Tears streaming as I listen to your commentary. Knowing that you have recognized our brother Maury’s musical talent is heartwarming. It’s 49 years now and the memories are like an unbelievable yesterday. Thank you for remembering and honoring their lives.

@lee.suabedissen2156

Жыл бұрын

Well said! This is a wonderful video and tribute. This is one of my favorites.

@dell5gibson

Жыл бұрын

I am so sorry for yours, and all of our loss with your brother’s passing. He has been an influence to many. I recall being enthralled as a kid watching him play with Jim on a Midnight Special. God Bless.

@63002

Жыл бұрын

@@lw216316 practice extreme skill talent and a touch of magic...

@jerroldshelton9367

Жыл бұрын

I'm sure I'm just one of billions on the planet who feel this way, but here it goes....... Your brother is the reason I took up the guitar in 1980 and have been playing it ever since. I saw him play an Ovation Balladeer guitar on T.V. when I was a boy and so, when I was 15, I was beyond happy when there was a guitar just like the one your brother played on that program under the Christmas Tree. He was, is, and ALWAYS will be my personal "guitar hero." I could say he was an "inspiration" and still is, but "inspiration" seems so inadequate in describing what your brother's music meant to me, still means to me, and will always mean to me. I listen to "Gingerbreadd" and it sounds just as awesome and just as fresh fifty years on as it did when I first heard it as a seven year old kid.

@pattihawks353

Жыл бұрын

God bless you and the families of these artists! They gave voice to our emotions and helped form our youth! Still brings back pain of years gone by, but there was euphoria in the mix, as well! 💞💕💖

I have been a trucker for 50 years. The day Croce died I was delivering a load of beef in LaSalle St in downtown Chicago. I was a big fan of his music. While tuning to WLS one of Croce's songs had just ended when the DJ announced that he had died. Then Operator came on... I was so sad. I had sung along with his songs, played on my 8 track, for 100,000 miles or more. The world is always a little better when I hear his music. Thank you Rick. Thank you ( and I love you) Mary.

@DanielinLaTuna

Жыл бұрын

What’s an eight track

@philhofland5501

Жыл бұрын

@@DanielinLaTuna Its the venue where real music met real cars. If you were not present to see it in person there is no way to explain it. I was very young but the shift that occurred when 8 track went into the muscle cars is like no other phenomenon known to man. The synergism present when that occurred is what put the word synergism into the dictionary..... And lexicon.

@WeTubule

Жыл бұрын

Croce's lyrics and his untimely death are both sad. But the reminder of the horrific 8-track format is what's bringing tears to my eyes now.

@CedricSatterfield

Жыл бұрын

WLS!! Love it! I grew up in Aurora in the realty 80s and WLS was one of the only stations I could get on my battery powered radio that hung on my bedpost.

@nevaladder

Жыл бұрын

I bet you loved his trucker songs. 💜

I too was crying through the entire commentary. Before Jim Croce ever recorded, I was a friend of his and his wife, Ingrid's. I was 5 or so years younger, a folk guitar accompanist (I still play at 75) and part of a group who used to meet at Jim's old white farmhouse near Lindell (IIRC), in the western exurbs of Philadelphia around 1970. We'd sit around on the lawn drinking beer, playing guitars, singing traditional songs & some of Jim & Ingrid's earliest works (see his album "Jim & Ingrid Croce" from the late '60s for these) & having the time of our lives. Everybody could see that, if he ever got his break, Jim was going to be something extra special in the folk world. The songs that he had already written were among the best I've ever heard with "Operator (That's Not the Way it Feels)" in the #1 position ("Operator" was officially listed as written in 1972, but Jim recorded it on singles as early as the mid-60s). I have always loved the way Jim & Maury blended their guitar styles to the point where 1 + 1 was so much greater than 2. They combined to blend all of the best of Martin guitars' low & high ranges. I'd love to see you analyze "Time in a Bottle" (which reached #1 on the charts posthumously), another song I simply can't listen to without crying. Play it all the way through before you start to dissect it for its full effect. The thought of all that Jim and Maury missed in life that should have been their time to shine to the world is tragic. It is always crushing to lose a friend, but to see Jim & his brilliance, along with Maury's, which sadly passed almost unnoticed outside of the musician world) resurrected 5 decades later is a remarkable synthesis of Joy and Sadness. Thank you for rediscovering Jim's "Operator," one of the all-time most moving songs I've ever heard. Perhaps the perfect song. BTW, not only did Ingrid perform herself for a number of years before opening her restaurant in California, but Jim's son, A. J. does remarkable covers of his father's songs.

@dlbstl

3 ай бұрын

Wow! Thank you for this remembrance. He was a blessing, and I bet you were a blessing and light in his life too.

@Sabe53

2 ай бұрын

This song hits home with me so hard. Had same experience when I was in my teens, twenties. I'm 70 now and still miss her SO MUCH!

@robertocosta7736

2 ай бұрын

Que privilégio ter sido amigo dele ! Naquela época não existia internet, por isso demorei anos para conhecer o rosto do cantor que com sua música embalou o meu e milhares de corações no mundo. Tenho essa música no pendrive do meu carro. Ouço sempre. Brasil !

@kevintaal4616

2 ай бұрын

What a privilege to have been their friend! ❤

@nharry9763

Ай бұрын

I love the Jim and Ingrid album…’Age’ is my favorite

I'm 78 years old, and a former telephone and directory assistance operator, mostly all-night shift. Loved it! Every time I hear this song, he is singing to me! I can so relate to this! ♥ Such a classic and clever song!

@helmutsecke3529

9 ай бұрын

Mum were an old school Lily Tomlin type telephone operator ... 😢

@mhsewbiz

9 ай бұрын

@@helmutsecke3529 I started out on cord board, loved it!

@aliciawilson9799

9 ай бұрын

Great video of a great song of maybe the best singer/songwriter the Bossman, Jim Croce. I really like "I Got A Name" but I don't think Croce wrote that one. Although he certainly made it his when he sang it. TY so much for this video

@rickyrudd28texacohavolinef2

9 ай бұрын

My mom is 75 & was a long distance operator back in the late sixties. She said dudes would ask her out on dates. She always turned them down. She was already married to my dad at the time. Lol

@brianeastman3547

8 ай бұрын

Keep up the good spirits ✨ man, Rest in Peace Jim Croce

I'm 33, and have never used a payphone and this song is still more relatable than 99% of what gets written these days.

@butlerdawgs78

Жыл бұрын

@@A.L.75 I'm 32 and we were definitely born at an interesting time. Had some exposure to the "pre tech" era when I was younger, didn't have my first cell phone until I was 15 either. There was a pay phone at the bowling alley, etc. We pranked some poor guy named Frank Moscow we found in the phone book relentlessly lol. Another song I'll throw into the ring is "Callin Baton Rouge" by Garth Brooks... also payphone related haha

@FlashCadallic

Жыл бұрын

I can still hear the cling cling sound when you drop a dime in.

@TedBilk

Жыл бұрын

music is relatable its just not relateable to you anymore

@savvymegs675

Жыл бұрын

Damn. 33 also haven't?? 37 and I guess I really was born on a cusp!

@420Gold

Жыл бұрын

I’m 32 and remember using a pay phone a few times as a kid. I think it was quarters by that time though, not dimes. There’s actually an old, completely broken and disconnected pay phone right next to my apartment lol

I saw his son in concert last year and he explained where this song came from. His father was in the army stationed at Fort Dix, and when the soldiers had free time, they'd line up at the only pay phone on base to wait their turn to call home to talk to their girls. While he waited for his turn, he heard one side of tragedies playing out before his eyes as soldier's girls moved on while they were away. As a song writer, he realized it was pure gold.

@hatdrummer

Жыл бұрын

I believe his son became a jazz pianist and he and his mom, Jim's widow had a Jazz Club in the gas light district of San Diego.. I want there once.. I just stopped in.. But when you saw his son, did he play his dad's version, his own? A jazz version? Was he at the piano?

@katjayurschak7039

Жыл бұрын

I think that story also appeared in VH1's "Behind the Music" episode on Jim back in the 90s. The other things I remember being mentioned there was that the "You can keep the dime" comment was a little bit of dark humor being thrown in - after all, the operator doesn't personally get the dime nor is the phone going to return it after the connection was made!

@TimTheMusicMan

Жыл бұрын

What make guitar is Rick playing ?

@392HEMI32

Жыл бұрын

Yep … I saw AJ Croce last month … and he told the same story about the origin of his father’s “Operator”

@cyc4usa706

Жыл бұрын

@@TimTheMusicMan Gibson

There was no Jim without Maury. Great song writer, great guitar backing. Outstanding time to grow up.

@shldnfr

8 ай бұрын

What a great team they made.

@sharongaskell

7 ай бұрын

We were so lucky

@whiplash_pants

7 ай бұрын

Im so envious of those who experienced this magnificent team while it was happening. Tears, chills, laughs …all the emotions come through on their songs

@Jalleur14325

4 ай бұрын

Yes indeed, I think magic with music almost always happens with the chemistry of two souls connecting

@The1rockerman

3 ай бұрын

I respectfully disagree....Jim actually used to back up Maury in his band when he first started out, and although they were a team, Jim was the star. I've often said if that plane had not gone down, people today would be saying "Simon and WHO?" God speed my friend.

This song has always murdered me. Croce was able to communicate what the rest of us can only feel. Brilliant.

Rick I hate to admit it … but every single time this masterpiece of a tune comes on … someone starts chopping onions 🥲

@snap403

Жыл бұрын

They’re chopping in my house also.

@marksc1929

Жыл бұрын

@@snap403 😰

@thomastimlin1724

Жыл бұрын

HAHA...great way to put that. that goes for any tear jerker Croce wrote, like Time in a Bottle, Photographs and Memories...they take you to a different place and time, like when my parents and younger brother and I were altogether and alive. I am the last one left of that family. Croce's music transcends just the lost lover routine....

@snap403

Жыл бұрын

@@thomastimlin1724 Agreed, his songs remind me of family, trips in old cars in northern Michigan and both good and sad times. Love his music.

@marksc1929

Жыл бұрын

@@snap403 that’s great .. My homes in the south.. but it seems we all have the same things going on , ultimately .

i’m a 17 year old girl and i’ve had a strong emotional connection to Jim Croce’s music ever since last year. he’s gotten me through hard times 🤍 young people can totally connect to older music although the lyrics may describe a world we can’t fully relate to, the emotions held in the music transcends the barriers :)

@theghosttourmusic7156

Жыл бұрын

Your post gives me hope for the future!

@RowlandGosling

Жыл бұрын

So glad you posted this! Yes! It doesn't matter what age you are, pain is pain and his music is timeless.

@leonardodalongisland

Жыл бұрын

GREAT to know someone your age knows about and likes anything from times before you arrived on this planet. Keep up the good work.

@SterlingJames

Жыл бұрын

I’m a Gen Xr and it’s refreshing to hear such a young person enjoy a timeless classic. And, thank you Rick/Mary.

@SyntagmaStation

Жыл бұрын

❤

10:28 the depth of the singer’s tragedy is revealed in the line, “I think about a love that I thought would save me.” Thus, rather than overcoming the blow, he is interminably devastated by the loss of someone who was to be his savior. The upbeat melody aligns with the facade of recovery found in the lyric. This facade and its aligned melody make the listener’s discovery of the real meaning, all the more jolting. The song is a masterpiece.

@georgebeierberkeley

5 ай бұрын

You took the thoughts right of my head. He’s still holding on, thinking of the life that could have been. A falsely cheery melody masking his pain.

@garyneilson3075

18 күн бұрын

Yes!

Jim is just like a shooting star. A short burst of amazing that left us wanting for more.

@anniejacs5750

6 ай бұрын

Love this.

@kathywolf3575

2 ай бұрын

Wow, that encapsulates it.

I played this song for a 19 year old co-worker (I’m 63) and he was just amazed at the lyrics. He said not only was Jim Croce a great storyteller, he transported you into the role of the person in the song, that you were living the experience and feeling the emotions. I knew he truly got it.

@robertbetz8461

Жыл бұрын

Memphis by Chuck Berry is another great operator story song.

@Thomas-pq4ys

Жыл бұрын

Most good music has story lyrics... a lost craft....

The really poetic thing about this song is how the "operator" is the only one who hears his struggle between sadness and acceptance. In the face of the operator's absolute stoicism he forgoes his effort to reach out, his tenuous acceptance yields to his profound sadness. It's as if he's speaking to the Oracle at Delphi, to whom he leaves his dime offering. Maury's upper register embellishments make the melody.

@marieroberts5458

Жыл бұрын

Ok, I just have to hand it to you. ... "Oracle at Delphi" is just brilliant! A perfect summation.

@brunojaysutter

Жыл бұрын

Miles if I work for a Rolling Stone magazine, and needed a reviewer, I’d say you’re hired

@l.alexander4696

Жыл бұрын

Spot on

@imout671

Жыл бұрын

Dang, going all mike row on us

@jamie49868

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, it's sad that we can openly and expressively tell our feeling to strangers yet find it impossible to tell them to who they are meant for. Rejection is a bitch.

I’m 68 and you two have helped me appreciate this song even more than I have for the last 50 years. Your analysis took it to another level. Thank you.

@roadglideusmc

7 ай бұрын

Agree my brother. Shalom

Croce is one of my all time favorite song writers and he died 5 years before I was born. I grew up listening to him and Lightfoot and all these greats from that era. Just an amazing writer.

@rossmacdonald3880

8 ай бұрын

So glad you enjoy them both brilliant, Lightfoot just passed as you know buried not far from where I live. Croce just too young when he left is.

@rjszrama

7 ай бұрын

And then there is Chapin

@mytahiti1004

6 ай бұрын

They told great stories in their songs.

@BarrackObamna

5 ай бұрын

Nah dude hes not dead he’s in Cuba with Tupac and Epstein.

'Operator' is one of the greatest examples of storytelling in a song.

@rocconorth

Жыл бұрын

JIm Croce and Harry Chapin as well. Two great story-teller songwriters who died tragically in violent, accidental ways.

@jostauffer6637

Жыл бұрын

@@rocconorthAnd John Denver, although his body of work was more complete

@thewalkermuseum

13 күн бұрын

@@jostauffer6637 Love Denver, but many years ago, when I found out he didn't write "Country Roads," my perspective on him changed. Supposedly he had a hand in the bridge but the main song was already written.

Croce, in his very short career, set himself up next to the other great lyricists of the era like Gordon Lightfoot and Simon and Garfunkel. His ability to craft an environment and emotion succinctly and creatively was truly masterful.

@fornostios8970

Жыл бұрын

Don't forget Bob Dylan!

@bwat9365

Жыл бұрын

Wonderful description, your last sentence 👏🏿

@safal4823

Жыл бұрын

Try where do you go to my lovely by peter sarstedt.Its in my playlist just after this song and also same level of songwriting with mindblowing verse at last

@TimTim3000

Жыл бұрын

I would put J.D. Souther up there as well.

@kodykindhart5644

Жыл бұрын

That’s why they all call big Jim boss

I've listened to this song hundreds of times, but still every single time the "you can keep the dime..." line gives me the feels.

I’m 58 years old and just want to express the lyrical and musical talent we lost when we lost Jim and Maury was immense. Let’s hope people still appreciate them in 2023.

Jim Croce was such a phenomenal songwriter because he could make meaningful and deep emotional connections with the listener with conversational diction while being musically fluid yet deceptively complicated. I always recommend him to others in my generation (Millennials), hoping they will take the time to truly listen and appreciate his music.

@thesisypheanjournal1271

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, my daughter's like, "Check this song out, Mom!" She plays "Sweet But Psycho." I sigh and cue up Billy Joel's "Stiletto" and mutter, "The crap you kids listen to nowadays."

@Darkkfated

Жыл бұрын

This song and "I've Got a Name" give me goosebumps every time, no matter how much I listen to them. Just phenomenal lyricism.

@robertsmith4019

Жыл бұрын

The other thing about Croce's lyrics, is that the story they tell unfolds in such a way that the lyrics are easy to remember.

@mikegillettify

Жыл бұрын

I had a group of great friends in High School (graduated in 2005) and we all listened to 70s folk like Croce, Taylor, King, Cat Steven’s, Joni Mitchell, etc. The lyrics were just so… fantastic. Timeless even.

@matthewtayloryowieresearch1912

Жыл бұрын

Millennials & the current generation will neglect this 'old school' music at their peril, theoretical musical ignorance & no small emotional cost. Much of the greatest blues is from the 1920-30's, rock & R&B from 1955-2000 is at it's artistic apogee - the vast majority of work is superior to that of most music post 2000-2022. Just my 2cents; u rock Rick🤘& you're a livin' doll Miss Mary❣. Curmudgeonly guitarcheopteryx & guitarcheologist since '79. Oz.🪃

The genius of this song is the way the character reveals his feelings by the manner in which he denies those feelings. Croce isn't telling the listener how the guy feels, he's leaving the listener to figure it out, which is much more powerful. It's like overhearing someone else's heartbreaking phone call when you're not a party to the call.

@JSees

Жыл бұрын

Well said.

@kevjtx1

Жыл бұрын

Great take on this...his vocal melody with the guitar parts n then the lyrics....omg

@fredandersen9873

Жыл бұрын

Which is what it is. It's based on a phone call, he overheard, while he was in the Army Reserve.

@mos6507

Жыл бұрын

Which is the opposite of our reality-show tell don't show culture.

@elizabethparson3616

Жыл бұрын

Great insights!

Rick, even to this day when I hear the line, "I've overcome the blow, I've learned to take it well...," I get the chills! That line is sooo good!

Love this. The guy has lost his girlfriend and his best old ex-friend, and he's lonely. The only person available to talk to is the operator. So this song is about heartbreak, but it's also about the loneliness that follows from that. A beautiful song.

I was at his last concert at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Such a solid performance that night, the singing, guitar playing, harmony... all of it. He did "I got A Name" which was released the next day. Such a full life, productively, in such a short time span. One of a kind.

@NathanBentleyDance

Жыл бұрын

What a treasure of a memory, bless you!

@DanEdelen

Жыл бұрын

“I Got a Name” is one of those songs that can’t not make the listener feel better about life. It’s a pick-me-up when I’m down, because there is so much winsome joy in it. Sadly, it also reminds us of what we lost with Croce’s untimely death.

@john564holloway

Жыл бұрын

@@DanEdelen Said very well & precisely.

@thomastimlin1724

Жыл бұрын

@@DanEdelen Reminder....Jim Croce did not write I've Got a Name, but made it his own.

@billobrien5140

Жыл бұрын

I saw Jim Croce in Detroit in August [Pine Knob] and he died in October. I was young and saw him from the top of the hill.

There is more to this story. Jim's inspiration came from this time in the army in the 1960s. I served in the 80s and it was the same. There were pay phones near the barracks and soldiers would line up for their turn calling home to talk to their parents, wives, and girlfriends. That "old friend" Ray had the universal name of "Jody" among soldiers and he was the guy who would steal your girl while you were away. We even had cadences we sang while running and marching about what we would do to "Jody" when we got back home. Many times, the soldier found out during one of these not so private phone calls and the other soldiers in the line could hear enough to know that Jody has struck again. Any soldier who served before cell phones can identify with this part of military service. I recall an interview Croce gave where he explained all this as his inspiration for Operator.

"There's something in my eye... you know it happens every time I think about the love that I thought would save me" What a sad yet relatable line. Great analysis, Mary and Rick.

I absolutely love this song and Maury's guitar fills are so well done, it's timeless magic.

Few musicians who died tragically left as big a hole in music of an era as Croce. He was just getting started, just attracting fame, snd then he was gone. The loss is bigger than most of us realize. He was a quiet superstar and we were just beginning to come to grips with his genius. We were all enriched by his music, and all impoverished by his premature passing.

@johnpjonesch

Жыл бұрын

Well said

@karinberryman2009

Жыл бұрын

Our DJ’s were over-obsessed with their substance addicted music. They had no depth.

@kebby8251

Жыл бұрын

I can't agree more. We lost a genius. Life isn't fair.

@WoefulMinion

7 ай бұрын

It was even sadder than that. He had enough of traveling and was retiring from touring after a few more shows when he lost his life. He hoped to spend more time with his wife and son.

@willfrancescofini

7 ай бұрын

how did Jim Croce die?

This is probably one of the most underrated songs in history. The guitar parts are unbelievable and the story is so well told.

@J__C__

10 ай бұрын

And underrated is one of the most overused words in the music community. You can find people who think ANYONE is underrated. Doesn't matter who it is. Someone thinks they're underrated. You see it nonstop in the comments. They look just like yours. "so & so is sooo underrated" even though they're in the R&R Hall of Fame, they're on every Top 100 list, etc... For example, Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers Band. People constantly say he's underrated yet he's consistently considered one of the greatest guitarists that ever lived and even Duane Allman said Dickey was better than he was. Maybe in the 80s he was underrated but today, Dickey gets all of recognition he rightly deserves.

@cdub9416

10 ай бұрын

@@J__C__ Both are underrated

@ChristianSmith-zf9tv

9 ай бұрын

@@J__C__dicky was for sure not better than Duane, especially before he died. That was just him being humble

@michaelgorenflo5022

8 ай бұрын

​@@J__C__I get your point but objectively, Maury Muehleisen IS legitimately under-rated. In fact he's virtually unremembered and little known considering he was one of the smoothest guitarists ever to play in that style. He likely would be legendary today but for that tragedy.

@kathywolf3575

2 ай бұрын

I was a 22 year old Jim Croce fan, knew all the lyrics, sang the songs all the time. I don't think the song "Operator" was underrated. But I'm sure Maury was underrated by the vast majority of those singing along. I didn't even know who he was. Now I do. @@michaelgorenflo5022

This is such an awesome ‘story song’ from the ‘70’s. Love how concise and pointed and dense the lyrics are.

One of my all time favorite songs. I have sat and contemplated the lyrics to this song. His cadence and conversation with himself is unparalleled songwriting. Unsung hero of this song is Maury. Could listen to this a million times and never get sick of it.

So there are at least two people who appreciate this exceptional song as much as I do! My take on the lyrics has always been that he never intended to complete the call in the first place; he just wanted to pour his heart out to a disinterested party - one who wouldn't tell him where he went wrong or how he was better off without her, but someone who would just listen. Been there.

@donh4330

9 ай бұрын

Well said!

@leonardkurtz1383

9 ай бұрын

100% agree!

@rgc1961

9 ай бұрын

A great take on a great song!

@Siskos-pn7nd

9 ай бұрын

I like your take, Jim Croce was unique among songwriters and great guitar player, his sidekick complimented him as only he could. Great duo. I guess you have to be old to appreciate it, and experience some familiar emotion. I am proud to be a 77yo songwriter who admires other musicians.

@timpike1976

9 ай бұрын

@Siskos-pn7nd Yes sir. The music he left behind in his short career is a national treasure.

I love the way Mary slips in the vocal, in a seemingly casual way...and it's heaven.

@ralfklonowski3740

Жыл бұрын

So it is🥰

@davidanderson4091

Жыл бұрын

My goodness, I know its only tube quality audio, but I can really hear how smooth Mary's voice is.

@ralfklonowski3740

Жыл бұрын

@@davidanderson4091 Like warm almond oil.

@Inequities

Жыл бұрын

who does she sound like? her voice is magical

@alanclayton9277

Жыл бұрын

@@Inequities Good question, I don't know but she's a game changer.

66 years old and been listening to this song for years. It still gets me. Goosebumps and tears. What a song. Great respect for your analysis and the respect you show the music.

I was 14 years old when this more-than-beautiful song came out. I couldn't help but see my sweet mother's eyes tear up, & some facial tension appeared, too. ❤ In my naive youth, I remember thinking that the 'operator' and the man calling would actually get together, run off into the gorgeous sunset together, & live happily ever after. Yes. That is exactly what I had so hoped for. ❤

As a huge Croce fan, I need a cover album of his hits sung by Mary. Such a gorgeous voice for this material.

@ralex3697

Жыл бұрын

@@A.L.75 Go check him out, he was a brilliant talent. Died tragically in a plane crash.

@awboat

Жыл бұрын

@@A.L.75 There is a really good documentary about him floating around. Check it out. He is an amazing person.

@chrisbrown6544

Жыл бұрын

Agreed - Mary please think about doing a cover album of his songs 🙏

This is a major reason i don't listen to newer music. I want to hear songs that take me on a journey...or tells a story. We are over saturated with Beats. The older I get (44) the less I'm impressed by technical brilliance and the more i'm into the lasting memories. Mary Spender is a Treasure!

@noelgonzalez9549

Жыл бұрын

Nuff said. As a 49 yr old myself - 100,000% agree.

@pauldhoff

Жыл бұрын

Grace VanderWaal.

@mwfmtnman

Жыл бұрын

Just like the rest of our society has become, all flash, no substance

@pauldhoff

Жыл бұрын

@@mwfmtnman Grace VanderWaal

@lisaspikes4291

Жыл бұрын

Yes. And it’s something that practically everyone can relate to. We’ve all been dumped at one time or another. We know, deep down, that we’ll get over it eventually. But while it’s happening, it’s very devastating. It feels like nothing will ever be good again. Doesn’t it?

The 'live' version of "Operator" is stunning, so well played and sung. You must check out all his songs, they're brilliant.

I was in high school in the 70s and used up many a dime on a pay phone trying to get hold of my old crush who lived several miles away. For anyone who has gone through a relationship that went south, you can FEEL the emotion Jim Croce was able to put into song in such a great way!

Warning: Even after 30-40 years this song could make you cry... long after you have overcome the blow. Brilliant. A showcase example of what music can do to, and for us.

@bandbyoneMIDI

Жыл бұрын

Yes Sir, it never fails to bring that familiar tear.

@patrickbell5086

Жыл бұрын

Especially knowing Jim’s life was cut so tragically short…

@jjacoby1010

Жыл бұрын

Yes, and I've Got a Name and Time in a Bottle make me cry often as well

@gitaaa7740

Жыл бұрын

Do you think people 40 years from now will be lamenting over a Justin Bieber song? I don’t think so!

@vincentleone4021

Жыл бұрын

Close to 50 years actually 1972 so 50 years. Trying to make people 10 years younger

This song still makes me teary eyed, especially when he says, there’s something in my eyes. It’s a masterpiece, they don’t write them like this anymore. Jim Croce was a legend, what a tragic ending to a beautiful soul. Gut wrenching.

@jazztime7186

Жыл бұрын

Mary Spender in this video is wonderful, but when she said it was revolutionary for a man to be singing about having tears in his eyes in the 1970s, I thought "she hasn't listened to much George Jones music". And the telescoping of a whole story into 2-3 lines of a verse is something that happens in the best Nashville songwriting (as Rick of all people should know, having been a Nashville songwriter for a time). All that said, this is an exceptional song by Nashville or any standards, and Croce married that older style of story song lyric writing with a very contemporary folk-pop sound that sets him apart from the world of country songwriting.

@ZoydWheeler

Жыл бұрын

You know, it happens, every time

Listening to the album “Don’t Mess Around With Jim,” I’m struck with the fact that all the songs are between 2 and 3 minutes long! To pull heart strings in such compressed little songs is a testament to his refined writing ability. There’s a new high quality upload of Jim and Maury hosting Midnight Special- don’t miss it! The live sound is very clean and revealing.

@worldissuesmatter1643

6 ай бұрын

In those days, you had to make it fit about 2:30 if you wanted radio play, so the writers were really good at making a really emotional story fit that time.

@coldlakealta4043

5 ай бұрын

there's a lot of dispute, but the Animals' House of the Rising Sun seems to be near the top of the list of 3-minute format breakers@@worldissuesmatter1643

The joy on her face when singing along is awesome! That’s exactly how this music makes me feel! ❤❤❤

The fact that Croce could play this complicated song but sing it in such a way shows just how great of a musician he truly was.

@milamba

Жыл бұрын

He couldnt't play them - that was Maury.

@jp022x

Жыл бұрын

​@@milambaJim played all the rhythm parts. Maury's lead parts are fantastic but Jim's rhythm playing is great and can be complicated, especially in this song. Singing on top of it is impressive.

@zingzangspillip1

Жыл бұрын

@@milamba There is a really good live recording on KZread of Jim & Maury performing this song together. Jim is playing rhythm.

@deadpan80

Жыл бұрын

Jim was a pretty good player, but Maury does all the heavy lifting

@tommack9395

Жыл бұрын

It's actually the duo between him and Maury which fills out the song... many people don't realize when you have multiple instruments they're layering to create the entire piece of what a listener is hearing. That's not to take away from Jim but what you're listening to are two guys playing really well in-sync but different parts. You may write a good or even just a decent song... but how it's presented and performed may make it a great song. i.e. Paul McCartney once said George Harrison's fills, licks and solos were the icing on the cake in most all the early Beatle songs they'd recorded... iow when they went in with an idea - for a song - they're not really written down most are winged in off the cuff - just made up on the spot and fit in well. Like any conversation with someone you know really well, when playing with someone long enough and mesh well it's like you know where each other are going. In a nut-shell, To be a good musician it takes playing with good musicians to become good at it.

Jim could have won an academy award for his vocal performance on this song. His delivery is upbeat but no one is buying it, and that’s intentional. “I only wish my words could convince myself.” Is the theme here. He’s incredibly sad and acting upbeat. It is absolutely perfect. His “I’m okay” act gets less and less convincing as the song goes on. His voice takes on more agitation, and then finally sadness. I’ve never heard a more perfect lyrical interpretation and he made it sound effortless. Breathtaking.

He was a very good story teller, thats the reason for the many quick changes in chords, talking in melodies😊

I tear up everytime I hear this song. What a talent. Heaven must have a wonderful band.

One of the GREATEST songs ever written. Jim's writing & Maury's guitar was just incredible.

@BenMJay

Жыл бұрын

I liked his voice.

I’m 18 years old and he is my favorite artist by far. I love his whole discography from Facets to the home recordings album in 2003, a year i wasn’t even born in yet lol. My friends all poke fun because i listen to Jim Croce and Bread, but I couldn’t think of anything else I’d want to listen to more!

@jeffj318

Жыл бұрын

What a wonderful comment. My friends laughed at me when I played Bob Dylan's first album. You have good taste in music.

@shaun374

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

I attended A.J. Croce's concert last night. What a wonderful storyteller & entertainer he is. We all laughed, cried & sang along to the songs. It was a magical night. Extra appreciation for your video. LOVE

Such a brilliant song. Jim didn't live long enough to see how loved he was.

It’s almost like the guitar is the operator responding back through the melody. Amazing

@drewphelps1

11 ай бұрын

I have been imagining lyrics for the operator as responses in the guitar fills.

@jessejamesburnitt

10 ай бұрын

I always kind of felt this as well!

This is why I love this channel *SO MUCH!* You take apart songs that I've heard literally hundreds, if not thousands, of times, and make me see something new in them. Every. Single. Time. It's a gift, man. Really wonderful!

@WitchKing99

Жыл бұрын

And then there are people like me who love Rick's channel because we get introduced to awesome songs that we never heard before! :D

@fablenewsnetwork7223

Жыл бұрын

Absolutely 🥁🥁🥁

Rick Beato and Mary Spender, a songwriting tour de force. Rick discussing song structure and style, and Mary discussing the emotion invoked by lyrics and vocalization. They could teach a class… Outstanding content!

I would immediately purchase these two doing a complete studio remake of this song.

Jim deserves incredible accolades for his gift of word. Storytellers always got to me. The complexity that comes out of a few well placed words, open up a canvas for your own mind to paint. That's a rare gift. Just look at how Rick and Mary react. They know!

Jim Croce. Yes. I’m 63. We all had his three albums plus the hits package, “Photographs and Memories.” So talented. Brilliant. Even if we were rockers into the Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath… we were also fans of Croce.

@juliuswilliams4581

Жыл бұрын

So true Keith.👍

@guywerry6614

Жыл бұрын

Agreed. I'm a rural Canadian guy whose soundtrack was heavily Beach Boys, BTO (Bachman Turner Overdrive), the Guess Who, the Stones ... but Croce and Gordon Lightfoot were also heavily in there, singing the "counterpoint", if you will, to the primary soundtrack.

@utbpersonal

Жыл бұрын

You are so right, Keith.

@hubechen4982

Жыл бұрын

I love Jim croce songs..great songwriter and so many great songs which I do sing along and never tire .

@coldcoffeebear7459

Жыл бұрын

You said it all.

Maury deserved part of the publishing rights to these songs. His guitar contributions help define the songs.

@tommybewick

7 ай бұрын

That's the difference between a songwriter who can come up with an incredible melody and a guitarist that can play better than he does. Jim had the name and the songs. Unfortunately Maury never wrote his own songs. Some of the best guitarists in the world don't have a single hit song. Look at the jazz guitarists. Most of them are way better than the rock guitarists. But they don't have a hit song!

@buckmurdock2500

7 ай бұрын

@@tommybewick uh, Maury had an album released in 1970 with 11 songs written by Maury. This was before he hooked up with Jim.

@Jalleur14325

4 ай бұрын

Same with so many artists, the arrangements can make or break an artist. Simon and Garfunkel released sound of silence for the first time and no one paid it any attention. They re-recorded and the rest is history.

This song brings me right back to the 70s. What a beautiful song!

I think Mary needs to record this tune. Her voice fits the song like a glove.

@kengibson402

Жыл бұрын

For real!

Such a great song. The upbeat melody is the musical equivalent of the exterior facade that he is conveying in the first verse. His true feelings are revealed more with each verse until we learn that he has tried to call on many occasions but can’t bring himself to accept what happened and he really just needs to tell someone how he is feeling.

@eddiereece5050

Жыл бұрын

Excellent commentary

This is one of my favorite songs. It tells a story in such a concise and heartfelt way with resignation and a calm vibe. He left way too soon!

I was born in '78. I recognize every cultural reference in this song. But you're right, its dated but at the same time timeless. Croce is one of the finest storytellers ad pssionate artists of all time, and I mis the potential he could hav e given us.

I went through a huge Jim Croce discovery period in high school, and I graduated in 1991, so his music was a little "before my time" so-to-speak. I have often described Croce's writing as that he had the ability to take 'War and Peace' and condense it into three verses and a chorus. A total and complete lyrical genius! Some of my favorite songs of his are ones that weren't even the biggest hits! He was taken from us way too soon.

@eyesolatedrock

Жыл бұрын

Same, class of 93. At that point I had the Records, a cassette tape (Japanese export), a greatest hits CD and even an 8-track. Just recently bought them on iTunes.

@chrisd7047

Жыл бұрын

I graduated that same year, but I knew Croce from the time I was little because my parents played mostly folk music in the house. I grew up hearing Croce, the Mamas and the Papas, CSNY, Simon & Garfunkel, and the like. The only rock albums my folks had were a couple of Beatles albums. It put me behind in recognizing pop music, but I'm thankful for the musical education it gave me.

@eternallife9786

Жыл бұрын

All Die hard music fans should have a Jim Croce phase! he practically created his own genre!

@eternallife9786

Жыл бұрын

@@chrisd7047 sounds like your folks had great taste in music my mom and dad was really into stuff like bluegrass Jimmy Rogers Woody Guthrie ramblin Jack Elliott a lot of that old timey folk music

@chrisd7047

Жыл бұрын

@@eternallife9786 Mine split the difference. I got kind of pop-folk music topped off with classical training. Instead of Woodie Guthrie and Jack Elliott, I got Beethoven, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky. I could tell the difference between a bassoon and a bass clarinet, or the difference between The Nutcracker and The Marriage of Figaro by the time I was 8, but I had no idea who Michael Jackson was.

I have always thought that "You can keep the dime" was one of the best lines ever written in a song.

@scottboyle4596

Жыл бұрын

Agree

The line “a guy she says she knew well and sometimes hated”…I always took it to mean that the girl loved the other guy from the start, but she just told Jim she hated him to cover up the fling until they finally just ran off together. And the line “you can keep the dime” is one of my favorite lines ever written. It’s just a perfect way to end such a deep song with such a seemingly flippant comment. It’s like the narrator is so crushed and emotionally drained and ashamed of what just happened it’s all he has left to say.

@johnkeith2450

10 ай бұрын

Well stated

@loubunk977

8 ай бұрын

I believe the line is " a guy she knew well and sometimes dated ".. that would make more sense..

@loubunk977

8 ай бұрын

OOPS! you are right. The word is "hated".. for 50 years I sang it "and sometimes dated".. Sorry, you can keep the dime... Lou

Mary singing in that low register sounds so good! Rick you are no hack at anything you’ve played ever! Talented and fun to watch as always.

In my opinion, this song should be the introduction to EVERY songwriting 101 class. Everything about it is just so perfect! Sorry I'm 3 months late to the party on this video, but I'm so glad you two did this! What a gift Jim gave us!

@wannenburgwannenburg3695

Жыл бұрын

Probably way over the head of anyone doing a 101 course. Might be more appropriate for a 301 course

OMG!!! You & Mary should do this way more often. Amazing chemistry! I'd be good with weekly, but monthly is probably closer to realistic.

@omhr9554

Жыл бұрын

@@shaharbar 🤣

@gamer9

Жыл бұрын

@@shaharbar 🤢

@davelindstrom6005

Жыл бұрын

Not only the great chemistry they have, but she's MUCH prettier (LOL) and she can actually SING (seriously). Just saying.

@jpkatz1435

Жыл бұрын

She is stepping into her starpower.

@hawnyfox3411

Жыл бұрын

' @@davelindstrom6005 = Also, hasn't Mary just got THE most beautiful speaking voice ? .

The lyrics are so fantastic because they paint a picture and set the stage of a vast screenplay in the mind that is a half-hour longer and a few thousand words bigger than the song itself.

One of my very first albums, I listened to it over and over and over again. Such a great song, so beautiful brings tears to my eyes.

Jim and Maury were both very talented individually but together were magic. Such a loss, RIP.

Congratulations Mary and Rick, an absolutely outstanding and significant analysis of one of the greatest lyricists. I am a 77 year old guitarist, and I must say that the admiration and care you brought to this presentation put something in my eye. Please keep up the excellent work, you make a great team, we need more of this type of format. Thank you.

@schtepke

Жыл бұрын

very well put. nothing to add ...

When I was a child I watched his award get accepted for him. Singer songwriters like Jim and Bread made the heart hurt. These masterpieces grip the soul out of everyone's experiences. Snapshots of the life in melancholy melodic strife. Anyone who has loved and been rejected is served in verse now reflected. This is Legend...... My 2 cents, you can keep the 8

One of my favorites. His son AJ is a fairly accomplished jazz musician and is definitely worth a listen.

@cheatershandbook-tv2xs

3 ай бұрын

A.J.'s early records are all gems. Love his stuff.

You can feel Jim’s emotion. He just needed someone to talk to about his pain and the operator was his listener 😢

@ordinaryman1904

11 ай бұрын

At least he got over it at the end. When he said ‘I don’t wanna talk to those F-ing people anyway, you can keep the dime’

Jim Croce and Maury Muehleisen were the embodiment of the most exquisite expression of lyrical content and musical composition I've ever seen. Gone too soon.

@kvwebb777

Жыл бұрын

Indeed. Such a twist of fate. Hope they were both ready to meet God. -blessings, Keith

@ffggddss

Жыл бұрын

@@kvwebb777 Could it be that God was a little too anxious to see them? jk. He's not selfish like a lot of us are. Fred

@wolfhound2000

Жыл бұрын

This song and Time in a Bottle are two of my most loved songs ever. Two wonderful and unique talents that were taken way too early. The world needs more geniuses like Jim and Maury.

@ffggddss

Жыл бұрын

@@wolfhound2000 Two excellent song choices, yes! Sometimes I find _I Got a Name_ also getting stuck in my brain. I, too, sorely miss all the songs Jim would have written, but never got the chance to.

“I got a name” is his best song. What an artist.

Grew up on his greatest hits vinyl... so beautiful. Sang a Time in a Bottle as a solo in chorus concert... he was amazing

Great job guys! One of the first tunes I learned on guitar. Jim’s widow Ingrid said that when Jim was in the military the soldiers would line up to use the phone to call their wives and girlfriends and Jim took little tidbits that he overheard. Lots of dear John conversations. He took these bits and along with poetic license, he crafted a heartbreakingly beautiful song. Martin produced a Jim Croce signature guitar with a 1973 dime for the 3rd fret marker. Wonderful idea and tribute.

@robbchastain3036

Жыл бұрын

The Army was an incredible gathering place, all those soldiers and all their lives and stories. And I like how Jim told his Army stories, it was like being in the barracks with everyone missing home and their ladies.

@stephenpeterson7940

Жыл бұрын

One of the first songs I learned as well. Still love it.

@5roundsrapid263

Жыл бұрын

@@robbchastain3036 I never knew Jim was in the service. My father was also in the Army about that time. I can definitely see the similarities.

@robbchastain3036

Жыл бұрын

@@5roundsrapid263 O for sure, check out here on KZread a video of Jim on stage where he is telling the story about bad, bad Leroy Brown at Ft. Jackson in South Carolina.

@toddmcintosh83

Жыл бұрын

@@5roundsrapid263 Jim would often wear his long sleeved army fatigues shirt when performing.😉👌😎

Imagine 1992 and a bunch of 12-year-old punk skateboarder troublemakers sitting around in a basement listening to this song over and over! That was me and my friends. Our parents were jaw dropped that we all love this song so much.

Rick, a great segment on this song. Broken down, inflections, brilliant. September 20th 2023 is the 50th Anniversary of Jim Croce's passing in the plane crash in Natchitoches, La. I was a kid but remember the story breaking next morning.

I now play this song on my guitar no problem, but for a long time I couldn’t because I would start crying… the lyrics would break me every time!

I love this. All of the touches to the past. Matchbooks and scribbling notes on them, and a dime for a call on a phone in a phone booth. I'm 69, and this song was popular when all of these things were current.

@charlie-obrien

Жыл бұрын

I'll bet we can all remember when a phone call went from a dime to a quarter...Yikes.

@carolhorner7202

Жыл бұрын

I remember, matchbooks were always on the tables at wedding receptions, with the bride & groom's names, and sometimes address and phone number. I always thought that he had kept that 'souvenir' matchbook, given like a 'calling card' (also known as 'business cards'...I think we still have those).

@charlesseymour1482

Жыл бұрын

Same with me. The sound track for my life till 37 years.

He doesn't just sing songs, he sings songs about real people in real situations. That's a lost art.

My mom had the album "Photographs and Memories". A KZread short of "Operator" came on my feed and after watching "Jim Croce Live In Concert", video which was a compilation of songs from his concerts along with photographs and he'd tell the backstory of the some of the songs, I ended up here. I hadn't heard "Operator" in years and was impressed that I still remembered the lyrics to that and many of the other songs on the album. You're right. He was an excellent songwriter and it leaves one with the feeling of what could have been if he and Maury had lived longer. Those two and my mom were gone too soon (my mom passed in "99). Thank you for covering this song. I haven't been on your channel in awhile. Congrats on over 4 mil subscribers Rick. You earned it!

Ive been appreciating Jim Croce and his songs lately and man….. Im glad you honored him with video. So so good. Im 62 and grew up with his music on the radio.

I'm a mostly metalhead, but I love good music from all corners. Iv been fans of Jim Croce for decades👍

@kannonmcafee

Жыл бұрын

Me too. I love Jim Croce. Absolutely necessary in any music collection.

@brianloy7856

Жыл бұрын

I love good hard rock, too. One of my first musical genres. Deep Purple, Black Oak Arkansas, Uriah Heep, Jimi Hendrix - I loved them all in my pre-teens and early teens. One thing I’ve learned as I’ve aged is to never limit myself to only one genre of music. I love it all except rap and traditional country (but I LOVE good Blue Grass) and I’m not much of a fan of contemporary music - today’s top 40 unless it’s musical (to me). Don’t be afraid to check out all genres of music. Paganini was the Van Halen of his day. Baroque music can have an overwhelming calming impact and is oddly satisfying. Lute music can truly be awesome (especially if you like guitar). Chet Atkins, Tommy Emmanuel, Phil Keaggy - all awesome guitarists. Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, John Lord, great pianists and or B3 and or keyboardists. Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Linda Ronstadt with The Nelson Riddle Orchestra (What’s New) - one of my favorite Uber high quality 5.1 surround sound DVD/Audio (If you have a 5.1 or 7.1/7.2 surround sound system and proper DVD-A, Blu-Ray, Super Audio CD players. Pink Floyd - DSOTM, Dire Straights - Brothers in Arms, Rush - Moving Pictures, Steely Dan - Babylon Sisters - ALL of these and more are MIND BLOWING in their 5.1 DVD-A, Blu-Ray, or Super Audio CD versions. They are getting harder to find these days though! Don’t ever limit yourself…great music is great music. I’m listening to Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays right now. Jazz/Fusion at its finest! Jaco Pastorius! Al di Meola! I could go on and on. It’s ALL great!

@jjfromthebigland781

Жыл бұрын

Yup. Good music is good music. We're all looking for that emotional connection...

I had the privilege of seeing Jim and Maury perform live at the bottom line just months before the tragic accident that took both their lives. I sat in the first row just an arms length away from them. This performance made such an impact on me musically as a singer songwriter. What amazed me the most is how they effortlessly commanded the instrumentals and vocals live. It was a flawless performance both technically an emotionally. Thank you for doing a deep dive into the incredible artistry of his work. 👍🏻

@thedys70

Жыл бұрын

Joe, you witnessed history there. I'm glad those short film recordings of Jim and Maury performing didn't get lost to time.

@joecrocco7850

Жыл бұрын

@@thedys70 I feel very fortunate to have experienced that performance. Yes, those film clips are great music history. Hopefully any audio or video archives that exist will be preserved.

@thedys70

Жыл бұрын

@@joecrocco7850 Absolutely Joe; I bought his DVD when it was first released about 15 years ago; such wonderful posterity. Great to see other lost gems appear on youtube over the years for the next generations to see his legacy to 20th century music.

Found this video just now and I must thank you both guys for dissecting this song for us. This made me love the song more than ever 🙂

Jim Croce is one of the best songwriters who ever lived. And his singing is so great with breathy tones, connected tones, and getting to the vowels so beautifully. Love him and miss him.

Mary's voice is such a great fit for that song. Beautifully done. Croce was a Philly guy, where I grew up, and still a local hero.

I was in Junior High when he died in that plane crash. I didn't know who he was at the time, but I can still see my teacher in tears on the ground just loosing it and remember wondering just who this person was that could cause such a reaction. Years later I learned just what a great artist he really was. 💔😭

So much story and emotion in really very few words. A master craftsman.

Rick, haven't seen all your videos but many, but this one is so poetical and digging so profound in our loved memories. This is really a special gift. Thank you.

Mary and Rick... you should release your version of this song. Wonderful chemistry and yet allegiance to the original. Love it.

I was 15 when Jim Croce died. I was an Iowa farm boy and I loved him so much ! I remember buying all his albums. I went out and sat in our hay shed and struggled to hold back the tears. Never be another like him.

@ClarenceCochran-ne7du

15 күн бұрын

13 at the time, and I can relate. Didn't have a field to go cry in, but I went down to the basement, crawled into my closet and openly wept and grieved. 51 years later, I still tear up when any Jim Croce song comes on the radio or overhead at a store.

Jim Croce was one of my favorite singers whose life was cut short tragically I relate to everything he sang because that was my era of music well written and sung by such a great artist miss his great voice and talent.

Rick - please bring Mary back for more videos. You two have great chemistry. She also has a great voice. Also, you did a service to Maury’s family by acknowledging his important contributions to Jim’s songs and success.