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Betcha by Golly, Wow

"Betcha by Golly, Wow"
Betcha by Golly, Wow - Stylistics.jpg
Single by The Stylistics
from the album The Stylistics
B-side "Ebony Eyes"
Released February 17, 1972
Format 7" single
Genre Soul, Philly soul
Length 3:48 (album version)
3:17 (single edit)
Label Avco
Writer(s) Thom Bell, Linda Creed
Producer(s) Thom Bell
The Stylistics singles chronology
"You Are Everything"
(1971)
"Betcha by Golly, Wow"
(1972)
"People Make the World Go Round"
(1972)
"Betcha by Golly Wow!"
Prince betcha.jpg
UK CD single
Single by Prince
from the album Emancipation
B-side "Right Back Here in My Arms"
Released November 13, 1996
Format Cassette single
CD single
Recorded Paisley Park Studios, 1995
Genre Soul
Length 3:30
Label NPG/EMI
Writer(s) Linda Creed, Thom Bell
Producer(s) Prince
Prince singles chronology
"Gold"
(1995)
"Betcha by Golly Wow!"
(1996)
"The Holy River"
(1997)

"Betcha by Golly, Wow" is a song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed that was originally recorded by Connie Stevens as "Keep Growing Strong" on the Bell Records label in 1970. The composition later scored a hit when it was released by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics in 1972.

An R&B ballad, it was the third track from The Stylistics' 1971 debut self-titled album and was released as a single in 1972 and reached number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.Billboard ranked it as the No. 18 song for 1972. In addition, it also climbed to number 2 on the Billboard R&B chart and reached number number 13 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1972. The Stylistics' recording sold over one million copies globally, earning the band a gold disc The award was presented by the RIAA on April 17, 1972. It was the band's second gold disc. There are two mixes of the song—the 3:17 version released as a single is the one most familiar to listeners, while the 3:48 album version has an instrumental break prior to the song's finale.

Another cover version was released by Prince (his stage name at that time being a symbol with no known pronunciation, see cover art) on his 1996 album Emancipation. Prince had stated that he always wanted to release a cover version but his record company, Warner Bros. Records, had not permitted it. The CD single was released in two formats in the UK, one with a picture sleeve and one with an orange cardboard sleeve that included a picture disc and a mini-poster. The song was also issued on cassette. All versions of the single had "Right Back Here in My Arms" as the B-side. Both tracks were the album version. The track was released as a promotional single in the US, a music video was also produced.


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