The exquisite expression of yearning, woe and abandonment in "I Am a Loser" rightfully places the song among Jackson's finest rainy-day ballads, arranged with disarming authenticity. Like many other tracks of the era it chooses not to sustain itself on its lyrical power, but rather through an earworm melody line, sparse production and an alluring vocal performance. To that end, "I Am a Loser" hits the nail on the head, its soft percussion-driven beat and nuanced Rhodes keyboard performance furthering the melancholy behavior. "I'm born to lose, you know it's true," Jackson weeps in a deeper register than usual, yet another practice employed during the Invincible sessions. "And here I stand, I'm losing you/ I am a loser, I am a loser."
In its most literal interpretation, the song doesn't necessarily dictate a broken relationship; rather, it dictates the neverending loss in Jackson's life, from love to self-worth. He not only represents the hopeless lover, but also a broken, wounded man, stripping himself of his dignity. Indeed, by this point, his life seemed to be nothing but loss, having lost much of his social and commercial standing as a result of his "***** *****" antics and undergoing two divorces, each within five years of one another and each occuring no less than a year after the nuptuals. The truth in this interpretation lies in the fact that, during the song's epic climax, Jackson never yells for his lover, as he's done in past woeful ballads. Rather, he screams out of pain, disgust that fate and luck seem to always be against him. He brilliantly captures this sentiment in his vocals, which by now have expanded to his signature gritty register. "Let me win one time! Let me win one time! [...] I gotta win, gotta win," he screams, lamenting his misfortune and praying for some sort of miracle. Although this interpretation could easily be far from accurate, his powerhouse emotions are more than accurate, considering the circumstances.
