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Time in a Bottle

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"Time in a Bottle"
Single by Jim Croce
from the album You Don't Mess Around with Jim
B-side"Hard Time Losin' Man"
ReleasedNovember 1973
RecordedJanuary–March 1972
Genre
Length2:29
LabelABC
Songwriter(s)Jim Croce
Producer(s)Terry Cashman, Tommy West
Jim Croce singles chronology
"I Got a Name"
(1973) 		"Time in a Bottle"
(1973) 		"It Doesn't Have to Be That Way"
(1973)

"Time in a Bottle" is a song by singer-songwriter Jim Croce. He wrote the lyrics after his wife Ingrid told him she was pregnant in December 1970.[2] It appeared on Croce's 1972 ABC debut album You Don't Mess Around with Jim and was featured in the 1973 ABC made-for-television movie She Lives! After he was killed in a plane crash in September 1973, the song was aired frequently on radio, and demand for a single release built. The single of "Time in a Bottle" became Croce's second, and final track to reach number one in the United States.[3]

Production and arrangement

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The arrangement features a harpsichord that producer Tommy West discovered had been left in the mixing studio.[4]

Reception

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Cash Box magazine called the song "a sweet, tender ballad filled with Croce’s magical vocal touch".[5] Record World called it "an instant classic and an extremely moving record."[6]

"Time in a Bottle" was the third posthumous Billboard number-one hit after "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding and "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin.[7]

After the single finished its two-week run at the top of the charts in early January 1974, the album You Don't Mess Around with Jim became No. 1 for five weeks.[8]

In 1977, Time in a Bottle was chosen as the title of a compilation album of Croce's love songs.

Track listing

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7" single (ABC-11405)[9]

  1. "Time in a Bottle" – 2:24
  2. "Hard Time Losin' Man" – 2:23

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[16] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

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  1. ^ Breihan, Tom (May 1, 2019). "The Number Ones: Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle"". Stereogum. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  2. ^ Hyatt, Wesley. The Billboard Book of Number One Adult Contemporary Hits, Billboard Books, 1999, p. 132.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 7th edition, Billboard Books, 2000, p. 159.
  4. ^ Eskow, Gary (November 2009). "Classic Tracks: Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle"". Mix (magazine). Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  5. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. November 17, 1973. p. 20. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  6. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. November 17, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  7. ^ Zellner, Xander (June 27, 2018). "Artists Who Hit No. 1 On The Hot 100 Posthumously: XXXTentacion & More". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top Pop Albums 1955–1985, Record Research Inc., 1985, p. 88, 505.
  9. ^ "Jim Croce – Time in a Bottle". discogs. 1973. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  10. ^ "Time in a Bottle (song by Jim Croce) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". musicvf.com. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  11. ^ "Top Singles – Volume 20, No. 23, January 19 1974". collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  12. ^ "Adult Contemporary – Volume 20, No. 23, January 19 1974". collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  13. ^ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1974". www.cashboxmagazine.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2010.
  14. ^ "The RPM Year-End Charts: 1974". collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  15. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  16. ^ "American single certifications – Jim Croce – Time in a Bottle". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  17. ^ Jackson, Don (January 9, 2013). "Jim Croce hits Number 1 with 'Time in a Bottle'". WMJI. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  18. ^ "Marketing & Media Decisions". Decisions Publications. April 30, 1983. Retrieved April 30, 2018 – via Google Books. Mateus highlights "Time in a Bottle" campaign on spot tv. Thirty- second spots created by Shaller Rubin & Winer link Mateus with romance and intimacy to the tune of Jim Croce's love ballad, "Time ...
  19. ^ "Art Direction". Advertising Trade Publications. April 30, 1984. Retrieved April 30, 2018 – via Google Books. Last year's Mateus ad centered around Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle," and the current spot continues on a similar note with its "Spend the good times with Mateus" ...
  20. ^ "Beverage World". Keller Publishing Corporation. April 30, 1985. Retrieved April 30, 2018 – via Google Books. The major advertislng support for Mateus during the past growth year was the 'Time in a Bottle" television spot, with its message. "Spend the Good Times with Mateus."
  21. ^ Board, Josh (May 26, 2011). "MOVIE REVIEW: The Hangover Part II". SanDiego.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  22. ^ O'Connell, Sean (May 23, 2014). "How Did They Film Quicksilver's Amazing X-Men: Days Of Future Past Scene?". Cinema Blend. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  23. ^ "Apple enlists help of Cookie Monster to highlight 'Hey Siri' in new iPhone 6s ad". Apple Insider. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  24. ^ Erdmann, Kevin (October 24, 2024). "Agatha All Along Episode 7 Easter Eggs & Marvel References". Screen Rant. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
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