We Got to Get You a Woman

"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
StudioBearsville Studios in Bearsville, New York
GenrePower pop, pop rock, soft rock
Length3:05
LabelAmpex 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.

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]

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.