They Say I'm Different

They Say I'm Different
Studio album by Betty Davis
Released	1974
Recorded	1973 Record Plant, Sausalito
Genre	Funk [1]
Length	32:52 (original 1974 release) 51:60 (2007 re-release)
Label	Just Sunshine (1974) Light in the Attic (2007 re-release)
Producer	Betty Davis
Betty Davis chronology
Betty Davis (1973) They Say I'm Different (1974) Nasty Gal (1975)

They Say I'm Different is the second studio album by Betty Davis. It was released in 1974. ^[2]

Legacy

The Wire placed They Say I'm Different in their list of "100 Records That Set the World on Fire (While No One Was Listening)". ^[3] In 2017 a documentary called Betty: They Say I'm Different was released. ^{[4] [5]}

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Mojo	[7]
Pitchfork	8.6 [8]

"Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him" was sampled by Ice Cube on his song "Once Upon A Time In The Projects".

Track listing

All songs written by Betty Davis

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him"	3:57
2.	"He Was a Big Freak"	4:07
3.	"Your Mama Wants Ya Back"	3:27
4.	"Don't Call Her No Tramp"	4:06
5.	"Git in There"	4:46
6.	"They Say I'm Different"	4:14
7.	"70's Blues"	4:01
8.	"Special People"	3:22
Total length:		32:00

2007 Bonus Tracks - Record Plant Rough Mixes (10/9/73)

No.	Title	Length
9.	"He Was a Big Freak" (Record Plant Rough Mix)	4:43
10.	"Don't Call Her No Tramp" (Record Plant Rough Mix)	4:37
11.	"Git in There" (Record Plant Rough Mix)	4:38
12.	"70's Blues" (Record Plant Rough Mix)	5:02

Personnel

• Betty Davis - vocals
• Debbie Burrell - vocals
• Elaine Clark - vocals
• Mary Jones - vocals
• Trudy Perkins - vocals
• Mike Clark - drums
• Nicky Neal - drums, vocals
• Willy Sparks - drums, vocals
• Ted Sparks - drums
• Pete Escovedo - timbales
• Victor Pantoja - congas, percussion
• Errol "Crusher" Bennett - percussion
• Buddy Miles - guitar
• Jimmy Godwin - guitar
• Cordell Dudley - guitar, vocals
• Carlos Morales - guitar, vocals
• Larry Johnson - bass
• Merl Saunders - electric piano
• Fred Mills - keyboards, vocals
• James Allen Smith - keyboards
• Hershall Kennedy - Clavinet, keyboards, organ, electric piano, trumpet, vocals
• Tony Vaughn - bass vocal, Clavinet, keyboards, piano, electric piano, vocals

Technical

• Mel Dixon - photography
• Bob Edwards - assistant engineer
• Tom Flye - mixing
• Ron Levine - cover design
• Bill Levy - art direction

Charts

1974 chart performance for They Say I'm Different

Chart (1974)	Peak position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ( Billboard ) [9]	46

2023 chart performance for They Say I'm Different

Chart (2023)	Peak position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [10]	41

References

1. Dolan, Joe; Martoccio, Angie; Sheffield, Rob (November 20, 2024). "The 74 Best Albums of 1974". Rolling Stone . Retrieved November 30, 2024. [Davis'] second album, They Say I'm Different, has been proven visionary in its viscous funk attack...
2. "Betty Davis: Betty Davis / They Say I'm Different". Pitchfork. 22 May 2007. Retrieved 2018-12-23.
3. Roy, Daryl Stephen; Uncle Fester (1992). "100 Records That Set the World on Fire (While No One Was Listening)". The Wire . Archived from the original on 19 October 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
4. Betty: They Say I'm Different , retrieved 2018-12-23
5. "Betty they say i'm Different". Betty they say i'm Different. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved 2018-12-23.
6. Bush, John. "Betty Davis - They Say I'm Different". Allmusic.com. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
7. "As nasty as she wanna be". Mojo . October 2023. p. 90.
8. Klein, Joshua (22 May 2007). "Betty Davis - They Say I'm Different". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved May 22, 2007.
9. "Betty Davis – Chart history: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard . Retrieved August 13, 2024.
10. "Offiziellecharts.de – Betty Davis – They Say I'm Different" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 13, 2023.

External links

• Album Information at allmusic.com