I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song
Encyclopedia
"I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" is the title of a posthumously released single
by the American
singer-songwriter
Jim Croce
. The song was written by Croce and was originally found on his album I Got a Name
.
Croce was killed in a small-plane crash in September 1973, the same week that his studio album I Got a Name was released. Following the delayed release of a song from Croce's previous album ("Time in a Bottle
") in late 1973, "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" was chosen as the second single released from the singer's final studio album. It peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart in April 1974, becoming Croce's fifth Top 10 hit. In addition, the song went to #1 on the Billboard
adult contemporary chart
and reached #68 on the Billboard country music chart
, Croce's only song to chart on this survey.
Croce wrote the song in early 1973 when he arrived home and got into a disagreement with his wife, Ingrid
. Instead of arguing with her, Ingrid has stated that Croce "went downstairs, and he started to play, like he always did when he wrote...the next morning, he came up early in the morning and sang it to me."
This song is noted for the use of male backup singers, as well as a string section, that plays a counterpoint melody during the concluding instrumental.
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Jim Croce
Jim Croce
James Joseph "Jim" Croce January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973 was an American singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, Croce released five studio albums and 11 singles...
. The song was written by Croce and was originally found on his album I Got a Name
I Got a Name
-Songwriting:Croce's wife Ingrid Croce has an autobiographical cookbook, Thyme In A Bottle, in which she writes interesting anecdotes about Jim. What she wrote about "I'll Have To Say 'I Love You' in a Song" is this....
.
Croce was killed in a small-plane crash in September 1973, the same week that his studio album I Got a Name was released. Following the delayed release of a song from Croce's previous album ("Time in a Bottle
Time in a Bottle
"Time in a Bottle" is a posthumous Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 Singles chart number-one hit for singer-songwriter Jim Croce. The song reached the top spot on the Billboard chart at the end of December 1973, three months after his death in a plane crash. It was the third posthumous number...
") in late 1973, "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" was chosen as the second single released from the singer's final studio album. It peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in April 1974, becoming Croce's fifth Top 10 hit. In addition, the song went to #1 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
adult contemporary chart
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
and reached #68 on the Billboard country music chart
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
, Croce's only song to chart on this survey.
Croce wrote the song in early 1973 when he arrived home and got into a disagreement with his wife, Ingrid
Ingrid Croce
Ingrid Croce is an American author, singer-songwriter and restaurateur. She is the widow of singer-songwriter Jim Croce and the mother of singer-songwriter A.J. Croce. Between 1964 and 1971, Ingrid and Jim Croce performed as a duo and wrote together. In 1969, Capitol Records released their album,...
. Instead of arguing with her, Ingrid has stated that Croce "went downstairs, and he started to play, like he always did when he wrote...the next morning, he came up early in the morning and sang it to me."
This song is noted for the use of male backup singers, as well as a string section, that plays a counterpoint melody during the concluding instrumental.
Covers
- Country musicCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Clint BlackClint BlackClint Patrick Black is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and occasional actor. Signed to RCA Records in 1989, Black made his debut with his Killin' Time album, which produced four straight Number One singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country...
recorded a cover versionCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of this song that is found on his 2007 album The Love SongsThe Love Songs (Clint Black album)The Love Songs is a 2007 album by country singer Clint Black. It consists of newly recorded versions of many of his love songs along with a cover version of Jim Croce's "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song"....
. - Lane BrodyLane BrodyLane Brody is an American female singer-songwriter, active since the early 1980s, best known for her 1984 Billboard-topping country hit, "The Yellow Rose" , and for the Oscar nominated song "Over You" from the film "Tender Mercies". She is the first female in country music to have an...
covered it on Jim Croce: A Nashville TributeJim Croce: A Nashville TributeJim Croce: A Nashville Tribute is a tribute album released by River North Records in 1997. The album consisted of contemporary country artists performing cover versions of songs by Jim Croce.-Track listing:... - The VenturesThe VenturesThe Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
covered it on "The Ventures Play the Jim Croce Songbook" - Jerry ReedJerry ReedJerry Reed Hubbard , known professionally as Jerry Reed, was an American country music singer, innovative guitarist, songwriter, and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films...
on Jerry Reed Sings Jim CroceJerry Reed Sings Jim CroceJerry Reed Sings Jim Croce is an album by American country music singer Jerry Reed, released in 1980. The album is a tribute album for Jim Croce who died in 1973 in a plane crash during the peak of his career. Seven of the ten songs were singles released by Croce. The album peaked at number 56 on... - Bonnie KolocBonnie KolocBonnie Koloc is an American folk music singer-songwriter, actress, and artist who was considered one of the three main Illinois-based folk singers in the 1970s, along with Steve Goodman and John Prine forming the "trinity of the Chicago folk scene."...
on "Bonnie Koloc at her Best" - Andy WilliamsAndy WilliamsHoward Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
on "You Lay So Easy on My Mind" - Cleo LaineCleo LaineDame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth, DBE is a jazz singer and an actress, noted for her scat singing and vocal range...
on "Gonna Get Through" - Mary TraversMary TraversMary Travers , American singer-songwriter; member of the folk, pop group, Peter, Paul and Mary.Mary Travers may also refer to:* Mary Rose-Anna Travers , Québécoise singer known as Madame Bolduc or La Bolduc...
on "Circles" - Johnny LeeJohnny LeeJohnny Lee is an American country music singer. His 1980 single, "Lookin' for Love" not only spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard country singles chart in the second half of 1980 but also went to the Top 5 on the Pop charts, and Top 10 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary survey...
on "Hey Bartender"
Track listing
7" Single (ABC-11424)- "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" - 2:30
- "Salon And Saloon" - 2:30
Weekly charts
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 9 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 68 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 | 7 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 4 |
| Netherlands Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
28 |
| Australian Top 100 Singles | 100 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 75 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1974 This is a list of Billboard magazine's Top Hot 100 songs of 1974.... |
85 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 | 88 |