I Got a Name

I Got a Name
I Got a Name
Studio album by Jim Croce
Released	December 1, 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
Singles from I Got a Name
	"I Got a Name / "Alabama Rain""; Released: September 1973; "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" / "Salon and Saloon"; Released: March 1974; "Workin' at the Car Wash Blues" / "Thursday"; Released: June 1974;

I Got a Name is the fifth and final studio album and first posthumous release by American singer-songwriter, Jim Croce, released on December 1, 1973. It features the ballad "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song", which reached number 9 in 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.

Professional ratings
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 in 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

Weekly charts

Year	Chart	Peak position
1974	US Billboard 200	2
1974	Canadian RPM 100	2

Year-end charts

Chart (1974)	Position
Canada RPM Top 100 Albums^[7]	27

Singles^[8]

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1973	"I Got a Name"	Adult Contemporary	4
1973	"I Got a Name"	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
	"Workin' at the Car Wash Blues"	Pop Singles	32

Certifications

Country	Certifications
United States	Gold

References

^ Allmusic review
^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: C". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 23, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
^ Rolling Stone review
^ Grein, Paul (October 5, 1991). "Chart Beat" (PDF). Billboard. p. 4. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
^ "January 26, 1974". Billboard 200.
^ https://www.discogs.com/release/799612-Jim-Croce-I-Got-A-Name?ev=item-vc ^{[bare URL]}
^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1974". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. December 28, 1974. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
^ Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)

[1] Allmusic review

[2] Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: C". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 23, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.

[3] Rolling Stone review

[4] Grein, Paul (October 5, 1991). "Chart Beat" (PDF). Billboard. p. 4. Retrieved February 15, 2024.

[5] "January 26, 1974". Billboard 200.

[6] ttps://www.discogs.com/release/799612-Jim-Croce-I-Got-A-Name?ev=item-vc ^{[bare URL]}

[7] "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1974". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. December 28, 1974. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2011.

[8] Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)

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