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."
Thursday
Jim Croce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And like a dream I knew
That what we had would have to end
'Cause I was looking for a life-time lover
And you were looking for a friend
Someone to be there
After all your nighttime lovers had gone
Someone who knew the way
To help you play
Your daytime game
It's not the same
Well, I started out pretending
That I ought to mean enough to you
To make you want to change
Then I came to realize
That there was just too much of you
You had to rearrange
And I couldn't bear to wait around
For all your nighttime lovers to go
The way they came
And it came to hurt too much for me
To have to play your daytime games
No one to blame
It started out just like a dream
And like a dream I knew
That what we had had to end
'Cause I was looking for a life-time lover
And you were looking for a friend
I was looking for a life-time lover
And you were looking for a friend
The lyrics of Jim Croce's song "Thursday" present a poignant reflection on the inevitable end of a romantic relationship. The song is written from the perspective of someone who is looking for a committed, lifetime partner, while their lover is simply seeking a friend. From the beginning, the singer knew that the relationship was destined to end because their needs and desires were too different.
The lyrics describe how the singer initially tried to convince themselves that they were enough for their lover to change, but ultimately realized that it was impossible for their lover to change who they were. The singer also expresses the hurt they felt from having to witness their lover's seemingly endless string of nighttime lovers, knowing that they were just another daytime game to play. Ultimately, the singer couldn't bear to wait around any longer and had to end the relationship.
The song's melancholic melody and thoughtful lyrics continue to resonate with audiences over four decades after its release in 1973. The specificity of the day of the week mentioned in the title arguably adds to the song's appeal, lending it a sense of temporal specificity that is further enhanced by Croce's poignant voice.
Line by Line Meaning
Well it started out just like a dream
The beginning of our relationship felt too good to be true, similar to a dream.
And like a dream I knew
I had a feeling deep down that the relationship would end.
That what we had would have to end
Our incompatible desires for a lifetime lover and a friend lead to the inevitable end of our relationship.
'Cause I was looking for a life-time lover
I wanted a partner to spend a lifetime with, someone who would commit to me fully.
And you were looking for a friend
You wanted a romantic relationship without the expectation of a long-term commitment.
Someone to be there
You wanted someone you could rely on and be there for you.
After all your nighttime lovers had gone
You sought comfort in someone who would be there after your short-term romantic flings ended.
The way they came
Your nighttime lovers came and went quickly.
Someone who knew the way
You wanted someone who knew how to navigate your emotional complexities.
To help you play
You wanted someone to help you navigate your relationships.
Your daytime game
You wanted someone to help you in the non-romantic parts of your life.
It's not the same
It's not enough to just have someone be there and help you out, without a deeper romantic commitment.
Well, I started out pretending
I initially pretended that I was okay with just being a friend to you.
That I ought to mean enough to you
I hoped that I mattered enough to you that you would consider being in a long-term relationship with me.
To make you want to change
I hoped that you would change your desires and want a long-term relationship with me.
Then I came to realize
Eventually, I realized that my hopes were unrealistic.
That there was just too much of you
Your desires for a non-committal relationship were too strong for you to change.
You had to rearrange
In order to be in a long-term relationship with me, you would have had to rearrange your priorities and desires.
And I couldn't bear to wait around
I couldn't tolerate waiting for you to change your desires.
For all your nighttime lovers to go
I couldn't wait around for all your short-term romantic flings to end.
And it came to hurt too much for me
The emotional pain of waiting for you to change was too much for me to handle.
To have to play your daytime games
I couldn't handle being there for you without a deeper romantic commitment.
No one to blame
No one is at fault for our incompatible desires for a relationship.
I was looking for a life-time lover
Throughout the relationship, I wanted a partner to spend a lifetime with, not just a temporary fling.
And you were looking for a friend
Throughout the relationship, you wanted a romantic relationship without the expectation of a long-term commitment.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOROTHY SACHS, IRVIN GRAHAM, LOUIS HABER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@perpetual61
LYRICS:
Well it started out just like a dream
And like a dream I knew that what we had,
Would have to end
'Cause I was lookin' for a,
Lifetime lover and,
You were lookin' for a friend
Someone to be there
After all your night time lovers had gone,
The way they came
Someone who knew the way
And helped to play your daytime game
It's not the same
Well I started out pretending that I'd,
Come to mean enough to you to make,
You want to change
Then I came to realize that
There was just too much of you you'd have,
To rearrange
And I couldn't bear to wait around
For all your night time lovers to go,
The way they came
And it came to hurt too much for me
To have to play your daytime games
No one's to blame
Well it started out just like a dream
And like a dream I knew that what we had,
Would have to end
'Cause I was lookin' for a,
Lifetime lover and,
You were lookin' for a friend
I was lookin' for a,
Lifetime lover and,
You were lookin' for a friend
@tolits18vlog62
"Thursday"
Well it started out just like a dream
And like a dream I knew that what we had,
Would have to end
Cuz I was lookin' for a,
Lifetime lover and,
You were lookin' for a friend
Someone to be there
After all your night time lovers had gone,
The way they came
Someone who knew the way
And helped to play your daytime game
It's not the same
Well I started out pretending that I'd,
Come to mean enough to you to make,
You want to change
Then I came to realize that
There was just too much of you you'd have,
To rearrange
And I couldn't bear to wait around
For all your night time lovers to go,
The way they came
And it came to hurt too much for me
To have to play your daytime games
No one's to blame
Well it started out just like a dream
And like a dream I knew that what we had,
Would have to end
Cuz I was lookin' for a,
Lifetime lover and,
You were lookin' for a friend
I was lookin' for a,
Lifetime lover and,
You were lookin' for a friend
@mudwater9140
Been awhile since I heard this song, was one of my favorites by Jim Croce. It's funny because for the last few years I have felt lost and alone, but hearing this reminded me of who I am. I am part of Jim Croce, he had such a strong impact on my life. Hearing this and another song called "Age" is like a shot in the arm, because I believe I just found myself again. I Got A Name...
@lanettes9609
Age is my other favorite Jim Croce song.
@joycehoward5193
Same here my friend;Do not give up we must listen to that tiny voice
@jimrauh3584
Oooh "Age" good reminder, good call.
@lockedin60
I don't think you can listen to any of Jim's music and not be impacted by his words or his music. His music has captured my soul the last 51 years. I know there are others who have had as big of an influence and some have left us way to soon. Anniversaries always gives me pause for a time of reflection or the death of another influence. Come September 20 it will be 50 years since Jim's plane ran into that pecan tree. Plus we lost another great singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot May 1
@Henry-qn7pt
Ive felt lost for long time too - wishing you well and stay strong!
@dane4
this song is ridiculously underrated
@simonfraize7515
I totally agree. I m french. In France i Never ses somebody listen, know Who is this artist... it make me crazy
@cynthianolder3557
YeS!!
@rjn6953
So achingly sad and exquisitely beautiful at the same time. My fav song by Jim Croce!