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Song of the Day #5,745: ‘Bad, Bad Leroy Brown’ – Jim Croce

Jim Croce released his fourth album, Life and Times, in July of 1973. The record was split pretty evenly between sentimental love songs and rollicking tracks about colorful characters inspired by people he’d met on the road.

Among the latter were ‘Roller Derby Queen’ and ‘Speedball Trucker,’ but the one that caught fire was ‘Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.’ The song became Croce’s first #1 hit and was nominated for two Grammys, including Record of the Year. Based on a friend Croce met during a brief stint in the National Guard, the song had a similar structure to his early hit ‘You Don’t Mess Around With Jim,’ in which the tough-guy protagonist is ultimately humbled.

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Song of the Day #5,744: ‘New York’s Not My Home’ – Jim Croce

After moving back to Pennsylvania with his wife Ingrid, Jim Croce met fellow singer-songwriter Maury Muehleisen, a professional affiliation that would have a profound effect on his career.

Croce joined Muehleisen’s gigs as a second guitarist and took some cues for his own songwriting by supporting his friend’s. Muehleisen ended up returning the favor and became a staple on Croce’s albums and a key part of his touring band. Every Jim Croce song I know well post-dates his partnership with Muehleisen.

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Song of the Day #5,743: ‘Another Day, Another Town’ – Jim & Ingrid Croce

After receiving positive feedback on his debut album, Jim Croce hit the road with wife Ingrid, playing folk covers as a duo across the northeast. They also wrote a batch of their own songs and recorded demos that were eventually attached to Jim’s posthumous releases.

The pair’s one official release was 1969’s Jim & Ingrid Croce, a collection of 11 folk songs, all but two of which were originals. This record is a step up from Croce’s debut, production-wise, and it’s a treat to hear his early compositions.

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Song of the Day #5,742: ‘Texas Rodeo’ – Jim Croce

The deep dives I’ve done so far have covered artists with long careers and extensive catalogs. This one is different.

Earlier this year, a Throwback Weekend post about Jim Croce’s ‘Time in a Bottle’ got me thinking that I’m not very familiar with the singer-songwriter’s footprint outside of a handful of hits. And given that his whole recording career spans just five albums, that’s easily remedied. So this week I’ll feature a song from each of those releases.

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Song of the Day #5,741: ‘Dawn (Go Away)’ – The Four Seasons

The week of March 21, 1964, saw The Beatles dominating the top of the Billboard Hot 100. ‘She Loves You‘ and ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand‘ occupied the #1 and #2 spots, respectively, and a re-release of ‘Please Please Me‘ — which had bombed in the U.S. a year earlier — made it to #3.

In the #4 slot that week was ‘Dawn (Go Away)’ by The Four Seasons, a song that peaked at #3 during a six-week stint in the top ten. During that span, it was never topped by anything but a Beatles song.

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