2010Released
4:03

Did You Know?

Interesting facts and trivia about I Need a Dollar. By Songfacts®.

Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III is a California based soul singer who performs under the name of Aloe Blacc. He began his career in his teens as an MC in an indie rap duo called Emanon. Blacc went solo in 2003 signing with independent hip-hop label Stones Throw Records, and released his debut EP in the same year. He released his debut album, Shine Though in 2006 and his second album, Good Things in 2010. After this retro soul track hit the charts throughout continental Europe, Blacc signed with major label Epic Records for the UK and Ireland release of the record.

Blacc got the idea for this song after listening to field recordings from the Smithsonian. Hearing these recordings of people singing their tales of woe, Blacc decided to write one of his own, and came up with the title "I Need A Dollar." To develop the lyrics, he asked friends to trade verses with him and then join him on the chorus. As he was finishing the album with his production team, Truth & Soul, they worked up an instrumental jam with a soul groove that needed lyrics. Blacc couldn't come up with anything, so he tried using what he had written for "Dollar," and it worked.

The tune first came to many people's attention when it was used as the intro song for the HBO show How to Make It in America, and was featured as the iTunes Single of the Week. The HBO show lasted just one season, but it gave the song lot of exposure and credibility, especially in Europe where some radio stations started playing the song. Blacc was still on an indie label at the time, but the radio plays got the attention of Simon Fuller's XIX Entertainment company, which signed him to a deal and negotiated a contract with Interscope Records.

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Song Analysis

Key, BPM (tempo) and time signature of I Need a Dollar.
G♯Key
MinorMode
4/4Time Signature
96BPM

Album

The album I Need a Dollar is released on.

Released By

The record label that has released I Need a Dollar.
Epic
(P) 2010 Stone Throw Records LLC under exclusive licence to Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited

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