Here I Am (Air Supply song) explained

Type:	single
Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You)
Artist:	Air Supply
Album:	The One That You Love
B-Side:	"Don't Turn Me Away"
Released:	August 31, 1981
Genre:	Soft rock
Length:	3:50
Label:	Big Time Arista (US)
Producer:	Harry Maslin
Prev Title:	The One That You Love
Prev Year:	1981
Next Title:	Sweet Dreams
Next Year:	1981

"Here I Am" (also titled as "Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You)") is a song written and first recorded by Norman Saleet and released as a single in 1980 on RCA Records. It was recorded the following year by the British/Australian soft rock duo Air Supply and released as the second single from their sixth studio album The One That You Love.

Background

"Here I Am" was written by singer-songwriter Norman Saleet who released it as a single in 1980, backed with "This Time I Know It's Real". Both songs appear on Saleet's 1982 sole studio album Here I Am.

In 1981, Air Supply released their version which was a top 5 hit in the US. To prevent confusion, the song was originally released as "Here I Am" on the LP but was re-titled "Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You)" for the release of the single, so as not to be confused with the group's No. 1 hit song "The One That You Love" earlier in the year which contains the lyrics: "Here I am, the one that you love." Lead vocals on "Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You)" were performed by Russell Hitchcock. Record World described it as an "elegantly harmonized ballad."^[1]

Chart performance

Air Supply's version was released as a single in the fall of 1981, and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in November of that year, remaining in the top 40 for 15 weeks.^[2] The song also spent three weeks atop the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.^[3]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1981–1982)	Peak position
Australia Kent Music Report^[4]	43
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary^[5]	5
US Cash Box Top 100^[6]	5

Year-end charts

Chart (1981)	Rank
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[7]	17
US Cash Box ^[8]	27

Chart (1982)	Rank
US Billboard Hot 100^[9]	80
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[10]	21

Reception

Reviewing a live performance of the song in 2013 for The Paris Review, Robin Hemley described it as sounding "kind of like Every Other Song in the World to Me".^[11]

Personnel

• Russell Hitchcock - vocals
• Graham Russell - vocals, guitar

See also

• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1981 (U.S.)

Notes and References

1. Record World. September 19, 1981. 1. 2023-03-01. Hits of the Week.
2. [Joel Whitburn|Whitburn, Joel]
3. Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
4. Web site: Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s . Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien . 23 December 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141006134948/http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=40275 . 6 October 2014 . dmy-all .
5. Web site: Image : RPM Weekly. Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013.
6. Web site: Cash Box Top 100 12/05/81 . 24 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150603155306/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/19811205.html . 3 June 2015 . dead .
7. Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 1981. Billboard. 22 August 2021.
8. Web site: Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1981 . 24 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161022115158/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/1981YESP.html . 22 October 2016 . dead .
9. Web site: Top 100 Hits of 1982/Top 100 Songs of 1982. Musicoutfitters.com. 24 April 2021.
10. Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 1982. Billboard. 22 August 2021.
11. News: Hemley . Robin . Ululating to Air Supply . 17 June 2022 . The Paris Review . 19 March 2013.