I've Got a Tiger By the Tail
"I've Got a Tiger By the Tail" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by Buck Owens and the Buckaroos | ||||
from the album I've Got a Tiger by the Tail | ||||
B-side | "Cryin' Time" | |||
Released | December 28, 1964 (U.S.) | |||
Recorded | December 1, 1964 Hollywood, California | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 2:13 | |||
Label | Capitol 5336A | |||
Songwriter(s) | Harlan Howard and Buck Owens | |||
Producer(s) | Ken Nelson | |||
Buck Owens and the Buckaroos singles chronology | ||||
|
"I've Got a Tiger By the Tail" is a song made famous by country music band Buck Owens and the Buckaroos. Released in December 1964, the song was one of Owens' signature songs and showcases of the Bakersfield sound in the genre. In 1999, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[1]
In 1965, Dave Berry used "I've Got a Tiger By the Tail" as the B-side of his single "Little Things" and the single reached number 5 in the UK Singles Chart.
About the song
Owens — in the liner notes to The Buck Owens Collection: 1959-1990 — recalled that he and songwriter Harlan Howard had gotten together to write songs, but things were going slowly. Then, Owens saw an Esso gas station sign with the company's slogan at the time, "Put a tiger in your tank" ... and got an idea.[2]
Released in December 1964 (just weeks after he had recorded it), "I've Got a Tiger By the Tail" was Owens' and the Buckaroos sixth No. 1 hit on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart in February 1965. The song is Owens' and the Buckaroos biggest hit (and only top-40 hit) on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 25,[3] although its five weeks atop the chart made it far from Owens' biggest hit on the country charts — several of his other No. 1 songs spent anywhere from six to 16 weeks at No. 1.[4]
Chart performance
Chart (1964-1965) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 25 |
Canadian RPM Top Singles | 12 |
References
- ^ https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#iAdd [bare URL]
- ^ The Buck Owens Collection: 1959-1990, Rhino Records, 1992.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel, "Top Pop Singles: 1955-2006," 2007.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944-2005," 2006.
- v
- t
- e
- Buck Owens
- Buck Owens
- Buck Owens Sings Harlan Howard
- You're for Me
- On the Bandstand
- Buck Owens Sings Tommy Collins
- Together Again
- I Don't Care
- I've Got a Tiger by the Tail
- Before You Go
- Roll Out the Red Carpet
- Dust on Mother's Bible
- Open Up Your Heart
- Your Tender Loving Care
- It Takes People Like You
- Sweet Rosie Jones
- Hot Dog!
- Christmas with Buck Owens and his Buckaroos
- Christmas Shopping
- Carnegie Hall Concert
- In Japan!
- The Fabulous Country Music Sound of Buck Owens
- The Best of Buck Owens
- Best of Buck Owens, Vol. 2
- 21 #1 Hits: The Ultimate Collection
- "Hot Dog"
- "Under Your Spell Again"
- "Above and Beyond"
- "Excuse Me (I Think I've Got a Heartache)"
- "Foolin' Around"
- "Save the Last Dance for Me"
- "Act Naturally"
- "Love's Gonna Live Here"
- "My Heart Skips a Beat"
- "I Don't Care (Just as Long as You Love Me)"
- "I've Got a Tiger By the Tail"
- "Before You Go"
- "Only You (Can Break My Heart)"
- "Buckaroo"
- "Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy"
- "Waitin' in Your Welfare Line"
- "Think of Me"
- "Open Up Your Heart"
- "Where Does the Good Times Go"
- "Sam's Place"
- "Your Tender Loving Care"
- "How Long Will My Baby Be Gone"
- "Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass"
- "Johnny B. Goode"
- "Tall Dark Stranger"
- "Big in Vegas"
- "Bridge over Troubled Water"
- "Rollin' in My Sweet Baby's Arms"
- "Made in Japan"
- "Loose Talk"
- "Together Again"
- "Crying Time"
![]() | This 1960s single-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- v
- t
- e