original Song and theGolden Globe for Best Original Song (Motion Picture). The song peaked at #17 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart, number 10 on theCash Box Top 100, and spent one week atop theadult contemporary chart.[2] "I'm Easy" was Carradine's only recording to reach theTop 40, and took the #72 slot on the year-end countdown. In 2004 it finished at #81 onAFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of the top tunes in American cinema.
| Chart (1975/1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| CanadianRPM Adult Contemporary[3] | 36 |
| CanadianRPM Top 100[4] | 22 |
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
The song was covered by Canadian singer Ron Nigrini and released byAttic Records (Canada) in 1975. It became a hit on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart in the fall of 1975. The song was also covered by American singer/songwriter Dane Donohue, produced byElliot Mazer and released by Columbia Records in 1976.[10] The song was also covered by Randy Crawford. It was also a hit for Hong Kong singerTeresa Carpio and was on her 1976 album release Songs For You.