"I Gotta Know" | ||||
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Single by Wanda Jackson | ||||
from the album Rockin' with Wanda | ||||
B-side | "Half As Good A Girl" | |||
Released | 1956 | |||
Recorded | 1956 | |||
Genre | Rockabilly | |||
Length | 2:29 | |||
Label | Capitol Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Thelma Blackmon | |||
Wanda Jackson singles chronology | ||||
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"I Gotta Know" is a rockabilly song recorded by Wanda Jackson in 1956, [1] and released as a single by Capitol Records as 45-15586. It was written by Thelma Blackmon. [2] Jackson's version of the song reached #15 on the Billboard Country Singles chart. [3] It was later included in the 1960 album Rockin' with Wanda.
Buzz McClain of The Washington Post called Jackson's version "a hook-filled number that zips from ballad to rocker and back again." [4]
Iain Ellis of PopMatters described Jackson's performance: "Honing her Elvis-style hiccup vocal, Jackson satirized the prevailing male hits of the day, songs that posited either romantic illusions or 'cool' boasting. Rather than passively wallowing in these conceits, or swallowing their deceits, Jackson set to de-bunking them with brutal 'response' lyrics." [5]
Billy Poore wrote that it "starts out like a sad, sappy country ballad, and then all of a sudden, Wanda just roars into the meat and potatoes boppin' rockabilly sound." [3]
Chart (1956) | Peak position |
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U.S. Billboard Most Played C&W in Juke Boxes | 15 |
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The singles discography of Wanda Jackson, an American recording artist, consists of 81 singles, nine international singles, one other charted song, and three music videos. In 1954 at age 16, she signed as a country artist with Decca Records. Her debut single was a duet recording with Billy Gray which reached the eighth spot on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, also in 1954. Refusing to tour until completing high school, Jackson's further singles for Decca failed gaining success. She signed with Capitol Records in 1956 and began incorporating rock and roll into her musical style. Jackson's first Capitol single exemplified this format and became a national top-20 country hit. Follow-up rock singles between 1957 and 1959 failed gaining enough attention to become hits including, "Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad", "Fujiyama Mama", and "Honey Bop". In 1960 however, the rock and roll-themed, "Let's Have a Party", became Jackson's first Billboard top-40 pop hit after it was picked up by an Iowa disc jockey.
The albums discography of Wanda Jackson, an American recording artist, consists of 44 studio albums, 37 compilation albums, four live albums, one video album, two box sets and has appeared on 26 albums. In 1954 at age sixteen, Jackson signed with Decca Records as a country music artist. The label did not issue a record until the 1962 compilation Lovin' Country Style, six years after Jackson left Decca. She signed with Capitol Records in 1956, and her self-titled debut studio album was released three years later. Although Jackson had recently been identifying herself as a rock-and-roll performer, the album consisted of country music recordings. However, it did contain Jackson's future rock-and-roll hit "Let's Have a Party", which was a hit in 1960, reaching the Top 40 on the Billboard Pop chart. The success of her rock-and-roll recordings led to the release of two more rock-and-roll studio LPs: Rockin' with Wanda (1960) and There's a Party Goin' On (1961). Additionally, Capitol issued two "split" studio albums which contained rock and roll on one side and country music on the other.
Rockin' with Wanda is a compilation album by country music and rockabilly singer Wanda Jackson. It was released in 1960 by Capitol Records. The album cover calls it "a collection of great country songs in the rhythmic singing style of Wanda Jackson."
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