“If you could save time in a bottle, the first thing that I’d like to do is to save every day till eternity passes away, just to spend them with you.” Jim Croce sang these words and tried to gather everything for his beloved little family. Then, everything, as fragile as Jim’s way of singing “Time In A Bottle,” shattered like a bubble in a terrifying moment…
“Time In A Bottle” unfortunately took the position of “the last hit in Jim Croce’s career.” Still a love song in Jim Croce’s forest of intense love, beautiful yet “bleeding.”
If time could be kept…
Almost all of Jim Croce’s love songs were written based on inspiration from his wife, Ingrid Croce. “Time In A Bottle” was no exception. The song was born when Jim learned that his wife had “good news” – their only child. Ingrid recalled that Jim looked “both panicked and delighted” at the time. That was in December 1970.
Jim Croce was not good at expressing feelings in words. When he had important emotions to express, he would put them all into melodies, as always. “Time In A Bottle” can be seen as a thank you from Jim to his wife, who had been by his side for six years and was about to give birth to his child.
On the evening he heard the news, Jim was alone in the kitchen with his guitar. “If I could save time in a bottle. The first thing that I’d like to do is to save every day till eternity passes away, just to spend them with you.” All the mixed emotions, joy, happiness, and worry, boiled down to only that overflowing love. They had been together for six years, and Jim still unceasingly praised his life’s happiness.
But their love was not a flawless fairy tale. In her autobiography “I Got A Name,” Ingrid Croce did not hesitate to mention the biggest stain in their relationship, which caused her to bear an unprovoked complex and Jim to experience a chaotic rage.
During her studies in Mexico, Ingrid was raped. “After the incident, I thought the way he felt about us two was completely destroyed. It was difficult for him, difficult for me too. Such an incident at that time was always blamed on women, no matter what happened. For Jim, I know it was a feeling of anger that he didn’t really understand why,” Ingrid wrote in her memoir.
Then the shadow of the past gradually faded, and the upcoming child brought a new turning point to their relationship. Having a child, while Ingrid had to stop singing after giving birth and only maintained writing, the financial burden forced Jim Croce to be more responsible. Initially, he turned to outside jobs such as truck driving and teaching guitar to have time with his family. But once again, he was determined to pursue music after meeting his “soulmate,” guitarist Maury Muehleisen.
However, this was indeed a double-edged sword. The work vortex dragged Jim away from home for months with a meager income (only about $200 per week). The man who was already sparing of words was even more “exiled” by pressure.
The final love song
“Time In A Bottle” was not intended to be released as a single but only as a track on the album “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim,” released in 1972.
The song was also used in the film “She Lives,” which aired on December 12, 1973, telling the story of a woman fighting cancer.
With a folk-rock vibe and catchy chord progressions, “Time In A Bottle” is still beautiful, from melody to lyrics, like many other love songs that Jim Croce has sung to couples. It shines with beauty from a distant illusion, lingering in Jim’s deep voice. A place where there is a magic that can hold time, which in reality, Jim Croce was powerless against.
In September 1973, the plane carrying Jim Croce and Maury Muehleisen crashed in Louisiana (USA). No one survived. The tragedy buried two musical talents at their peak and took away the father of a child about to celebrate his second birthday just one week later.
After the sudden and tragic death of Jim Croce and Maury Muehleisen, listening volume increased dramatically, and so did the demand for a single. Officially, in November 1973, “Time In A Bottle” was re-released as a single. Less than a month later, the song topped the Billboard chart, holding steady for two weeks.
It is also impossible not to mention the role of Maury Muehleisen, whose guitar supported Jim Croce’s melodies, covering Jim’s lyrics with a mesmerizing light. No one understood Jim Croce’s music like Maury. Jim Croce’s music career can be said to have turned a new page since he met Maury.
Terry Cashman, Croce’s producer, commented: “Jim and Maury came together, and suddenly Jim wrote great songs, and Maury composed enchanting guitar melodies. With just two guitars, they were like a symphony orchestra.”
But unfortunately, neither Jim Croce nor Maury Muehleisen lived to witness such praise.
Barbara Desetto