What I Got Explained

What I Got
Cover:	WhatIGot.jpg
Border:	yes
Type:	single
Artist:	Sublime
Album:	Sublime
B-Side:	Rivers of Babylon
Genre:	Alternative rock^[1] ^[2]
Label:	Gasoline Alley MCA
Producer:	David Kahne
Chronology:	Sublime
Prev Title:	Badfish
Prev Year:	1993
Next Title:	Santeria
Next Year:	1997

"What I Got" is a song from American band Sublime's self-titled third album (1996). The song's chorus is a lift from "Loving" by reggae artist Half Pint, who is credited as a co-writer.^{[3] [4]} The melody and pacing of the verses is identical to the Beatles' "Lady Madonna".^[5]

It was released after singer Bradley Nowell's death in 1996 from a heroin overdose and became the band's biggest radio hit. It was the second single to be released by the band, following "Date Rape" in 1991.

"What I Got" reached the number-one spot on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and was also a radio hit, peaking at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. In New Zealand, "What I Got" peaked at number 34 on the RIANZ Singles Chart; What I Got: The Seven Song EP charted higher, reaching number 33 on the same chart. Elsewhere, the single reached number two on the Canadian RPM Alternative 30 chart and number 19 in Iceland. It is ranked on Rolling Stone magazine's "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time" at number 83.^[6]

Music video

The video for "What I Got", shot after Nowell's death, mainly contains a collage of archive videos and photos of him, as a tribute to the singer. The video includes images of Long Beach, California, where the band met their success, as well as live footage from a Sublime show at The Capitol Ballroom in Washington, DC.

Track listings

Australian and European CD single^[7]

1. "What I Got" – 2:51
2. "Saw Red" – 1:57
3. "Jailhouse" (live) – 4:40
4. "What I Got" (demo version) – 2:39

UK CD single^[8]

1. "What I Got" (Super No Mofo edit) – 2:51
2. "Rivers of Babylon" – 2:29
3. "All You Need" – 2:45
4. "What I Got" (reprise) – 3:02

UK 7-inch single^[9]

A. "What I Got" (Super No Mofo edit) – 2:51

B. "Rivers of Babylon" – 2:29

What I Got: The Seven Song EP^[10]

1. "What I Got" (Kahne radio edit) – 2:48
2. "40 oz. to Freedom" – 3:18
3. "D.J.s" – 3:05
4. "All You Need" – 2:45
5. "Same in the End" – 2:38
6. "Work That We Do" – 2:37
7. "Doin' Time" (Marshall Arts Remix featuring the Pharcyde) – 4:12

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (1996)	Position
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)^[12]	21
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)^[13]	28

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)
United States	July 23, 1996			^[14]
	September 24, 1996	Contemporary hit radio		^[15]
United Kingdom	June 16, 1997			^[16]

Notes and References

1. Web site: The 96 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1996. Spin. 31 August 2016. 5. September 18, 2020.
2. Web site: Ranking: Every Alternative Rock No. 1 Hit From Worst to Best. March 28, 2016. January 31, 2022.
3. Web site: Bennett . Sarah . Five Songs That Prove Why Sublime Still Matters – OC Weekly . OC Weekly . 28 May 2024 . 30 January 2013.
4. Web site: What I Got by Sublime. Songfacts.com. 29 May 2022.
5. Web site: Jonah Ray on his intense, burning hatred for Sublime's "What I Got". The A.V. Club. Marah Eakin. July 23, 2014. July 15, 2017.
6. 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time. Rolling Stone. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080530224802/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/20947527/page/34. May 30, 2008. January 24, 2011.
7. What I Got. Sublime. 1996. Australian & European CD single notes. MCA Records, Gasoline Alley Records. MCD 49017.
8. What I Got. Sublime. 1996. UK CD single liner notes. MCA Records, Gasoline Alley Records. MCSTD 48045.
9. What I Got. Sublime. 1996. UK 7-inch single sleeve. MCA Records, Gasoline Alley Records. MCS 48045.
10. What I Got: The Seven Song EP. Sublime. 1997. Liner notes. Gasoline Alley Records. GASD-11678.
11. News: Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (28.11. – 04.12. '96). Dagblaðið Vísir. is. 20. November 29, 1996. October 2, 2019.
12. RPM Year End Alternative Top 50. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. February 25, 2019.
13. [{{Google books|sQkEAAAAMBAJ|pg=RA1-PA42-IA11|plainurl=yes}} The Year in Music: Hot Modern Rock Tracks]. Billboard. Google Books. 108. 52. YE-78. December 28, 1996. 0006-2510. December 28, 2023.
14. MCA's Sublime Climbs Up from Grass Roots. Reece. Doug. Billboard. 108. 40. 105. October 5, 1996. 'What I Got,' which was serviced to modern rock and college radio July 23....
15. Selected New Releases. Radio & Records. 1164. 43. September 20, 1996. August 21, 2021.
16. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 43. June 14, 1997. August 21, 2021.