.38 Special Play “Caught Up In You,” And Prove That Southern Rock Is Alive And Well!

Live At Sturgis, 1999

Formed in 1974, Southern rock band .38 Special rehearsed down the street from Lynyrd Skynyrd; no surprise there, considering .38 Special guitarist Donnie Van Zant was the kid brother of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s late singer Ronnie Van Zant. The late 70s counted 38 Special counted among the ranks of other great Southern rock bands that came before them with their catchy, good ol’ boy brand of rock and roll that yielded hits like ‘Hold On Loosely’ and this particular gem, ‘Caught Up In You’.

We never realized how similar Donnie is to big brother Ronnie until we saw the footage from this 1999 performance – between the hat and Donnie’s energy on stage, it’s like looking at a ghost!

Fun Fact: As much as we love ‘Caught Up In You’, we can’t imagine anyone else playing it. However, it almost happened:

‘Caught Up In You’ was originally written for fellow rock band Survivor. When it didn’t make their album, it went to .38 Special.

Funny how a split decision can change the course of a band’s career forever.

Where bands like the Allman Brothers Band took over southern rock with an almost broody, blues soaked influence and Lynyrd Skynyrd with their Muscle Shoals tinged sound, .38 Special falls somewhere in the middle; they’re catchy without being too pop driven, but their guitar work and lead vocals are purely that rich, Southern brand of rock and roll that we’ve come to love. Southern rock is alive and well, and this performance proves it!

+ Caught Up In You lyrics +

I never knew there’d come a day
When I’d be sayin’ to you
Don’t let this good love slip away
Now that we know that it’s true

Don’t, don’t you know the kind of man I am
No, said I’d never fall in love again
But it’s real and the feeling comes shinin’ through

I’m so caught up in you, little girl
And I never did suspect a thing
So caught up in you, little girl
That I never wanna get myself free
And baby it’s true, you’re the one
Who caught me, baby, you taught me
How good it could be

It took so long to change my mind
I thought that love was a game
I played around enough to find
No two are ever the same

You made me realize the love I’d missed
So hot, love I couldn’t quite resist
When it’s right, the light just comes shinin’ through

I’m so caught up in you, little girl
You’re the one whose got me down on my knees
So caught up in you, little girl
That I never wanna get myself free
And baby it’s true, you’re the one
Who caught me, baby, you taught me
How good it could be

Fill your days and your nights
No need to ever ask me twice, oh no
Whenever you want me

And if ever, comes a day
When you should turn and walk away, oh no
I can’t live without you

I’m so caught up in you
Yeah, yeah, yeah

And if ever, comes a day
When you should turn and walk away, oh no
I can’t live without you

I’m so caught up in you, little girl
You’re the one that’s got me down on my knees
So caught up in you, little girl
That I never wanna get myself free
And baby it’s true, you’re the one
Who caught me, baby, you taught me
How good it could be

Little girl, you’re the one that’s got me down on my knees
So caught up in you, little girl
That I never wanna get myself free
And baby it’s true, you’re the one
Who’s caught me and taught me
You got me so caught up in you