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I Got a Name

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This article is about the album. For the song, see I Got a Name (song).

I Got a Name
Studio album by
Jim Croce
ReleasedDecember 1, 1973
Recorded1973
StudioHit Factory, New York City
GenreFolk rock
Length30:57
LabelABC (USA)
Vertigo (UK)
ProducerTerry Cashman, Tommy West
Jim Croce chronology
Life & Times
(1973) 		I Got a Name
(1973) 		Photographs & Memories
(1974)
Singles from I Got a Name
  1. "I Got a Name / "Alabama Rain""
    Released: September 1973
  2. "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" / "Salon and Saloon"
    Released: March 1974
  3. "Workin' at the Car Wash Blues" / "Thursday"
    Released: June 1974
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideC+[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 he died in a plane crash on September 20, 1973.

"I Got a Name" was used as the theme for the films The Last American Hero and Invincible. It was a posthumous hit for Croce, reaching number 10 in the US singles chart.

The album reached number 2 on the US charts behind his earlier album You Don't Mess Around with Jim in first place.[4][5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jim Croce, unless stated otherwise:

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Got a Name"Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel3:11
2."Lover's Cross" 3:04
3."Five Short Minutes" 3:29
4."Age"Jim Croce, Ingrid Croce3:46
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 Muehleisen2:31
8."Thursday"Sal Joseph2:28
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[6]

  • 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

Singles[8]

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

References

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Rolling Stone review
  4. ^ Grein, Paul (October 5, 1991). "Chart Beat" (PDF). Billboard. p. 4. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  5. ^ "January 26, 1974". Billboard 200.
  6. ^ https://www.discogs.com/release/799612-Jim-Croce-I-Got-A-Name?ev=item-vc [bare URL]
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
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