I Got a Name (973) 2/23/21 Jim Croce

Today's "Great Song of the '70s, "I Got a Name" by Jim Croce, was released on September 21st, 1973, the day after he died in a plane crash.

Jim was just getting started on the road to musical superstardom when it all came to an end, and music fans were left to wonder "what might have been."

A clue was in the song itself. Although Jim wrote most of his material, he didn't write "I Got a Name." (*see note below*) He recorded it because it reminded him of his father, who dreamed his son would be a success, but died himself before it happened.

Radio listeners who were already saddened could feel the heartfelt pride that exudes from Jim's vocals, made it one of the most requested songs of the year at radio stations in the US and Canada, keeping it on the charts for 17 weeks.

In the US, the song reached #4 on Billboard's Easy Listening Chart and #10 on the Hot 100. In Canada, the matching chart numbers were 5 and 8.

"I Got a Name" has remained popular right up until today.

In 2012, Quentin Tarantino used it in his film "Django Unchained," introducing the song to a whole new generation.

As long as there are fans of "Great '70s Songs," the name Jim Croce will live on!

"I Got a Name"(1973):

*Note: Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox wrote the song, adding to their list of hits that included the TV Themes from "Happy Days" and "Laverne and Shirley." They also helped Lori Lieberman write "Killing Me Softly." That's an ugly story you can read about here: