Walking home from work, I heard a soup vendor playing Jim Croce’s “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”. It took me back to when I was a kid listening to the song on either cassette or vinyl record. It’s just impossible not to feel perked up listening to that song.
And so I went to YouTube and found some of it. And I went to Wikipedia to learn about how he died. I learned from my mother when I was little that Jim was no longer alive, and had died suddenly. It was a plane crash that did it, one day before his 3rd (and very successful album) was released. On it were these songs:
“I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song”
- The No. 1 single, “Time In a Bottle”
It makes me wonder what could have been written if only he’d had more than 30 years on earth.
@hotmail.com
![[EFC Blue Ribbon - Free Speech Online]](http://www.efc.ca/images/efcfreet.gif)
Joseph | 08-May-08 at 8:50 am | Permalink
Thanks for the post. we must be about the same age . . . my memories of his songs, hearing them when I was little, and hearing he had died are similar. I think his songs are among the first adult songs I recall thinking, as a young child, were “nice” ones.
Being that young then and older now than he was when he died is sobering and makes you realize how fortunate my life has been and how much of a loss his family experienced.
Thank goodness for his son, who had his own troubles, has the song to remember him by. And hope he can actually see the video for “Time in a Bottle,” which is all about how much his father loved him and his mother. Talk about having the foresight to tell people you love them while you can.
Anyway, thanks for a great post on realizing the important things in life.
Joseph | 08-May-08 at 3:45 pm | Permalink
Thought you might be interested in this link - http://www.classicbands.com/IngridCroceInterview.html
Even at work I kept thinking on your post today, and came across this over lunch. Good interview with his widowed wife. Talks about Jim, her own life now. Great insights, very good interview.
huffb1 | 08-May-08 at 5:17 pm | Permalink
Wonderful post. I always liked the song Bad, Bad Leroy Brown as a kid.
Saskboy | 08-May-08 at 11:11 pm | Permalink
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_sAunLs4sw&NR=1
Thanks for the link Joseph.
Thanks Huffb1. I was thinking about the post later today. I tried to find a CD of his in the library, but they didn’t have most of them :-(