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 Wonder
A.J. Croce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Written by Cecil Gant & Raymond Leveen
(c) 1944 MCA Music Publishing,
a division of MCA, Inc. (ASCAP)
I wonder
Well, well, well, little darling
Where can you be
This moonlit night
I wonder
My heart is aching
I'm a fool to let it go on breaking
Maybe I'll awake and find that I'm mistaken
I wonder
I wonder
I've been through Lovers Lane
There's nothing there for me only rain
You've been travelling but will it last
While I'm travelling nowhere fast
I wonder
I wonder
Well, well, well, little darling
If this new love dies
Where will you be
Will your heart come running back to me
I wonder
The lyrics to A.J. Croce's song "I Wonder" speak of a man who is longing for his love who is not with him on a moonlit night. He wonders if she is holding someone else close instead of him. His heart is aching and he feels foolish for letting it continue. He hopes to wake up from his misery and realize that he is mistaken. He has been down Lovers Lane and found nothing but rain. Meanwhile, his love has been traveling, but he is not sure if it will last. He is stuck in place, traveling nowhere fast. He wonders if, when her new love dies, whether her heart will come running back to him.
The lyrics paint a picture of a man who is longing for a lost love. He is unsure of his ex's feelings and wonders what she is doing at the moment. The song captures the pain of a broken heart and the hope that comes with a potential reconciliation. The lyrics are simple yet powerful, and Croce's delivery is filled with emotion. The song is a classic in the American Songbook and has been covered by several artists over the years, including Nat King Cole, Barry Manilow, and Ray Charles.
Line by Line Meaning
I wonder
The singer is expressing their curious thoughts about their former lover.
Well, well, well, little darling
The singer is addressing their former lover fondly.
Where can you be
The singer is wondering where their former lover is.
This moonlit night
The artist is expressing that it is nighttime.
Are you holding someone tight
The artist is speculating whether their former lover is with someone else.
I wonder
The singer is still expressing their curiosity about their former lover.
My heart is aching
The singer is feeling emotional pain in their heart.
I'm a fool to let it go on breaking
The artist acknowledges their own foolishness for letting their heart continue to be broken.
Maybe I'll awake and find that I'm mistaken
The artist is uncertain about their feelings and hopes things might be different in the future.
I wonder
Again, the artist is expressing their curiosity about their former lover.
I've been through Lovers Lane
The singer has experienced romance before.
There's nothing there for me only rain
The artist has not found happiness through past relationships.
You've been travelling but will it last
The singer is aware their former lover has been exploring new things but questions whether it will ultimately work out.
While I'm travelling nowhere fast
The singer feels like they are stuck and not making progress in their own life.
I wonder
The singer is still pondering about their former lover.
Well, well, well, little darling
The artist is again addressing their former lover warmly.
If this new love dies
The artist is acknowledging that their former lover might be in a new relationship.
Where will you be
The singer is again wondering where their former lover will end up.
Will your heart come running back to me
The singer is uncertain whether their former lover's heart will yearn for them again in the future.
I wonder
The artist ends the song with one final expression of their curiosity about their former lover.
Contributed by Blake B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@donnagulec20
Dear AJ; This is most amazing music you have done in my view.. I wish you would stay with this theme.
@chusizgz1
probablemente el disco que me enamoró de esta música...
@dianemauer6185
OMG, the cover photo is hauntingly similar to the photo of Jim on "Facets" and Jim and Ingrid on "Croce". All he needs is the moustache. Love the music. I'm sure if Jim could, he'd tell A.J. well done Son, well done.
@dougalhines108
My buddy Sean Smith is playing piano for you in Prince George British Columbia on January 31st. Hope you have a bass player like you have on this recording. Good stuff! Beautiful.