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."
New York's Not My Home
Jim Croce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And all my thoughts were cloudy
And I had begun to doubt all the things that were me
Been in so many places
You know I've run so many races
And looked into the empty faces of the people of the night
And something is just not right
'Cause I know that I gotta get out of here
I'm so alone
Don't you know that I gotta get out of here
'Cause, New York's not my home
Though all the streets are crowded
There's something strange about it
I lived there about a year and I never once felt at home
I thought I'd make the big time
I learned a lot of lessons awful quick
And now I'm telling you
That they were not the nice kind
And it's been so long since I have felt fine
That's the reason that I gotta get out of here
I'm so alone
Don't you know that I gotta get out of here
'Cause New York's not my home
That's the reason that I gotta get out of here
I'm so alone
Don't you know that I gotta get out of here
'Cause New York's not my home
In Jim Croce's song "New York's Not My Home," he sings about feeling out of place in the bustling city despite his aspirations of making it there. He describes a sense of disconnection from himself and the people around him, as if he doesn't belong in the place that he thought could make his dreams come true. The lyrics paint a picture of a man who has traveled and achieved some success, but is ultimately feeling lost and disillusioned.
Croce uses vivid imagery to depict his sense of disorientation such as "things were spinning round me," and "all my thoughts were cloudy." He observes the "empty faces of the people of the night" that populate the streets of New York, suggesting that despite the city's energy, there is still a vacancy that he cannot fill. These experiences lead him to a realization that he "gotta get out of here" because "New York's not my home."
The lyrics also hint at the harsh realities of striving for success in a big city, such as "I learned a lot of lessons awful quick, and now I'm telling you that they were not the nice kind." Croce's song speaks to those who have felt the pressure of chasing dreams in a place that doesn't quite feel right, and the struggle to find where they truly belong.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, things were spinning round me
Everything was happening so quickly that it was hard to keep up.
And all my thoughts were cloudy
He couldn't think straight or make sense of anything.
And I had begun to doubt all the things that were me
He was questioning who he was as a person and what his purpose was.
Been in so many places
He's traveled to multiple locations in the past.
You know I've run so many races
He's had many different experiences in his life.
And looked into the empty faces of the people of the night
He's seen the sadness and emptiness behind many people's faces at night.
And something is just not right
He feels that something is wrong or missing.
'Cause I know that I gotta get out of here
He's realized that he needs to leave the current situation.
I'm so alone
He's feeling very lonely.
Don't you know that I gotta get out of here
He's emphasizing the importance of leaving.
'Cause, New York's not my home
He doesn't feel like he belongs in New York.
Though all the streets are crowded
Even though there are many people around.
There's something strange about it
He senses that there is something odd or uncomfortable about the situation.
I lived there about a year and I never once felt at home
He's lived there for quite some time and has never felt like it was where he belonged.
I thought I'd make the big time
He had aspirations of being successful and famous.
I learned a lot of lessons awful quick
He's gained knowledge and experience very rapidly.
And now I'm telling you
He's revealing his thoughts and feelings to someone.
That they were not the nice kind
The lessons he's learned were difficult or painful.
And it's been so long since I have felt fine
He's been unhappy for an extended period of time.
That's the reason that I gotta get out of here
He's reinforcing that it's crucial for him to leave.
Don't you know that I gotta get out of here
He's pleading with someone to understand the importance of his departure.
'Cause New York's not my home
He feels that he doesn't belong in New York.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ROBERT J. RITCHIE, JAMES J. CROCE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Cuenca
on Operator
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