I Gotta Know (Wanda Jackson song)

"I Gotta Know" is a rockabilly song recorded by Wanda Jackson in 1956,[1] and released as a single by Capitol Records as 45-15586. It was written by Thelma Blackmon.[2] Jackson's version of the song reached #15 on the Billboard Country Singles chart.[3] It was later included in the 1960 album Rockin' with Wanda.

"I Gotta Know"
Single by Wanda Jackson
from the album Rockin' with Wanda
B-side"Half As Good A Girl"
Released1956
Recorded1956
GenreRockabilly
Length2:29
LabelCapitol Records
Songwriter(s)Thelma Blackmon
Wanda Jackson singles chronology
"Wasted"
(1956)		 "I Gotta Know"
(1956)		 "Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad"
(1956)

Critical response

Buzz McClain of The Washington Post called Jackson's version "a hook-filled number that zips from ballad to rocker and back again."[4]

Iain Ellis of PopMatters described Jackson's performance: "Honing her Elvis-style hiccup vocal, Jackson satirized the prevailing male hits of the day, songs that posited either romantic illusions or 'cool' boasting. Rather than passively wallowing in these conceits, or swallowing their deceits, Jackson set to de-bunking them with brutal 'response' lyrics."[5]

Billy Poore wrote that it "starts out like a sad, sappy country ballad, and then all of a sudden, Wanda just roars into the meat and potatoes boppin' rockabilly sound."[3]

Chart performance
Chart (1956) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Most Played C&W in Juke Boxes 15

References
  1. Ryzik, Melena (January 21, 2011). "Rockabilly Queen Prolongs Her Party". New York Times. New York, New York. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  2. Gordon, Terry (2010). ""I Gotta Know" record label". Rockin' Country Style: A Discography of Country Rock & Roll and Related Records, 1951-1964. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  3. Poore, Billy (1998). Rockabilly: a forty-year journey. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-7935-9142-8.
  4. McClain, Buzz (May 10, 2008). "Wanda Jackson, Unsugared But Deserving Sweet Praise". Washington Post. Washington, DC. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  5. Ellis, Iain (February 17, 2006). "Alternative Rock Cultures: Wild Wanda Jackson". PopMatters. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
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