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Recently I was asked to put together a playlist for my 50th High School class reunion. I was honored to be asked, and I happily took on the project.
But then, looking through Billboard's Top 100 songs of 1972, I discovered something I'd never noticed before:
There was a whole lotta WEIRDNESS on the charts that year.
Here are just a few examples:
"Troglodyte" by The Jimmy Castor Bunch.
"Coconut" by Harry Nilsson
"Jungle Fever" by Chakachas
"Popcorn" by Hot Butter
"My Ding-a-Ling" by Chuck Berry (A song that actually went to #1)
And the #6 song for the ENTIRE YEAR: "I Gotcha" by Joe Tex
Most of those songs were either funny, silly, odd, or in Chuck's case, juvenile...but there was more to "I Gotcha" than just weirdness.
Some musicologists consider the song to be an early ancestor of Rap music--and they're not wrong. It has a strong beat, and Joe Tex does a lot of "talk-singing" in it.
Many believe the song was influenced by James Brown... including James Brown, who was NOT happy about it. (He felt Joe was stealing his act.)
Nevertheless, the song topped Billboard's R&B Chart, reached #2 on the Hot 100, and sold more than three MILLION copies.
Trivia: "I Gotcha" was actually the "B" side of a song called "A Mother's Prayer," but DJs noted that the ALBUM was called "I Gotcha," so they gave the song a listen and a spin...and that was it for "A Mother's Prayer."
In 1972, Liza Minnelli (of all people) covered the song for her TV concert, "Liza with a Z," and in 1992, Quentin Tarantino used it to great effect in his film, "Reservoir Dogs."
So, underneath the weirdness, "I Gotcha" was truly a "Great Song of '72." (And by the way...if you think one of the other songs I listed is a "Great Song," let me know and I'll write it up as well.)
Liza Minnelli : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7ZwGraXZBQ
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