Music / Caught Up

If loving you is wrong......

"You see, the terrible thing about being in love with a married man is the fact that you can't see him when you really want to and that can get to you sometimes....."

- "The Rap"

Caught Up is the fourth album by soul singer Millie Jackson released in 1974.

Noted for its deep soul sound and high concept. Caught Up is an album that details an affair from the points of view of the mistress and the wife, with songs on both sides of the record detailing their perspectives on the affair. It would also introduce Millie's own ribald style of spoken word, which in retrospect was considered an early precursor to rapping. With the aptly titled single, "The Rap" utilizing it to its fullest extent, with most of the track being comprised of her speaking.

The album would be a commercial and critical success gaining hit singles in the forms of "I'm Through Trying to Prove My Love to You" and the cover of the Luther Ingram song "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" and would be considered one of the greatest soul music records of all time.

Tracklist

Side A

1. "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" (3:56)
2. "The Rap" (5:53)
3. "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right (Reprise)" (1:14)
4. "All I Want is a Fighting Chance" (2:37)
5. "I'm Tired of Hiding" (3:51)

Side B

1. "It's All Over but the Shouting" (2:51)
2. "So Easy Going, So Hard Coming Back" (4:07)
3. "I'm Through Trying to Prove My Love to You" (5:48)
4. "Summer (The First Time)" (5:43)

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It's All Over but the Troping

• Break-Up/Make-Up Scenario: Averted on "So Easy Going, So Hard Coming Back":
  You played around
  With all the girls in town like
  It was nothing to it
  All the time
  I played dumb and blind
  Oh darling, you can bet I knew it
  Yes I did
  You broke my heart
  Tore it all apart
  And just laughed and went on your way
  Oh, but little did you realize
  You'd want me back someday
• Break Up Song: The entirety of side B (with the exception of "Summer (The First Time)") details the aftermath of the reveal of the affair.
• Call-Back: "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right (Reprise)"
• Concept Album: The record follows the story of a woman having an affair with a married man. Side A is essentially Jackson singing from the mistress' point of view and Side B is told from the wife's perspective.
• Fading into the Next Song: The entire record does this, adding to the conceptual aspect of it.
• Forbidden Love: Definitely how the mistress views the relationship on "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right".
• Intercourse with You: Detailed in "The Rap":
  "When you're going with a married man, he can come over two or three times a week and give you a little bit
  That means you're two up on the wife already, 'cause once you marry one, you don't get it but once a week."
• The Mistress: Side A of the record is dedicated to the mistress' point of view on the affair.
• Soul: Considered a classic of the genre.
• Spoken Word: All over the record. To the point where it is considered a precursor to the act of rapping itself, with "The Rap" being the prime example.
• Sympathetic Adulterer: Although the record doesn't necessarily paint the mistress as that exceptional a person. It does give her a perspective on the affair dedicating the entirety of side A to her side of the affair.
• Their First Time: "Summer (The First Time)" is this in Millie's own sincere detailing:
  And then he looked at me, I heard him softly say
  I know you're young, you don't know what to do or say
  But stay with me until the sun has gone away
  And I will chase the girl in you away

  And then he smiled and we talked for a while
  Then we walked for a mile to the sea
  We sat on the sand and a girl took his hand
  But I saw the sunrise as a woman

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