Time in a Bottle
Encyclopedia
"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 one single on the Hot 100. At the same time, it was a number-one hit on the Billboard Easy Listening chart.
The song was originally written for Croce's son, A.J., and appeared on his first album in 1972, You Don't Mess Around with Jim
. The following year Croce would shoot to fame with his hit single "Bad Bad Leroy Brown", just months before the September 20 plane crash. Time in a Bottle was later used as the title for a compilation album
of Croce's love songs.
TV movie
, She Lives!
, starring Desi Arnaz Jr. and Season Hubley
.
The song is featured in the R rated comedy The Hangover Part II.
This song was performed on an episode of The Muppet Show
.
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...
and Cash Box Top 100 Singles chart number-one hit for 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 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 one single on the Hot 100. At the same time, it was a number-one hit on the Billboard Easy Listening chart.
The song was originally written for Croce's son, A.J., and appeared on his first album in 1972, You Don't Mess Around with Jim
You Don't Mess Around with Jim
-Notes:-Notes:-Notes:*A Tracks 1-12 correspond to the original 1972 album-Personnel:*Jim Croce - guitar, rhythm guitar, vocals, background vocals*Maury Muehleisen - guitar, vocals*The Briggs - background vocals...
. The following year Croce would shoot to fame with his hit single "Bad Bad Leroy Brown", just months before the September 20 plane crash. Time in a Bottle was later used as the title for a compilation album
Time in a Bottle: Jim Croce's Greatest Love Songs
Time in a Bottle: Jim Croce's Greatest Love Songs is a greatest hits album by singer-songwriter Jim Croce. This compilation album was released after Croce's death in 1973 and features sentimental songs recorded from his studio albums. The album peaked at number 170 on the Billboard 200 during 1977...
of Croce's love songs.
In popular culture
The song started receiving widespread airplay in September 1973, after it was featured over the end credits of the ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
TV movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
, She Lives!
She Lives!
She Lives! is a 1973 made-for-television movie about a young couple, Andy and Pam who meet after Andy places a singles ad in his college newspaper. Pam advises him to put a response to her letter in the "Who's Next" album at a local record store. He does and they meet...
, starring Desi Arnaz Jr. and Season Hubley
Season Hubley
-Biography:Hubley was born Susan Hubley in New York City, the daughter of Julia Kaul and Grant Shelby Hubley, a writer and entrepreneur. Her brother is actor Whip Hubley....
.
The song is featured in the R rated comedy The Hangover Part II.
This song was performed on an episode of The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
.
Covers
Time in a Bottle has been covered many times since its original release. These are some of the artists that have covered the song:- Roger WilliamsRoger Williams-People:* Roger Williams , Welsh soldier of fortune* Roger Williams , English theologian, co-founder of Rhode Island* Roger Williams , US actor...
on "The Best of the Beautiful" - Nana MouskouriNana MouskouriNana Mouskouri , born Ioánna Moúschouri on October 13, 1934, in Chania, Crete, Greece, is a Greek singer who has sold about 300 million records worldwide in a career spanning over five decades, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She was known as Nána to her friends and...
on "Only Love" - Glen CampbellGlen CampbellGlen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
on "Love SongsLove Songs (Glen Campbell album)Love Songs, released on the Gold Label in 2000, contains a selection of songs from the Love Songs disc from the 1999 My Hits and Love Songs album.-Track listing:# "Ebb Tide" - 2:21# "Since I Fell For You" - 2:41...
" - 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... - Floyd CramerFloyd CramerFloyd Cramer was an American Hall of Fame pianist who was one of the architects of the "Nashville sound." He popularized the "slip note" piano style where an out-of-tune note slides effortlessly into the correct note...
on "Just Me and My Piano" - 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...
on "The Ventures Play the Jim Croce Songbook" - Roger WhittakerRoger WhittakerRoger Whittaker is an Anglo-Kenyan singer-songwriter and musician with worldwide record sales of over 55 million. His music can be described as easy listening. He is best known for his baritone singing voice and trademark whistling ability...
on "Evergreens" - Eddie KendricksEddie KendricksEddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group The Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971. His was the lead voice on such famous songs as "The Way You Do The Things...
on "For You" - Howard KeelHoward KeelHarold Clifford Keel , known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer. He starred in many film musicals of the 1950s...
on "I Loved You So" - Lena HorneLena HorneLena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
on "Lena & MichelLena & MichelLena & Michel is a 1975 album by Lena Horne, arranged by Michel Legrand. This album was recorded at the RCA Studios, New York in February 1975...
" - Michael English 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:...
" - Chris de BurghChris de BurghChris de Burgh is a British/Irish singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1986 love song "The Lady in Red".-Early life:...
on "Footsteps 2Footsteps 2"Footsteps 2" is singer/songwriter Chris de Burgh's nineteenth original album. It was released in Germany, Switzerland and Austria on October 14, 2011, and in the UK and Ireland on October 17, 2011....
"
Track listing
7" Single (ABC-11405)- "Time In A Bottle" - 2:24
- "Hard Time Losin' Man" - 2:23
Weekly charts
| Chart (1973–1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| Australian Top 100 Singles | 60 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| 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.... |
24 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 | 36 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 39 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| United States | Gold (RIAA) |