Caught Up in You - 38 Special (1982) 8/10/23

38 Special released handful of Great Songs of the '80s, and we'll get to them all eventually...but today, we're highlighting their first and only #1 hit: "Caught Up in You," which topped Billboard's Mainstream Rock Chart in 1982. It also reached #10 on the Hot 100 (from the album "Special Forces").

What caught my attention while researching this song was the fact that it had 4 co-writers: group members Don Barnes and Jeff Carlisi, as well as Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan of the group Survivor.

It seems that Jim had been co-writing songs with 38 Special for a while, which really annoyed his Survivor bandmates. Jim finally convinced them that his "38 Special" songs were not "Survivor style" songs, but not until after he agreed to avoid a lawsuit by giving Frankie a songwriting credit--even though he only lifted a short chord progression from a different song he was writing.

I guess the happy ending was the fact that, in effect, it made money for both groups.

Trivia: 38 Special Guitarist Donnie Van Zandt, is brother to Lynyrd Skynyrd's: Ronnie Van Zandt (who died in a tragic plane crash) and Johnny Van Zandt who is with Skynyrd yet today.

"Caught Up in You" by 38 Special...and part of Survivor: a Great Song of 1982. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg21Rkew874

Tomorrow: The Youth of Jamaica...