| "I Got The..." | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Labi Siffre | ||||
| from the album Remember My Song | ||||
| B-side | "The Vulture" | |||
| Released | 2003 (as single) 1975 (as album track) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
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| Label | Pye (album release) Stateside (single release) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Labi Siffre | |||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| Labi Siffre singles chronology | ||||
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"I Got The..." is a 1975 song by British musician Labi Siffre. It was the opening track of his fifth album, Remember My Song.
The song gained a resurgence in popularity in 1999 when it was sampled by American rapper Eminem on his breakthrough hit "My Name Is". This newfound interest led to "I Got The..." finally being released as a single in 2003.
Composition and recording
The track, along with the rest of the album, was produced by Big Jim Sullivan with Derek Lawrence and written by Siffre.[1]
The recording also featured session musicians Chas Hodges on guitar and Dave Peacock on bass, who would later become notable in their own right as the duo Chas & Dave.[2][3]
Legacy
Sampling
The song and the album lingered in obscurity for many years until 1999 when it was sampled by the American rappers Eminem and Dr. Dre for Eminem's first top 40 hit "My Name Is".[3] The guitar riff played by Hodges and Peacock was heavily featured during the single in a replayed sample.[2]
Siffre, who is openly gay, said in an interview that he turned down the offer to approve the song at first until the original sexist and homophobic lyrics were removed:
"Dissing the victims of bigotry – women as bitches, homosexuals as faggots – is lazy writing. Diss the bigots not their victims."[4]
Siffre eventually allowed its usage when he was sent a censored "clean" version, not realising that he was also allowing the riffs use on the alternative "dirty" versions with the original lyrics.[5]
"I Got The..." was also used on P Diddy's track "Bad Boy For Life" and Jay-Z's track "Streets Is Watching," from his 1997 album In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, although P Diddy and Jay-Z used a different part of the song than Eminem.[5]
In popular culture
The track appeared in the episode "Bagman" from the American television show Better Call Saul.[6]
Personnel
According to Somehow Jazz:[1]
- Labi Siffre – electric piano, lead and backing vocals, writer
- Chas Hodges – guitar, backing vocals
- Dave Peacock – bass, backing vocals
- Ian Wallace – drums
- Big Jim Sullivan – lead guitar, arranger, producer
- Derek Lawrence – producer
- Alan Branscombe – percussion
- The Dean Street Brass – horns
- The Rock And Roll Gypsies – strings
- Gordon Neville – backing vocals
- Jacqui Sullivan – backing vocals
References
- ^ a b "Labi Siffre "I Got The"". Somehow Jazz. 17 August 2020. Archived from the original on 26 March 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ a b Wilson, Chris. "Gertcha! Top ten things you never knew about Chas & Dave". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ a b Jones, Lucy (27 September 2012). "When Sampling Goes Wrong". NME. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ "Q&A: Labi Siffre". The New Humanist. December 14, 2012. Archived from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
- ^ a b Jonze, Tim (31 Jan 2022). "'I had the perfect life – then both my husbands died': singer Labi Siffre on love, loss – and happiness". Archived from the original on 30 January 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ Fogarty, Paul (2020-04-08). "Better Call Saul: Bagman's use of Labi Siffre's 'I Got The...' wins praise from surprised fans". HITC. Archived from the original on 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2023-11-09.