I Got a Name
title: "I Got a Name" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["jim-croce-albums", "1973-albums", "albums-published-posthumously", "albums-produced-by-terry-cashman", "abc-records-albums", "vertigo-records-albums", "albums-produced-by-tommy-west-(producer)"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Got_a_Name" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | I Got a Name |
| type | Studio album |
| artist | Jim Croce |
| cover | Jim Croce - I Got a Name.jpg |
| 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 |
| prev_title | Life & Times |
| prev_year | 1973 |
| next_title | Photographs & Memories |
| next_year | 1974 |
| misc | {{Singles |
| name | I Got a Name |
| type | studio |
| single1 | I Got a Name / "Alabama Rain" |
| single1date | September 1973 |
| single2 | I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" / "Salon and Saloon |
| single2date | March 1974 |
| single3 | Workin' at the Car Wash Blues" / "Thursday |
| single3date | June 1974 |
| :: |
::callout[type=note] the album ::
| name = I Got a Name | type = Studio album | artist = Jim Croce | cover = Jim Croce - I Got a Name.jpg | alt = | released = December 1973 | recorded = 1973 | venue = | studio = Hit Factory, New York City | genre = Folk rock | length = 30:57 | label = ABC (USA) Vertigo (UK) | producer = Terry Cashman, Tommy West | prev_title = Life & Times | prev_year = 1973 | next_title = Photographs & Memories | next_year = 1974 | misc = {{Singles | name = I Got a Name | type = studio | single1 = I Got a Name / "Alabama Rain" | single1date = September 1973 | single2 = I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" / "Salon and Saloon | single2date = March 1974 | single3 = Workin' at the Car Wash Blues" / "Thursday | single3date = June 1974 |rev1 = AllMusic |rev1score = |rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide |rev2Score = C+ |rev3 = Rolling Stone |rev3score = (favorable) 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.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Jim Croce, unless stated otherwise: | title1 = I Got a Name | writer1 = Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel | length1 = 3:11 | title2 = Lover's Cross | writer2 = | length2 = 3:04 | title3 = Five Short Minutes | writer3 = | length3 = 3:29 | title4 = Age | writer4 = Jim Croce, Ingrid Croce | length4 = 3:46 | title5 = Workin' at the Car Wash Blues | writer5 = | length5 = 2:32 | title6 = I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song | writer6 = | length6 = 2:34 | title7 = Salon and Saloon | writer7 = Maury Muehleisen | length7 = 2:31 | title8 = Thursday | writer8 = Sal Joseph | length8 = 2:28 | title9 = Top Hat Bar and Grille | writer9 = | length9 = 2:47 | title10 = Recently | writer10 = | length10 = 2:34 | title11 = The Hard Way Every Time | writer11 = | length11 = 2:29
Personnel
Credits taken from album's liner notes
- 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
Weekly charts
::data[format=table] | Year | Chart | Peak position | |---|---|---| | 1974 | | | | 1974 | | | ::
Year-end charts
::data[format=table]
| Chart (1974) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM Top 100 Albums | 27 |
| US Billboard 200 | 16 |
| :: |
Singles ::data[format=table]
| 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
::data[format=table]
| Country | Certifications |
|---|---|
| United States | Gold |
| :: |
References
References
- "I Got a Name - Jim Croce | Album".
- Christgau, Robert. (1981). "[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]". [[Ticknor & Fields]].
- "Album Reviews : ''Rolling Stone''".
- Grein, Paul. (October 5, 1991). "Chart Beat".
- "January 26, 1974". [[Billboard 200]].
- (December 1, 1973). "Jim Croce - I Got A Name".
- (December 28, 1974). "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1974". [[Library and Archives Canada]].
- "Top US Billboard 200 Albums - Year-end 1974".
- Hyatt, Wesley (1999). ''The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits'' (Billboard Publications)
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::