We Got to Get You a Woman

Last updated
"We Got to Get You a Woman"
Single by Todd Rundgren
from the album Runt
B-side "Baby, Let's Swing / The Last Thing You Said / Don't Tie My Hands"
ReleasedOctober 1970
Recorded1970 at Bearsville Studios in Bearsville, NY
Studio Bearsville Studios in Bearsville, New York
Genre Power pop, pop rock, soft rock
Length3:05
Label Ampex Records
Songwriter(s) Todd Rundgren [1]
Producer(s) Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren singles chronology
"We Got to Get You a Woman"
(1970)
"Be Nice to Me"
(1971)

"We Got to Get You a Woman" (also styled "We Gotta Get You a Woman") is a 1970 song originally performed and written by Todd Rundgren from the 1970 album Runt .

Contents

Background

"We Got to Get You a Woman" was inspired by Rundgren's friend, music executive Paul Fishkin, who later promoted the song and Rundgren. It refers to the two's "post-hanging days" in Greenwich Village. [2] In the song, Rundgren tells his friend Leroy, “We gotta get you a woman / It’s like nothin’ else to make you feel sure you’re alive.” Robert Rodi thought the song was "ridiculously catchy" but criticized its depiction of women. [3] Rundgren explained that the line "They may be stupid but they sure are fun" was widely misunderstood as misogynistic; he claimed that it was, rather, referring to "stupid little characteristics that people have—funny little quirks and stuff like that." [4]

Chart performance

"We Got to Get You a Woman" was Rundgren's first hit, peaking at No. 20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks from January 30 to February 13, 1971. [5] [6] [7] However, despite the success, he rarely performed the song in concert. [8] He did perform it during most concerts of his 2019 "Individualist" tour. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd Rundgren</span> American musician (born 1948)

Todd Harry Rundgren is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the bands Nazz and Utopia. He is known for his sophisticated and often unorthodox music, his occasionally lavish stage shows, and his later experiments with interactive art. He also produced music videos and was an early adopter and promoter of various computer technologies, such as using the Internet as a means of music distribution in the late 1990s.

"The Wonder of You" is a song written by Baker Knight. It was originally recorded by Vince Edwards in 1958, but this recording has never been released. In an interview with a DJ from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Ray Peterson told the story of how Baker Knight confided that "The Wonder of You" was originally written as a gospel song.

<i>Tapestry</i> (Carole King album) 1971 studio album by Carole King

Tapestry is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Carole King. Produced by Lou Adler, it was released on February 10, 1971, by Ode Records. The album's lead singles, "It's Too Late" and "I Feel the Earth Move", spent five weeks at number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts.

The Capitols were an American, Detroit, Michigan-based soul trio, widely known in 1966 for their Billboard hit single "Cool Jerk".

<i>Runt</i> (album) 1970 studio album by Runt

Runt is the self-titled debut album of the band Runt, commercially released September 1970. Runt was a trio consisting of Todd Rundgren, Hunt Sales (drums), and Tony Fox Sales (bass). The entire album was written and produced by Rundgren, formerly of Nazz, and he performed most of the instruments. Many regarded Runt as Rundgren's debut solo album, and later reissues credit the album to Rundgren rather than to the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66</span> 1946 single by the King Cole Trio

"(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" is a popular rhythm and blues song, composed in 1946 by American songwriter Bobby Troup. The lyrics relate a westward roadtrip on U.S. Route 66, a highway which traversed the western two-thirds of the U.S. from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California. The song became a standard, with several renditions appearing on the record charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ooo Baby Baby</span> 1965 song by The Miracles

"Ooo Baby Baby" is a song written by Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore. It was a 1965 hit single by the Miracles for the Tamla (Motown) label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Are You Lonesome Tonight?</span> Song written and composed by Lou Handman and Roy Turk; first recorded by Charles Hart

"Are You Lonesome Tonight?" is a song written by Roy Turk and Lou Handman in 1926. It was recorded several times in 1927, first by Charles Hart, but also with successful versions by Vaughn De Leath, Henry Burr, and the duet of Jerry Macy and John Ryan. In 1950, the Blue Barron Orchestra version reached the top twenty on Billboard's Pop Singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do Ya (The Move song)</span> 1971 song covered by the Move and by ELO

"Do Ya" is a song written by Jeff Lynne, that was originally recorded by The Move, which became a hit for the Electric Light Orchestra in 1977.

"Walk on the Wild Side" originated as the title song of the 1962 film of the same name as performed by Brook Benton over the film's coda and closing credits. Lyrics were written by Mack David and music was by Elmer Bernstein. The two earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Since I Fell for You</span> Jazz and pop standard

"Since I Fell for You" is a blues ballad composed by Buddy Johnson in 1945 that was first popularized by his sister, Ella Johnson, with Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra.

"(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need" is a 1966 hit single by Motown group The Miracles, released on Motown Records' Tamla label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Less Bell to Answer</span> 1970 single by the 5th Dimension

"One Less Bell to Answer" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Originally written in 1967 for Keely Smith, the song was rediscovered in late 1969 by Bones Howe, the producer for the 5th Dimension, and the song was included on the group's 1970 debut album for Bell Records, Portrait. Lead vocals on the single were sung by Marilyn McCoo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hello It's Me</span> 1968 single by Nazz

"Hello It's Me" is a song written by American musician Todd Rundgren. It was the first song he wrote, and was recorded by his group Nazz as a slow ballad, released as the B-side of the band's first single, "Open My Eyes", in 1968. A mid-tempo version of "Hello It's Me", recorded for Rundgren's 1972 solo album Something/Anything?, was issued as a single in 1973, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Until It's Time for You to Go</span> 1965 song by Buffy Sainte-Marie

"Until It's Time for You to Go" is a song from the 1965 album Many a Mile by American singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. Sainte-Marie included a French-language reworking of the song, "T'es pas un autre", on her 1967 album Fire & Fleet & Candlelight. French translation was made by Quebecer songwriter Claude Gauthier.

<i>Youve Got a Friend</i> (Andy Williams album) 1971 studio album by Andy Williams

You've Got a Friend is the twenty-eighth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in August 1971 by Columbia Records. The album bears a striking resemblance to the Johnny Mathis album You've Got a Friend released that same month. Besides sharing their name, the two albums are both made up of covers of easy listening hits of the time, with 11 songs each, and the two albums have seven songs in common that are positioned in a similar order.

<i>Youve Got a Friend</i> (Johnny Mathis album) 1971 studio album by Johnny Mathis

You've Got a Friend is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on August 11, 1971, by Columbia Records. The phrase "Today's Great Hits" can be found above the title on both sides of the record jacket as well as both sides of the LP label as if to emphasize that this is essentially an album covering songs that were recently on the charts. This was a common practice of many vocalists of the period, so much so in fact that fellow Columbia artist Andy Williams also released an album titled You've Got a Friend in August 1971 on which he coincidentally covers seven of the 11 tracks that Mathis recorded for this album.

<i>Once in a While</i> (Johnny Mathis album) 1988 studio album by Johnny Mathis

Once in a While is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on May 23, 1988, by Columbia Records and found him returning to the practice of covering contemporary hits but also mixing in lesser-known songs already recorded by other artists along with a few new ones.

<i>I Dont Know How to Love Him</i> (album) 1971 studio album by Helen Reddy

I Don't Know How to Love Him is the debut studio album by Australian-American pop singer Helen Reddy, released on May 10, 1971, by Capitol Records. I Don't Know How to Love Him included her first recording of "I Am Woman". The album made its first appearance on Billboard magazine's Top LP's chart in the issue dated June 5, 1971, and remained there for 37 weeks, peaking at number 100, and got as high as number 40 on the album chart in Canada's RPM magazine. On November 27, 1974, the album received Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, and on March 29, 2005, it was released for the first time on compact disc as one of two albums on one CD, the other album being Reddy's eponymous follow-up that originally came out in the fall of 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City</span> 1969 single by Nilsson

"I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City" is a song written and recorded by singer-songwriter Nilsson in 1969. A track from his fourth studio album, Harry, it became his second charting single.

References

  1. "secondhandsongs.com". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  2. Myers, Paul (2010). A Wizard a True Star: Todd Rundgren in the Studio. Jawbone Press. pp. 46–47. ISBN   9781906002336.
  3. Rodi, Robert (December 2, 2017). "Return to Gender: Todd Rundgren and Rufus Wainwright's Elastic Masculinity". New City Music. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  4. Todd Rundgren on Songwriting, Meat Loaf, and Utopia | Red Bull Music Academy. YouTube . Archived from the original on 2021-12-11.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 730.
  6. Billboard Hot 100, Week of February 6, 1971 Billboard.com. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  7. Billboard Hot 100, Week of February 13, 1971 Billboard.com. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  8. Doyle, Bill. ""We Gotta Get You a Woman" by Todd Rundgren — Doyle's 'Not-So-Top-10′". NJ 101.5. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  9. Willman, Chris (May 12, 2019). "Concert Review: Todd Rundgren Rediscovers a Pop Catalog's Glory". Variety. Retrieved July 13, 2020.