I Got a Name
1973 studio album by Jim Croce
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I Got a Name is the fifth and final studio album and first posthumous release by American singer-songwriter Jim Croce, released in December 1973. It features the ballad "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song", which reached number 9 on 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.
| I Got a Name | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 1973 | |||
| Recorded | 1973 | |||
| Studio | 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] |
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 on 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. | 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[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[11]
| 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 |