Shortly before his father's death in a 1973 plane crash, Croce's family moved west to San Diego, California, where his mother, Ingrid, raised him.
At the age of four, Croce was completely blinded, as the result of a brain tumor. Between the ages of four and ten, Croce gradually regained vision in his left eye. It was during this difficult time in Croce's life that he began to play the piano. "I learned to play music by listening and playing along to the radio and to records..." Croce says, "At some point I was given the music of Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder as inspiration, which it was, and has been ever since."
Croce's first paying gig was at the age of 12, when he was paid $20 to perform at a Bat-Mitzvah party. By the age of 16, Croce was performing regularly at San Diego nightclubs, as a sideman and band leader. Croce reflects, "I was into every kind of music... you might say I was unfocused, but I consider an eclectic taste in music to be the foundation of versatility." Croce's house burned down when he was age 15.
Ron Goldstein and Peter Bauman of Private Music signed Croce to his first record deal at age 19. He recorded two CDs for Private Music: his self-titled debut, "A.J. Croce," produced by T-Bone Burnett and John Simon, and "That's Me In The Bar," produced by Jim Keltner, and featuring artists such as Ry Cooder, David Hidalgo, and Keltner himself.
Croce's third release, "Fit To Serve," was recorded in Memphis, and produced by Jim Gaines, who had previously produced Van Morrison, Santana, and The Steve Miller Band. Croce then took a musical turn with the release of his album Transit. He explained, "I had been playing blues-based music for a long time, and I was ready to try something new." Transit was compared by critics to the work of John Lennon, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, and Van Morrison. Glen Starkey of New Times labeled Croce "a song crafter of the first order."
A fifth CD, titled "Adrian James Croce" was released in the summer of 2004, and a sixth CD, Cantos, in 2006.
Croce has performed as an opening act for artists such as Carlos Santana, Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, James Brown, Ben Harper, Dave Matthews, Earth, Wind and Fire and Ray Charles. He has also performed on such national venues as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Austin City Limits.
I Confess
A.J. Croce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The sweet perfume of nightfall
A carousel of lovers
Whose indiscretions are benign
A catalog of heartache
Whose pages will not let themselves be turned
(Chorus)
Your omnipresence in my dreams
And I admit I can't forget you
So if you'll be my valentine
I swear to be your Valentino
I confess that I still love you
The winding road bears solace
The tortured soul has been released
The mockingbird is songless
But what he sings can't be denied
And metaphors of romance
Mean not a thing if they're misunderstood
In the song I Confess by A.J. Croce, the lyrics depict a sense of nostalgia and longing for a past love. The lavender and moonlight, sweet perfume of nightfall, and carousel of lovers all symbolize the beauty and allure of a relationship once shared with another person. However, the catalog of heartache and the fact that the pages will not let themselves be turned shows that the relationship ended poorly, and the singer is having a difficult time letting go.
The chorus suggests that the feeling of missing the person is overwhelming, as their omnipresence in the singer's dreams takes more of a toll than it redeems. Despite this, the singer still cannot forget the person and confesses to still loving them. The winding road bears solace and has helped the singer move on, but the metaphor of the songless mockingbird represents the pain that still exists, even though it may not be expressed outwardly. The use of metaphors throughout the song emphasizes the complexity of the singer's emotions and the significance of the relationship that has ended.
Overall, I Confess is a poignant song about the struggle of moving on after a past relationship. The lyrics are relatable for anyone who has experienced heartbreak and the inability to let go of a past love.
Line by Line Meaning
The lavender and moonlight
The peaceful setting with the essence of lavender and moonlight gives a soothing feel.
The sweet perfume of nightfall
The fragrance of the nightfall makes someone feel overwhelmed with joy and happiness.
A carousel of lovers
People who keep changing their relationships without being serious about it.
Whose indiscretions are benign
Even though they make mistakes, they do not cause harm to anyone.
A catalog of heartache
A collection of sadness and hurtful emotions experienced in past relationships.
Whose pages will not let themselves be turned
The past memories cannot be forgotten or avoided.
Your omnipresence in my dreams
You are always present in my dreams and I cannot avoid it.
Takes more a toll than it redeems
The pain of not being able to forget you is more than any good memories that were shared between us.
And I admit I can't forget you
I confess that I cannot move on and forget you.
So if you'll be my valentine
If you give me another chance, I promise to be yours.
I swear to be your Valentino
I promise to be a faithful and loving partner.
I confess that I still love you
I admit that I still have strong feelings of love for you.
The winding road bears solace
A long journey or path can give someone peace of mind and comfort.
The tortured soul has been released
The painful emotions have been let go and the person feels free.
The mockingbird is songless
The bird that once sung beautifully is now quiet and still.
But what he sings can't be denied
Even though the bird is not singing, the sound of its music can still be heard.
And metaphors of romance
Comparisons used to describe feelings of love and romance.
Mean not a thing if they're misunderstood
The true meaning behind the metaphors cannot be understood if they are taken the wrong way.
Contributed by Kaelyn C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.