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."
Chain Gang Medley
Jim Croce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
All day long they work so hard till the sun is goin' down
Working on the highways and byways and wearin', wearin' a frown
Hear them moanin' their lives away
Then you hear somebody say
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
He don't love you, like I love you
If he did he wouldn't break your heart
He don't love you, like I love you
He's trying to tear us apart
Gonna find her, I'm gonna find her, I'm gonna find her
Oh, if I have to climb a mountain, you know I will
And if I have to swim a river, you know I will
And I might find her hidin' up on Blueberry Hill
How am I gonna find her, child, you know I will
'Cause I'm goin' searchin'
I'm goin' searchin'
Searchin' everywhere
Just like some Northwest Mountie
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
All day long they work so hard till the sun is goin' down
Working on the highways and byways and wearin', wearin' a frown
Hear them moanin' their lives away
Then you hear somebody say
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
The first verse of Jim Croce's "Chain Gang Medley" describes the grueling labor of prisoners working on a chain gang. The repetition of "that's the sound of the men working on the chain gang" serves to reinforce the monotonous, oppressive nature of the work they do. These men are working "all day long" and "wearing a frown," indicating that this is not work that brings them joy or fulfillment. The line "hear them moanin' their lives away" suggests that this work is not only physically taxing but mentally and emotionally draining as well.
The second verse of "Chain Gang Medley" abruptly shifts to a love interest who is being pursued by someone who is not worthy of her. As the singer declares "he don't love you like I love you," the chain gang serves as a refrain, drawing a parallel between the emotional chains of a broken heart and the literal chains of the prisoners. The line "he's trying to tear us apart" conveys the idea that the love that the singer feels for this person is strong enough to create a bond that can withstand this other person's interference.
Overall, "Chain Gang Medley" is a song that touches on themes of oppression, hard work, heartbreak, and perseverance through adversity. The repetition of the chain gang refrain creates an almost hypnotic effect, emphasizing the cyclical nature of both the work and the singer's desire for his love interest.
Line by Line Meaning
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
This is what it sounds like when men are working on a chain gang, forced to do hard labor on highways and byways, resulting in them moaning their lives away while wearing a frown.
He don't love you, like I love you
If he did he wouldn't break your heart
He don't love you, like I love you
He's trying to tear us apart
A man is proclaiming his love for a woman, insisting that her current partner does not care for her the way he does and is intentionally causing problems between them.
Gonna find her, I'm gonna find her, I'm gonna find her
Oh, if I have to climb a mountain, you know I will
And if I have to swim a river, you know I will
And I might find her hidin' up on Blueberry Hill
How am I gonna find her, child, you know I will
'Cause I'm goin' searchin'
I'm goin' searchin'
Searchin' everywhere
Just like some Northwest Mountie
The same man is determined to find the woman he loves, willing to go to great lengths such as climbing mountains or swimming rivers, and will relentlessly search until he finds her, comparing himself to a Northwest Mountie.
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
All day long they work so hard till the sun is goin' down
Working on the highways and byways and wearin', wearin' a frown
Hear them moanin' their lives away
Then you hear somebody say
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
Repeating the earlier verse to emphasize the sounds and struggles of the men forced to work on the chain gang.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@danarsenault4069
Starting out listening to him on my 8 tracks and still have all the original vinyls. He is a deceptively complex musician, the best in my 70 yo book!
@JamesMiles619
My Pops was playing this when I was about 6-8 yrs old. I am now 26 and Croces music grows on me more and more...Thanks Dad
@johnoneill6957
I'm nearly twice your age and my old man did me the same favor. Thanks indeed.
@shannonchristine1426
Same EXACT story here 😂
@ronaldcarfoot4429
He left you a good legacy mate
@Ranger09048
👍👍👍👍
@jjdcowboysfan
I love Jim Croce's simple, laid back approach to music, no gimmicks, no facades just his acoustic with beautiful heartful lyrics. I hope the younger generation can see his gift and legacy he has left on music.
@brianbondy5667
I was born in 1984 for the past 3 years he has been my most listened to artist on Spotify. I love how his songs tell a story.He is the greatest story teller in music history!
@That_AMC_Guy
@@brianbondy5667 Interesting part is that many of Jim's songs were written about people he met or knew through his time tending bar. I wish Ingrid would loosen her death grip on Jim's catalog. He's almost become a non-entity today and people are beginning to forget his music.
@jgmdewilde8078
Yep...today,s music is a real heap....thrash...nothing else!