Joe Tex – I Gotcha

My sister…lover of the Osmonds and everything unholy in music to me…somehow had this fun R&B groove single by Joe Tex. The song peaked at #2 in 1972 in the Billboard 100.

“I Gotcha” shows more than a  little James Brown influence. Some say it wasn’t just influence but more than a little mocking. The two, who sometimes shared a stage, feuded quite a bit…dating back to the 50s. Tex said Brown copied his moves and later stole his girlfriend, Brown didn’t like the way Tex made fun of him. This supposedly led to an incident where allegedly Brown used a gun to fire a few rounds at Tex in a nightclub, then pay off the patrons with $100 bills so they wouldn’t call the police.

The battle began in earnest when James Brown stole Tex’s girlfriend, Bea Ford. Then, just to twist the knife, Brown sent Tex a letter telling him that he was through with the Bea and Joe could have her back. This led to the record “You Keep Her”, where Joe calls James out by name, saying he was better off without the Bea anyway.

Eventually, the two patched things up enough for Joe to write the line: “If I was a dancefloor, James Brown could mash potatoes on me all night long!”

From Songfacts

This was Joe Tex’s highest-charting career single as far as the Billboard Hot 100 was concerned. It is all original Joe Tex, in his own absolutely inimitable style – he’s known as one of the precursors of rap music.

While Joe Tex may have been charting on the Hot 100 since 1965, his previous highest score had been #5 for his breakout single “Hold What You’ve Got”. Since that time, he’d barely tasted the Top-10. This song was actually the B-side of “A Mother’s Prayer” – Radio station DJs would flip it and play this side instead, giving him his highest-charting hit.

We have yet another Tarantino hit! The film Reservoir Dogs features this song prominently. It’s used for the scene where three of the robbers transport the hostage cop to their warehouse hideaway, where they proceed to beat the nickels out of him, both because they suspect they were set up and just to work off some frustration after their robbery plan goes to pieces. The action is even choreographed to the music a little; watch Michael Madsen pulling off a length of duct tape in time to the lyrics for a beat or two.

Joe Tex re-recorded “I Gotcha” for his 1978 album Rub Down, this time as a ballad.

 

I Gotcha

I gotcha, uh huh, huh
You thought I didn’t see ya now, didn’t ya, uh huh, huh
You tried to sneak by me now, didn’t ya, uh huh, huh
Now gimme what you promised me, give it here
Come on

Hey

Good God

Hey

Hey

You promised me the day that you quit your boyfriend
I’d be the next one to ease on in
You promised me it would be just us two, yeah
I’d be the only man kissin’ on you, yeah
Now, kiss me
Hold it a long time, hold it
Don’t turn it a-loose, now hold it
A little bit longer, now hold it
Come on

Hold it
Hold it
Hold it
Hold it
Now ease up on me now, good god
Hey

Good God
Hey

The girl’s alright, y’all
Ha ha

Good God

You made me a promise and you’re gonna stick to it
You shouldn’t have promised if you weren’t gonna do it
You saw me and ran in another direction
I’ll teach you to play with my affection
Now, give it here

You never should’ve promised to me, give it here
Don’t hold back, now give it here
Don’t say nothin’, just give it here
Come on, give it here

Give it here
Give it here
Give it here
Give it to me, now

Good God

Hey

I gotcha
Shouldn’t made a promise to me
I gotcha

You never should’ve promised to me, gotcha
Give it on, here
I gotcha

You thought you got away from me, didn’t ya?
I gotcha
Ha ha ha
Oh, I gotcha

Give it on up, I gotcha
Give it on here, I gotcha

You tried to sneak by me, now didn’t ya?
Ha ha
I gotcha
Oh, I gotcha