"It Was I" is a 1959 song written by vocalist

Gary S. Paxton Gary Sanford Paxton (born Larry Wayne Stevens; May 18, 1939 – July 17, 2016) was an American record producer, recording artist, and Grammy and Dove Award winning songwriter. Paxton was a member of Skip & Flip and the Hollywood Argyles and wa ...

when he released it as part of a duo with

Clyde Battin Clyde "Skip" Battin (February 18, 1934 – July 6, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter, bassist, performer, and recording artist. He was a member of the Byrds, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Εarly lif ...

called

Skip & Flip Skip & Flip was a U.S. pop duo, consisting of Skip (Clyde Battin) and Flip (Gary S. Paxton). They met while attending the University of Arizona in the late 1950s. Career Once known as The Rockabillies, they recorded on Rev Records as The Pledges ...

. "It Was I" reached No. 11 The song was ranked No. 84 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' magazine's '' Top Hot 100'' songs of

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

Lindsey Buckingham recording

The song was later covered by American guitarist and vocalist

Lindsey Buckingham Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist and male lead vocalist of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fl ...

, and was released as the second single off his debut album, ''

Law and Order In modern politics, law and order is the approach focusing on harsher enforcement and penalties as ways to reduce crime. Penalties for perpetrators of disorder may include longer terms of imprisonment, mandatory sentencing, three-strikes laws a ...

''. Unlike Buckingham's previous single " Trouble", "It Was I" was not a big hit for Buckingham, and also failed to match the success of the original Skip & Flip recording. The song only reached No. 10 on the ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under chart, an extension to the Hot 100. "It Was I" fared slightly better in Australia, where it managed to reach the No. 74 spot. Despite only achieving minor success in Australia, "It Was I" performed better there than any of Buckingham's subsequent singles, including " Go Insane", which only reached No. 100.

Personnel

– Lead vocals, all instrumentation *

Carol Ann Harris Carol may refer to: People with the name *Carol (given name) *Henri Carol (1910–1984), French composer and organist *Martine Carol (1920–1967), French film actress *Sue Carol (1906–1982), American actress and talent agent, wife of actor Ala ...

– Backing vocals

References

{{authority control 1959 songs 1959 singles 1981 singles Songs written by Gary S. Paxton Skip & Flip songs Lindsey Buckingham songs Asylum Records singles