[1] The song was also Fulson's most popular single in the broader, pop-oriented Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it reached number 52.
[3] For the album cover, Fulson, who normally wore suits, posed dressed up as a railroad yard hobo: Them kids sat up all night making them jeans, sewing rags and things on 'em.
[3]The song is partly narrative, with the singer ignoring the criticism of his unsophisticated appearance: Tramp You can call me that I don't wear continental clothes stetson hats ...
Call me country right from the woods I'll answer when you call me That is baby if it makes you feel good But I'm just a lover ... Loving's all I know to do Fulson's "Tramp" has been described as a "comfortably laid-back but groovin' soul-blues workout" and "a loping funk-injected workout [which restored] the guitarist to R&B stardom", by AllMusic reviewers.
[4][5] The entertainment magazine LA Weekly called it "a near-perfect slice of barbecued funk".
[1] In Dynamic Duets: The Best Pop Collaborations from 1955 to 1999, author Bob Leszczak describes their rendition: Otis and Carla gave "Tramp" their own stamp.
They exchange quite a bit of dialogue between them in the song, with Carla putting Otis down because he doesn't wear fine clothes and is in dire need of a haircut ... She's obviously a gold digger and laments that he couldn't afford to buy her fine furs and cool cars.