Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get (song) explained

"Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" is a 1971 single written and produced by Tony Hester and performed by The Dramatics. The rhythm charts, strings and horns were arranged by Johnny Allen. The tracks were recorded at United Sound Recording Studio in Detroit, Michigan.

Song Background

The song is noted for its scatting by the lead singer Ron Banks, and for the bass singer, Willie Ford,^[1] saying "Look at me." The song was co-led by William "Wee Gee" Howard and Banks, with other lead parts shared by the other members, Larry "Squirrel" Demps and Elbert Wilkins.

Chart performance

The song was a #3 hit on the Billboard R&B charts, and broke into the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #9.^[2] In Canada, it reached #44.^[3]

Cover versions

• The song has been covered by British pop group The Beautiful South on their 1990 album Choke
• American singer and drag queen RuPaul covered it on the 1993 soundtrack album
• The American experimental rock band When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water covered it on their 1994 album Bill Kennedy's Showtime
• Duo Hall & Oates included it on their 2004 album Our Kind of Soul
• Gerald Albright included it, as an instrumental, on his 2008 CD "Sax For Stax" as "What You See Is What You Get".

Later uses

• "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" is featured in Mel Stuart's 1973 documentary film "Wattstax". This film chronicles the historic 1972 Wattstax concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in which the Dramatics performed this song among a legendary lineup of R&B, Soul, Pop, and gospel artists.
• The Dramatics performed "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" in the racially charged and raunchy "Darktown Strutters", a blaxploitation comedy film produced by Gene Corman in 1975.
• In 2007 "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" was included in the soundtrack for the American '60s/'70s period film "Talk To Me", starring Don Cheadle.
• The song was featured in the second season of the FX series Fargo, in the episode "The Gift of the Magi". It also features in the closing credits of the James Randi documentary, An Honest Liar (2014).

Samples

It was sampled by hip-hop trio Injury Reserve on "Yo", the opening track of their 2015 album Live from the Dentist Office. The intro was also sampled on "Big Daddy Kane vs. Dolemite" (1990) by rapper Big Daddy Kane, featuring comedian Rudy Ray Moore, from Kane's album Taste of Chocolate.

External links

• • • • The Dramatics IMDb webpage https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2182032/
• PBS POV website on "Wattstax" https://www.pbs.org/pov/watch/wattstax/

Notes and References

1. Web site: R.I.P. The Dramatics co-founder Willie Ford. 28 May 2019.
2. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 172.
3. Web site: RPM Top 100 Singles - September 25, 1971.