One Life: The Signature Song and Its Remixes

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One Life cover art

If you only know one Jonathan Anthony Burkett song, it is probably this one. One Life is his signature song, recorded with reggae artist Ambelique, and it is the clearest statement of what Upstormed Records stands for. The release built around it collects the original song together with a long run of remixes and instrumental versions, so it rewards more than one listen.

What the song is about

One Life encourages listeners to appreciate every moment and chase their dreams with determination, because each of us is given one life to make a difference. That idea sits at the center of the whole catalog. Other songs on the label talk about change, about not giving up, about ambition and reward, but they all come back to the same starting point: your time is limited, so use it.

Coming from an artist who faced hardship and health challenges from childhood, including surgery in 2005, the message is not an abstract one. It is the conclusion of someone who decided early that his circumstances would not define him. That is why the song works as an introduction to everything else on the label.

The release at a glance

DetailWhat we can confirm
ArtistJonathan Anthony Burkett feat. Ambelique
TypeAlbum (original song plus remixes and instrumentals)
Year2014 (original). A remix EP, One Life (Original Mix), followed on May 27, 2019.
LabelUpstormed Records
Length of the original song3:59
Tracks10

Tracklist

  1. One Life (feat. Ambelique)
  2. One Life - Instrumental
  3. One Life - Mix
  4. One Life - Mix Instrumental
  5. One Life - Club Mix
  6. One Life - Club Mix Instrumental
  7. One Life - Festival Mix
  8. One Life - Festival Mix Instrumental
  9. One Life - Cut Mix
  10. One Life - Dub Mix

Credits

Jonathan Anthony Burkett feat. Ambelique · Upstormed Records. Those are the credits as they appear with the release. We have not listed producers, writers or engineers because those details are not part of the information we have confirmed, and we would rather leave them out than guess.

A listening guide to the versions

Ten tracks of one song might look repetitive on paper. In practice the release is laid out so you can hear the same idea in several settings. Here is a simple way to work through it.

1. Start with the original

Track one, One Life (feat. Ambelique), is the song as it was written: Jonathan Anthony Burkett's message with Ambelique's voice alongside it. Listen to this one first and pay attention to the message, because every other track on the release is a variation on it.

2. The Mix

One Life - Mix is the first reworking. Play it straight after the original and notice what has changed and what has stayed the same. Hearing them back to back is the quickest way to understand how a remix can shift the mood of a song without changing what it says.

3. Club Mix and Festival Mix

As their names suggest, the Club Mix and the Festival Mix are built for dance settings. When the remix EP came out in 2019, I Am Hip-Hop Magazine described the title track as reworked into dub, EDM and techno/house versions. These two are the ones to put on when you want the message with more energy behind it.

4. Cut Mix and Dub Mix

The Cut Mix and the Dub Mix close the release. The Dub Mix is the version that connects most directly to the dub reworking the magazine mentioned. Listen to it with good headphones if you can.

5. The instrumentals

Four of the tracks are instrumentals: the original instrumental, the Mix Instrumental, the Club Mix Instrumental and the Festival Mix Instrumental. They are useful in two ways. First, without vocals you can hear the production on its own and notice details you miss when you are following the words. Second, they make good background for working, studying or training when you want the feeling of the song without the focus on the lyrics.

A suggested order

If you want a single pass that covers everything, try this: original, Mix, Club Mix, Festival Mix, Cut Mix, Dub Mix, and then the instrumentals at the end. That way you hear the song develop before you strip it back.

Why a message song gets remixed

It is fair to ask why a song about making your life count would need a club version and a festival version. The answer is that a message reaches different people in different places. Some listeners will sit with the original and take in every word. Others will first hear One Life on a dance floor or through a speaker at an event, and only later go back to find out what it says. The remixes give the song more than one way in, and the instrumentals give it a life even when nobody is singing. Seen that way, the whole release is one idea, presented to as many kinds of listener as possible.

One Life across the catalog

One Life does not only live on this release. It also closes the 2024 EP Life As I Know It, where it follows Changes, Don't Give Up, I Can Only Be Me and Two Steps. In that setting it works as the final word of a short record about growth and resilience. The One Life mixes also appear on the 25-song Upstormed Records collection, alongside the rest of the catalog.

So depending on where you hear it, One Life can be a stand-alone anthem, the end of a story or part of a full career overview. Each of those posts is coming to this blog.

Watch: One Life (Audio) feat. Ambelique

The official audio is on the JonathanBurkettVEVO channel on YouTube.

Where to listen

One Life is a short song with a big idea. Start with the original, then let the remixes show you how far that idea can travel.

#hiphop #reggae #remix #inspirationalmusic #ambelique #upstormedrecords #upstormed #jonathananthonyburkett #jonathanburkett

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