"I Gotcha" is a song by Joe Tex. Originally intended for King Floyd, instead Tex recorded it himself in the late 1960s, but did not release it at that time. He decided to re-record it in late 1971 and released it as the B-side of "A Mother's Prayer", the first single from his 1972 album "I Gotcha". Mostly spoken in the form of an early rap song, with few singing passages, "I Gotcha" has the singer admonishing a woman for playing with his affections: "You never shouldn't have promised if you weren't gonna do it".
| "I Gotcha" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Joe Tex | ||||
| from the album I Gotcha | ||||
| A-side | "A Mother's Prayer" | |||
| Released | January 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 1971 American Sound Studio Memphis,TN | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:18 | |||
| Label | Dial Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Joe Tex | |||
| Producer(s) | Buddy Killen | |||
| Joe Tex singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Radio DJs ended up playing this B-side song more than the A-side. This would result in Tex having his first major hit in five years as "I Gotcha" eventually peaked at Number 1 on the R&B chart and Number 2 on the Pop chart for two weeks, behind "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack[3] and would sell around three million copies. Billboard ranked it as the Number 6 song of 1972.[4] In Canada, the song reached Number 22.[5] Tex would later re-record "I Gotcha" in a ballad-style for his 1978 album Rub Down.
Like other Tex songs, "I Gotcha" has been sampled in various hip hop and R&B songs over the years.[according to whom?] Liza Minnelli performed the number for her 1972 television concert Liza with a Z. It is also featured on the soundtrack to the 1992 Quentin Tarantino film Reservoir Dogs. A shorter version of the song appears in Kermit's Swamp Years.
Later uses edit
"I Gotcha" was sampled in the 1973 break-in record, "Super Fly Meets Shaft" (US #31).
Jimmy Barnes version edit
| "I Gotcha" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Jimmy Barnes | ||||
| from the album Soul Deep | ||||
| B-side | "I Gotcha" (Tex Mex 12" Mix) | |||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Recorded | Freight Train Studios, Australia | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 2:18 | |||
| Label | Mushroom Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Joe Tex | |||
| Producer(s) | Don Gehman, Tony Brock | |||
| Jimmy Barnes singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1991, Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes recorded and released "I Gotcha" as the first single from his fifth studio album, Soul Deep. It peaked at Number 6 in Australia and Number 27 in New Zealand.[6]
- Track listing
CD single (D11045)[7]
- "I Gotcha"
- "I Gotcha" (Tex Mex 12" Mix)
- Charts
| Chart (1991/92) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[8] | 6 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9] | 27 |
- Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[10] | Gold | 35,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Breihan, Tom (February 25, 2019). "The Number Ones: Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"". Stereogum. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
Joe Tex's raw and horny soul stomper "I Gotcha" peaked at #2 behind "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face".
- ^ a b Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (October 15, 1999). "Shafts: Macho Soul". Precious and Few - Pop Music in the Early '70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 98. ISBN 031214704X.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 574.
- ^ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1972
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - May 13, 1972" (PDF).
- ^ "JIMMY BARNES - I GOTCHA (SONG)". Australian-Charts. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ "Jimmy Barnes "I Gotcha"". discogs.com. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ "Jimmy Barnes – I Gotcha". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ "Jimmy Barnes – I Gotcha". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
External links edit
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