I’ve Gotta Be Me
| PROFILE | |
| Composer and Lyricist | Walter Marks |
| Year Written | 1967 |
| About I’ve Gotta Be Me | |
| “I’ve Gotta Be Me” was written for the Broadway musical Golden Rainbow, which opened in 1968 and starred Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé. The song became a hit for Sammy Davis, Jr. as well as other singers, including Della Reese, Stevie Wonder and Tony Bennett. | |
Lyrics
Whether I’m right or whether I’m wrong
Whether I find a place in this world or never belong
I gotta be me, I’ve gotta be me
What else can I be but what I am
I want to live, not merely survive
And I won’t give up this dream
Of life that keeps me alive
I gotta be me, I gotta be me
The dream that I see makes me what I am
That far-away prize, a world of success
Is waiting for me if I heed the call
I won’t settle down, won’t settle for less
As long as there’s a chance that I can have it all
I’ll go it alone, that’s how it must be
I can’t be right for somebody else
If I’m not right for me
I gotta be free, I’ve gotta be free
Daring to try, to do it or die
I’ve gotta be me
I’ll go it alone, that’s how it must be
I can’t be right for somebody else
If I’m not right for me
I gotta be free, I just gotta be free
Daring to try, to do it or die
I gotta be me
Session / Album Information
1969
“I’ve Gotta Be Me” was recorded on March 27, 1969 and released that year on the album I’ve Gotta Be Me. It was arranged by Torrie Zito.
This recording released on:
- 1969: CBS 45: 4527
- 1969: Columbia LP 12″: CS 9882 — I’ve Gotta Be Me
- 2009: Beat Goes On CD: 886 — For Once In My Life/I’ve Gotta Be Me [UK
- 2011: Disc #38 in The Tony Bennett Complete Collection (88697874602-JK37) I’ve Gotta Be Me