I Got a Name
| I Got a Name | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 1, 1973 | |||
| Recorded | 1973 | |||
| Studio | The Hit Factory, New York City | |||
| Genre | Folk rock | |||
| Length | 30:57 | |||
| Label | ABC (USA) Vertigo (UK) | |||
| Producer | Terry Cashman, Tommy West | |||
| Jim Croce chronology | ||||
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| Singles from I Got a Name | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C+[2] |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable)[3] |
I Got a Name is the fifth and final studio album and first posthumous release by American singer-songwriter, Jim Croce, released on December 1, 1973. It features the ballad "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song", which reached number 9 in the US singles chart, and the ballad "Salon and Saloon", the last song Croce recorded in his lifetime. The song, which is noted for its sparse piano-only vocal backing, was written by his guitarist and friend Maury Muehleisen and was included on the album as a gift to the writer.
This would be Croce's final album, as the artist died in a plane crash on September 20, 1973, the day before the album's title song was released, leaving wife Ingrid Croce and son Adrian J. Croce. Muehleisen (then only 24) also perished in the crash, along with four others.
The title track, the theme from the film The Last American Hero, was another posthumous hit for Croce, reaching number 10 in the US singles chart.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Jim Croce, unless stated otherwise:
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Got a Name" | Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel | 3:11 |
| 2. | "Lover's Cross" | 3:04 | |
| 3. | "Five Short Minutes" | 3:29 | |
| 4. | "Age" | Jim Croce, Ingrid Croce | 3:46 |
| 5. | "Workin' at the Car Wash Blues" | 2:32 | |
| 6. | "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" | 2:34 | |
| 7. | "Salon and Saloon" | Maury Muehleisen | 2:31 |
| 8. | "Thursday" | Sal Joseph | 2:28 |
| 9. | "Top Hat Bar and Grille" | 2:47 | |
| 10. | "Recently" | 2:34 | |
| 11. | "The Hard Way Every Time" | 2:29 |
Personnel
Credits taken from album's liner notes[4]
- Jim Croce – rhythm guitar on tracks 2 to 6 and 8 to 11, lead vocals, backing vocals on tracks 1, 4, and 8
Additional musicians
- Leroy Brown – backing vocals on "Five Short Minutes"
- Gary Chester – drums on "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song"
- George Devens – percussion on tracks 1, 4, 6, and 9
- Steve Gadd – drums on tracks 3, 5, and 11
- Ellie Greenwich – backing vocals on "Top Hat Bar and Grille"
- Michael Kamen – ARP synthesizer and oboe on "The Hard Way Every Time"; ARP tuba synthesizer on "Workin' at the Car Wash Blues"
- Joe Macho – bass on tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 to 10
- Rick Marotta – drums on tracks 1, 2, 8, 9, percussion on track 10
- Bobby Matos – percussion on tracks 3, 5, and 10
- Terence P. Minogue – strings, backing vocals on "The Hard Way Every Time"
- Maury Muehleisen – lead acoustic guitar on tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, and 8 to 11, lead electric guitar on 4 and 9, backing vocals on 1, 5, and 8
- Henry Gross – lead and rhythm electric guitar on "Five Short Minutes", slide guitar on "Workin' at the Car Wash Blues"
- Marty Nelson – backing vocals on tracks 3, 6, and 10
- Alan Rolnick – backing vocals on "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song"
- Tasha Thomas – backing vocals on "Five Short Minutes" and "Top Hat Bar And Grille"
- Tommy West – piano on tracks 1, 3, 7, 9, and 11, electric piano on track 6, keyboards on tracks 4, 8, and 10, rhythm guitar on tracks 1 and 4, and backing vocals on tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 11
- Stu Woods – bass on tracks 3, 5, and 11
Chart positions
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Singles[6]
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | "I Got a Name" | Adult Contemporary | 4 |
| Pop Singles | 10 | ||
| 1974 | "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" | Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| Pop Singles | 9 | ||
| Country | 68 | ||
| "Workin' at the Car Wash Blues" | Adult Contemporary | 9 | |
| Pop Singles | 32 |
Certifications
| Country | Certifications |
|---|---|
| United States | Gold |
Trivia
On one side of the original LP sleeve, Maury Muehleisen is depicted in a picture frame hanging above Croce.
References
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: C". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 23, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Rolling Stone review
- ^ https://www.discogs.com/release/799612-Jim-Croce-I-Got-A-Name?ev=item-vc
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1974". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. December 28, 1974. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
- ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
