The “Life and Times” of Jim Croce

I don’t think there is a genre of music more famous for untimely death than classic rock. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Andy Gibb, Ronnie Van Zant, Jim Morrison, and Jim Croce are among the ranks of young stars who met premature deaths. Regardless of his short life and career, Jim Croce remains a folk rock legend for both his vocal talents and his impeccable songwriting.

Jim Croce developed an interest in music at a young age. Born in South Philadelphia in 1943, Croce spent his childhood learning about and listening to music. By the year 1965, Croce had graduated college with a degree in psychology. Owing to a photographic memory, Croce was able to play over 2,000 songs. In college, Jim met his wife Ingrid. The pair briefly made a living playing folk music in bars, coffee houses, and at schools. The two released a record with Capitol Records but, after getting only minimal recognition, the Croce’s directed their attention away from a musical career. Jim continued to play in bars at night, but worked in various fields, such as truck driving and construction, during the day. Ingrid worked in food preparation and made pottery until 1970, when she became pregnant. In response to the impending financial burden of a child, Jim once again got serious about making music. In ten days, he wrote “Time in a Bottle,” “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim,” “New York’s Not My Home,” “Photographs and Memories,” and “Operator” at his kitchen table. Thrilled by Jim’s new tracks, Jim’s producers helped him release his first solo album in 1972; Jim’s friend Maury Muehleisen was featured on the album as a guitarist. The following year, Jim released his second album, Life and Times. Jim’s final album, I Got a Name, would be released posthumously only two weeks after a fatal plane crash. Jim was thirty.

While Jim Croce was only able to create three albums before his death, he is hailed as one of the greatest songwriters of all time. His folk sound and his authentic lyrics continue to impress rock music fans today. While I did not know a lot about Croce’s path to stardom before deciding to cover him on my blog, I can see how his humble beginnings have translated into his music. First and foremost, I was surprised to find that Woody Guthrie, a folk-singer well-known for the 1940 hit “This Land is Your Land,”  was one of Croce’s most significant musical inspirations. Guthrie’s son, Arlo Guthrie, is a folk-singer I have always associated with Croce. Though American folk music in general frequently explores the idea of the “common man,” I’ve drawn a lot of parallels between not only Croce and Guthrie’s musical content but also their musical techniques. Not unlike folk singer Neil Young, the topic of last week’s post, both Croce and Guthrie have a very raw, mellow quality to their voice. I can also see how Croce’s background in blue-collar labor has permeated into his music.

In addition to being extremely skilled vocally and on the guitar, Jim Croce has written some ridiculously smart lyrics. While he is true to his genre in that his songs focus on the beauty in everyday life- personal identity, unrequited love, menial labor, and even some old western motifs dominate the majority of his work- Croce has also written a lot of lyrics about the human condition. The mark of a great song, and not just a catchy one is, in my opinion, resonance. While listening to Croce’s music, I’ve experienced countless moments in which I couldn’t help but think, “That is so true.”  Nearly half a century has passed since Croce began his musical career, and his music is still connecting with the general public; that is an amazing feat.

In considering Jim Croce’s short-lived career, I am drawn to one particular set of lyrics from his song “Time in a Bottle.” Almost prophetic with regards to Croce’s death at the height of his career, the song suggests, “There never seems to be enough time/ To do the things you want to do/ Once you find them.”  I don’t think truer words have ever been spoken, or sung. I have included a few of my favorite Jim Croce tracks, as well as a song by Arlo Guthrie for comparison. While Croce and Guthrie are arguably outside the realm of classic rock given their folkish style, I find their softer tunes to be just as attractive, if not more attractive, than those of mainstreamed rockers. If the harder rocking styles of bands like Led Zeppelin or AC/DC have turned you off to classic rock, I highly suggest exploring some folk/soft rock artists like Croce and Guthrie.