It Was I

Last updated
"It Was I"
Single by Skip & Flip
B-side "Lunch Hour"
Released May 1959
Genre Rock and roll
Length2:15
Label Brent
Songwriter(s) Gary S. Paxton
Skip & Flip singles chronology
"It Was I"
(1959)
"Fancy Nancy"
(1959)

"It Was I" is a 1959 song written by vocalist Gary S. Paxton when he released it as part of a duo with Clyde Battin called Skip & Flip. "It Was I" reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 [1] and ranked No. 84 on Billboard magazine's Top Hot 100 songs of 1959. [2]

Contents

Skip & Flip recording

Paxton had dropped out of high school and was living in Phoenix, Arizona when he wrote "It Was I" with Battin. The two of them recorded an acoustic demo of the song and submitted it to producer Bob Shad. [3] Shortly after the song was release as a single, Paxton overheard "It Was I" playing from a radio speaker while he was working in a pecan tree. Paxton only realized the song was his after he rushed over to a parked car to take a closer listen. [4] "It Was I" eventually sold over one million copies. [5]

Chart performance

Chart (1959)Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100 [6] 11

Lindsey Buckingham recording

"It Was I"
Single by Lindsey Buckingham
from the album Law and Order
Released1982
Recorded1981
Length2:39
Label Asylum/Warner Music Group
Songwriter(s) Gary S. Paxton
Producer(s) Lindsey Buckingham
Richard Dashut
Lindsey Buckingham singles chronology
"Trouble"
(1981)
"It Was I"
(1982)
"Holiday Road"
(1983)

The song was later covered by American guitarist and vocalist Lindsey Buckingham, and was released as the second single off his debut album, Law and Order . Unlike Buckingham's previous single "Trouble", "It Was I" was not a big hit for Buckingham, and also failed to match the success of the original Skip & Flip recording. The song only reached No. 10 on the Billboard Bubbling Under chart, an extension to the Hot 100. [7]

"It Was I" fared slightly better in Australia, where it managed to reach the No. 74 spot. [8] Despite only achieving minor success in Australia, "It Was I" performed better there than any of Buckingham's subsequent singles, including "Go Insane", which only reached No. 100.

In an interview with Jim Ladd, Buckingham described "It Was I" as having an adolescent theme to its lyrics. "It's about someone who's probably first experiencing pain in a relationship and he's explaining what has gone wrong, but his conclusion at the end is one of commitment still. Saying, "let's keep trying. Let's keep going and get through this." The sense is really very optimistic for future happiness." [9]

Personnel

Chart performance

Chart (1982)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [8] 74
US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles [7] 10

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindsey Buckingham</span> American guitarist (born 1949)

Lindsey Adams Buckingham is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has released seven solo studio albums and three live albums. As a member of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Buckingham was ranked 100th in Rolling Stone's 2011 list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Buckingham is known for his fingerpicking guitar style.

The Hollywood Argyles were an American musical ensemble, assembled for studio recordings by the producer and songwriter Kim Fowley and his friend and fellow musician Gary S. Paxton. They had a US number one hit record, "Alley Oop", in 1960.

Skip & Flip was a U.S. pop duo, consisting of Skip and Flip. They met while attending the University of Arizona in the late 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Over My Head (Fleetwood Mac song)</span> 1975 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Over My Head" is a soft rock song performed by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac. The song was written by group keyboardist and vocalist Christine McVie. "Over My Head" was the band's first single to reach the Billboard Hot 100 since "Oh Well", ending a six-year dry spell on the American charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trouble (Lindsey Buckingham song)</span> 1981 single by Lindsey Buckingham

"Trouble" is the debut solo single by Lindsey Buckingham, released in 1981 from his debut solo album Law and Order. The single was Buckingham's first hit as a solo artist, peaking at number nine in the US and number 31 in the UK, where it remained charted for seven weeks. In Australia, it topped the chart for three weeks and became the eighth biggest-selling single of 1982. It experienced similar levels of success in South Africa, reaching number one for two weeks and finishing 1982 as the country's 13th best-selling single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Go Your Own Way</span> 1976 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Go Your Own Way" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from their eleventh studio album, Rumours (1977). The song was released as the album's first single in December 1976 on both sides of the Atlantic. Written and sung by Lindsey Buckingham, it became the band's first top-ten hit in the United States. "Go Your Own Way" has been well received by music critics and was ranked number 120 by Rolling Stone magazine on their list of 500 greatest songs of all time in 2010, and re-ranked number 401 in 2021. They also ranked the song second on their list of the 50 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alley Oop (song)</span>

"Alley Oop" is a song written and composed by Dallas Frazier in 1957. The song was inspired by the V. T. Hamlin-created comic strip of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landslide (Fleetwood Mac song)</span> 1975 song by Fleetwood Mac

"Landslide" is a song written by Stevie Nicks and performed by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac. The song was first featured on the band's self-titled album Fleetwood Mac (1975). The original recording also appears on the compilation albums 25 Years – The Chain (1992), The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac (2002) and 50 Years – Don't Stop (2018), while a live version was released as a single 23 years later from the live reunion album The Dance (1997). "Landslide" reached No. 51 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 10 on the Adult Contemporary chart. "Landslide" was certified Gold in October 2009 for sales of over 500,000 copies in the United States. According to Nielsen Soundscan, "Landslide" sold 2,093,186 copies in the United States as of 2017.

"The Chain" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on their 1977 album Rumours. It is the only song from the album with writing credits for all five members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tusk (song)</span> 1979 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Tusk" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from the 1979 double LP of the same name. The song peaked at number eight in the United States for three weeks, reached number six in the United Kingdom, number five in Canada, and number three in Australia. The song's lyrics deal with a frequent theme in Fleetwood Mac songs. The singer suspects his partner of being unfaithful, asking "Why don't you tell me what's going on? Why don't you tell me who's on the phone?" Lindsey Buckingham wrote the song and is the lead singer on the track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary S. Paxton</span> American record producer, recording artist, and songwriter

Gary Sanford Paxton was an American record producer, recording artist, and Grammy and Dove Award winning songwriter. Paxton was a member of Skip & Flip and the Hollywood Argyles and was the producer of two number one Billboard Hot 100 singles, "Alley Oop" for the Hollywood Argyles in 1960 and "Monster Mash" for Bobby "Boris" Pickett in 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skip Battin</span> Musical artist

Clyde "Skip" Battin was an American singer-songwriter, bassist, performer, and recording artist. He was a member of the Byrds, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and the Flying Burrito Brothers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Love (Fleetwood Mac song)</span> 1987 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Big Love" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham and performed by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac. The song first appeared on the band's 1987 album Tango in the Night. The song was the first single to be released from the album, reaching number 5 in the US and number nine in the UK. The single was also a hit on the American dance charts, where the song peaked at number 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hold Me (Fleetwood Mac song)</span> 1982 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Hold Me" is a 1982 song by the British-American rock group Fleetwood Mac. It was the first track to be released as a single from the band's thirteenth album Mirage. Written by Christine McVie and Robbie Patton, McVie and Lindsey Buckingham shared lead vocals on the song. The single reached #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the band's first to break the top five since 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holiday Road</span> 1983 single by Lindsey Buckingham

"Holiday Road" is a 1983 single composed and recorded by American guitarist/singer Lindsey Buckingham. Written for the 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation, it was also used in the film's sequels National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985), Vegas Vacation (1997) and Vacation (2015). Despite only peaking at #82 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during its original release, it has since become one of Buckingham's best known songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Say You Love Me (Fleetwood Mac song)</span> 1976 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Say You Love Me" is a song written by English singer-songwriter Christine McVie for Fleetwood Mac's 1975 self-titled album. The song peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, and remains one of the band's most recognizable songs. Its success helped the group's eponymous 1975 album sell over eight million copies worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Family Man (Fleetwood Mac song)</span> 1987 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Family Man" is a song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from their 1987 studio album Tango in the Night. The song was written by Lindsey Buckingham and producer Richard Dashut. In the US, the song was released as the fifth single from the album as the follow-up to "Everywhere". It charted in April 1988, and reached No. 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Is Alive (Gary Wright song)</span> 1976 single by Gary Wright

"Love Is Alive" is a song by Gary Wright taken from the 1975 album The Dream Weaver. It features Wright on vocals and keyboards and Andy Newmark on drums, with all music except for the drums produced on the keyboards. The album's title cut and "Love Is Alive" both peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. "Love Is Alive" spent 27 weeks on the chart, seven weeks longer than "Dream Weaver". Billboard ranked "Love Is Alive" as the No. 9 song of 1976.

<i>Seeds We Sow</i> 2011 studio album by Lindsey Buckingham

Seeds We Sow is the sixth solo album by American musician and Fleetwood Mac vocalist-guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, released on September 6, 2011. It is his first to be self-released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peacekeeper (song)</span> 2003 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Peacekeeper" is a song by Fleetwood Mac, written by guitarist and vocalist Lindsey Buckingham, from the 2003 album Say You Will. It was the first and most commercially successful single released from the album. Buckingham shares vocals with bandmate Stevie Nicks.

References

  1. Skip & Flip, "It Was I" chart position Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  2. "Billboard Top 100 - 1959". Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  3. Roberts, Sam (2016-07-23). "Gary S. Paxton, Whose Mixed Bag of a Life Was Filled With Music, Dies at 77". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  4. Daponte, Mark (2022-05-14). "Of Hits and Hitmen: The Gary S. Paxton Story". CultureSonar. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  5. "Gary S.Paxton". www.urban.ne.jp. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  6. "Skip and Flip Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Billboard - March 20, 1982" (PDF). Billboard. March 20, 1982. p. 70. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, New South Wales: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  9. "Innerview with Jim Ladd (1981), (Radio Show Partial Transcript)". The Blue Letter Archives. 1981. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2023.