Off the Wall gained a warm reception.
`` I Am What I Am '' is a song written by Victor Willis , Henri Belolo , Peter Whitehead and Jacques Morali that was first released by the Village People on their 1978 album Macho Man .. Village People. Village People. Macho Man. Macho Man ( song ). Jacques Morali. Jacques Morali. Henri Belolo. Henri Belolo. Victor Willis. Victor Willis. Peter Whitehead. Peter Whitehead ( songwriter ). It was also released as a single with `` Key West , '' also from Macho man , as the b-side in some countries including Germany and the UK .. It did not chart in those countries , but it reached # 4 on the Billboard Dance Chart in a medley with `` Key West '' and `` Macho Man . ''. Macho Man. Macho Man ( song ). Billboard Dance Chart. Billboard Dance Chart. medley. medley ( music ). Billboard. Billboard ( magazine ). It has since been released on several Village People greatest hits compilation albums .. Village People. Village People. It was also included on the soundtrack for the 1978 film Thank God It 's Friday .. Rolling Stone critic Mitchell Schneider described `` I Am What I Am '' as a `` human-rights anthem . ''. Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. Village People singer Randy Jones describes the song as `` a gay liberation statement , aimed directly at gays and lesbians who were standing up without apology for their lifestyle '' and as the group 's `` first gay liberation song . ''. Village People. Village People. Randy Jones. Randy Jones ( singer ). He says that the theme of the song is the virtue of being yourself , and not just if you 're gay or transgender but even just if you want to dress in an unusual manner , as long as you do n't hurt anyone else .. transgender. transgender. Author Michael DeAngelis describes the theme as being `` pride and faithfulness to the individual and authentic self . ''. DeAngelis notes that this theme had particular resonance at the time , when the gay community was in the process of `` coming out '' and a general cultural obsession was finding healthy ways to feel good about oneself .. Author Frederic Martel identifies `` I Am What I Am '' as one of five Village People songs that were touchstones to the gay movement in France when they came out -LRB- `` San Francisco -LRB- You 've Got Me -RRB- , '' `` Macho Man , '' `` Y.M.C.A. '' and `` In the Navy '' being the others -RRB- .. Village People. Village People. Macho Man. Macho Man ( song ). In the Navy. In the Navy. Author Judith A. Peraino described `` I Am What I Am '' as a `` hit single '' while Boze Hadleigh described it as a `` pre-hit . ''. Author Sharon Davis claimed that lyrics are `` so camp they have to held down with tent pegs . ''. But Billboard described it as `` provocative , '' describing it as a `` gay pride anthem with its activist lyrics and basic theme . ''. Billboard. Billboard ( magazine ). Billboard also praised the rhythm and percussion and horn arrangements .. Billboard. Billboard ( magazine ). rhythm. rhythm. percussion. percussion. Allmusic critic Amy Hanson described it as `` a well-constructed slab of groove , '' despite lacking subtlety .. Allmusic. Allmusic. groove. groove ( music ). Rolling Stone critic Mitchell Schneider regarded `` I Am What I Am '' as the best song on Macho Man stating that Willis ' voice is `` full of anger and delight '' on the song and concluding that `` because the song seems so committed , it makes the rest of the material sound downright pointless . ''. Macho Man. Macho Man ( song ). Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. The song 's title was later reused by Jerry Herman for a 1983 hit song performed by Gloria Gaynor , which also had gay pride as a theme .. Jerry Herman. Jerry Herman. Gloria Gaynor. Gloria Gaynor. Reebok later used the title phrase for a successful sneaker advertising campaign .. Reebok. Reebok