Early life
Croce was born in South Philadelphia. He graduated from Upper Darby High School in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania in 1960 where in 1976, he was the first former student to be added to the high school's Wall of Fame. Then, while attending Villanova University (1965 graduate), Croce became interested in becoming a professional musician and met his future wife, Ingrid, at a hootenanny at Convention Hall in Philadelphia, where he was a judge for the contest.
Early career
During the early 1960s, Croce formed a number of college bands and performed at coffee houses and universities, and later with his wife Ingrid as a duo in the mid-1960s to early 1970s. At first their performances included songs by Ian and Sylvia, Gordon Lightfoot, Joan Baez, and Woody Guthrie, but in time they began writing their own music, such as "Age", "Hey Tomorrow", and "Spin, Spin Spin" which later led to Croce's hit songs in the early seventies.
At the same time, Croce got his first long-term gig at a rural bar and steak house in Lima, Pennsylvania, called the Riddle Paddock. There, over the next few years, Croce developed a very engaging rapport with tough audiences and built his musical repertoire to over 3,000 songs. His set list included every genre from blues to country, rock 'n roll to folk, with tender love songs and traditional Bawdy Ballads, always introduced with a story and an impish grin.
In 1968, Jim and Ingrid Croce were encouraged to move to New York City to record their first album with Capitol Records. For the next two years, they drove over 300,000 miles playing small clubs and concerts on the college concert circuit promoting their album Jim & Ingrid Croce.
Then, disillusioned by the music business and New York City, Croce sold all but one guitar to pay the rent, and they returned to the Pennsylvania countryside where Croce got a job driving trucks and doing construction to pay the bills. He called this his "Character Development Period" and spent a lot of his time sitting in the cab of a truck, composing songs about his buddies and the folks he enjoyed meeting at the local bars and truck stops.
Success
In 1970, Croce met classically trained pianist/guitarist, singer-songwriter Maury Muehleisen from Trenton, New Jersey. Initially, Croce backed Muehleisen on guitar at his gigs. But in time, their musical strengths led them each to new heights. Muehleisen's ethereal and inspired guitar leads became the perfect accompaniment to Croce's down-to-earth music.
In 1972, Croce signed to a three record deal with ABC Records releasing You Don't Mess Around with Jim and Life & Times in the same year. The singles "You Don't Mess Around with Jim", "Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)" and "Time In A Bottle" (written for his newborn son, A. J. Croce) helped the former album reach #1 on the charts in 1974. Croce's biggest single "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown", hit number 1 on the US charts in the summer of 1973, selling two million copies.
Sudden death
Croce, 30, and Muehleisen, 24, died in a small commercial plane crash on September 20, 1973 in Natchitoches, Louisiana one day before releasing his third ABC album, I Got a Name. The posthumous release included three hits, "I Got A Name", "Workin' At The Car Wash Blues" and "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song."
Musical legacy
In 1990, Croce was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In the late 1990s, Ingrid Croce, Croce's widow, and their son, A.J. Croce obtained the publishing rights for Croce's entire catalog of songs. Since then they have released Jim Croce Home Recordings, Facets, Jim Croce: Classic Hits, and the first-ever DVD of Jim's television performances on "Have You Heard – Jim Croce Live", with their most recent release in January 2006 of a CD of the same title. They also co-produced a PBS special, with archive footage from the Croce family collection, along with excerpts of their DVD Have You Heard – Jim Croce Live.
In 1985, Ingrid Croce opened "Croce's Restaurant & Jazz Bar", located in the historic Gaslamp District in San Diego, California, partially as a tribute to her late husband.
Quotes
His personal motto: "If you dig it, do it. If you really dig it, do it twice."
On his roots: "I never really thought of my neighborhood in South Philly as being a neighborhood, it was more a state of mind. For people who aren't familiar with those kind of places, it's a whole different thing. Like 42nd Street in New York City is a state of mind."
Bad Bad Leroy Brown
Jim Croce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is the baddest part of town
And if you go down there
You better just beware
Of a man named Leroy Brown
Now Leroy more than trouble
You see he stand about six foot four
All the men just call him "Sir"
And it's bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damned town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Now Leroy he a gambler
And he like his fancy clothes
And he like to wave his diamond rings
In front of everybody's nose
He got a custom Continental
He got a Eldorado too
He got a thirty two gun in his pocket for fun
He got a razor in his shoe
And it's bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damned town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Well Friday 'bout a week ago
Leroy shootin' dice
And at the edge of the bar
Sat a girl named a Doris
And ooh that girl looked nice
Well he cast his eyes upon her
And the trouble soon began
And Leroy Brown he learned a lesson
'Bout messin' with the wife of a jealous man
And it's bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damned town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Well the two men took to fighting
And when they pulled them from the floor
Leroy looked like a jigsaw puzzle
With a couple of pieces gone
And it's bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damned town
Badder than old King Kong
Meaner than a junkyard dog
And he's bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damned town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Yeah, he was badder than old King Kong
Meaner than a junkyard dog
The song "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" by Jim Croce is a witty and playful portrayal of a larger-than-life character Leroy Brown who is known as the baddest man in the whole town. The song was released in 1973 as a part of Croce's album Life and Times. The song starts with the iconic line "Well the South side of Chicago is the baddest part of town / And if you go down there you better just beware" suggesting that the town has a notorious reputation for being unsafe. Leroy Brown is portrayed as a man of formidable strength, impressive height (6'4"), and style. He is a gambler who likes to wear fancy clothes and flash his diamond rings to everyone.
The song is narrated in the third person, with the singer describing Leroy as a mythical figure that everyone is aware of. The lyrics suggest that Leroy is not only feared by men but also adored by women who call him the "Treetop Lover." The chorus repeatedly reminds us that he is the baddest man in the whole damned town, badder than old King Kong, and meaner than a junkyard dog. The song's concluding verse tells the story of Leroy starting a fight with a jealous man after trying to flirt with his wife Doris, resulting in a gruesome brawl that leaves Leroy battered and bruised.
In conclusion, "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" is an amusing and catchy song that uses playful humor and clever wordplay to portray a colorful character full of charisma and unpredictability. The song was a massive commercial hit and has since become a classic that is still played on the radio today.
Line by Line Meaning
Well the South side of Chicago
The South side of Chicago is known for being dangerous
Is the baddest part of town
It's the most dangerous part of town
And if you go down there
If you visit the South side of Chicago
You better just beware
Be cautious and vigilant
Of a man named Leroy Brown
Beware of Leroy Brown
Now Leroy more than trouble
Leroy is more than just a problematic person
You see he stand about six foot four
Leroy is very tall, around six feet and four inches tall
All those downtown ladies call him "Treetop Lover"
Women in downtown Chicago refer to him as "Treetop Lover" because of his height
All the men just call him "Sir"
Men call him "Sir" out of respect or in fear
And it's bad, bad Leroy Brown
Leroy Brown is a really dangerous person
The baddest man in the whole damned town
The most dangerous person in the town
Badder than old King Kong
More dangerous than King Kong, who is also known for being violent and destructive
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Even more cruel and vicious than a stray dog in a junkyard
Now Leroy he a gambler
Leroy likes to gamble
And he like his fancy clothes
Leroy likes to wear expensive clothing
And he like to wave his diamond rings
Leroy likes to show off his expensive diamond rings
In front of everybody's nose
In front of everyone he meets
He got a custom Continental
Leroy has a custom-made Lincoln Continental car
He got a Eldorado too
He also has a Cadillac Eldorado car
He got a thirty two gun in his pocket for fun
Leroy carries a .32 caliber gun around for fun, showing how dangerous he is
He got a razor in his shoe
Leroy also carries a razor blade in his shoe, suggesting that he has violent tendencies
Well Friday 'bout a week ago
About a week ago, on a Friday
Leroy shootin' dice
Leroy is playing a gambling game called craps
And at the edge of the bar
In a bar they were in
Sat a girl named a Doris
A woman named Doris was sitting there
And ooh that girl looked nice
He found Doris attractive
Well he cast his eyes upon her
Leroy looked at her with desire
And the trouble soon began
This caused issues and conflict to occur
And Leroy Brown he learned a lesson
Leroy learned a valuable lesson
'Bout messin' with the wife of a jealous man
Do not mess with the wife of a possessive and jealous man, as it can lead to trouble
Well the two men took to fighting
The two men got into a physical altercation
And when they pulled them from the floor
When they separated the two men from fighting
Leroy looked like a jigsaw puzzle
Leroy was badly injured and his face was swollen and cut up
With a couple of pieces gone
Some parts of his face were missing or damaged
Yeah, he was badder than old King Kong
He was even more dangerous and destructive than King Kong
Meaner than a junkyard dog
Leroy was even more vicious and cruel than the animals living in junkyards
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: James Croce
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Cuenca
on Operator
I like this song!