For what it's worth...I like you guys. Keep doing your thang. Don't let the haters get under your skin. You two have the balls to put yourselves out there. Mad respect.
Another great folk rock singer songwriter who we lost so young. He was a unique storyteller & ballad singer. His music touches your soul. He had a lot of great hits in his short career. "Photographs & Memories", "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown", "I Got A Name", "Workin' At The Car Wash Blues," "Lover's Cross", "Rapid Roy", "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song" etc.
*You Don't Mess Around With Jim* was such a huge radio/TV variety show hit in 1971, Croce followed up with *"Bad Bad Leroy Brown"* in 1972; again another radio/TV variety show hit!
The ? mark word is Bowery... The Bowery in NYC. I knew you'd like this. This is why I've been talking about it for a while. Sam mentioned the piano sitting in the back there's another acoustic played by Maury Muehleisen very close friend to Jim he also died in the crash... Next Bad Leroy Brown.
Bad Bad Leroy Brown was the first song I ever remember being played on AM radio that didn't "bleep" the "four letter word" in the lyrics. Before that either the lyrics substituted with a wink or else the radio station inserted an audible beep to cover the lyric
We have lost so many musical srtists in plane or car crashes, starting with the Big Bopper, & Buddy Holly. Then members of Lenard Skynard, Harry Chapin and John Denver. I know I'm forgetting others, but I still mourn the loss of their brilliant contributions. 😢❤
His son was only a couple of years old when he passed. He does all the celebration show of his songs. He was kinda of adopted by his musician friends. I got to see him a couple of months ago . Great show. Lots of Geezers.
My older sister had this album (You Don't Mess Around With Jim) so I used to hear the three songs you mentioned (Operator, Time in a Bottle and this one) over and over AND OVER again through the wall in the early to mid 1970's. Did, I was so sick of it. Then again, it sounds pretty good now.
I'm not sure if you caught the reference of the ol' Lone Ranger so let me Boomer 'splain. The Lone Ranger was a populat Western TV show from the late Fifties and early Sixies. The Lone Ranger was a masked man, like Zorro, that did good deeds and got grief because he wore a mask. He and his Indian sidekick, Tonto, would ride into to some random town and clean out the bad guys. His calling card was that he always left a silver bullit for the townsfolk and one of the main catch phrases of the show was when someone would ask "Who was that masked man?", Tonto, played by Jay Silverheels, was the first Western that showed Native Americans as intelligent, capable and moral people. There was merchandising galore what with the lunchboxes and Lone Ranger toys and playsets. He was a big deal. Clayton Moore, who played the Lone Ranger, would make public appearances wearing his mask for decades after the show was cancelled and made a good living from it.
Love Jim! I was 10 when he passed in the plane crash and it hit me kind of hard realizing that he wouldn't be making music that I grew up with anymore. This and Leroy Brown were two of the often quoted songs from the choruses when I got older. So many of us late Boomers and early Gen X know his work so well we can sing along with every word of his songs.
Whoever did this lyrics video either didn't research them or relied on AI. Besides not knowing the word Bowery, they misheard several lines. The one example that stood out to me was "You don't pull the mask off that ol' Lone Ranger" being misinterpreted as "... off an' ol' Lone Ranger."
"Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown" bookends this song in similarity. Jim died just as his career was skyrocketing and I was crushed when the news came over my AM radio. Harry Chapin was a contemporary story teller at the time who also was taken way too soon, age 38, in a car crash. Listen to "Mr. Tanner" by Chapin. It's kind of a Christmas song.
This and I Got A Name are my favourites. Will never tire of telling this story, if you’ll indulge me: This song has always been in heavy rotation in my playlists. My kids know it. Driving down the road when my girl was 8-years old (this song was NOT playing at the time) she rolls down the window. Ok. Does that frequently, whatever. 10 seconds later, she pulls her head back in and says, “Huh. THAT’S why you don’t spit into the wind.” 😳😳😳 Did you just…? What the heck? One, don’t DO that! Two, could your brain not figure that out without actually trying it?! 🤦🏼♀️
Mare_Bear738 - Is absolutely correct. Bad Bad Leroy Brown is the song that turned him into a national entertainer after performing on the old Johnny Carson show. That song played on every radio station the next day almost once an hour - and it went on like that for weeks. People could not get enough of the song. The rest followed and were all hits.
This was the first song I ever heard by Jim Croce, and I was fortunate enough to hear it when it first came out. I loved it. I was instantly a fan of his, and I can't think of a later song I didn't like. Oh, and by the way, Leroy Brown came out after Don't Mess Around With Jim. Also, the line in the lyrics where it says "you don't pull the mask off an ol' lone ranger" is a bit off. Jim was referring to the iconic Lone Ranger, which most of us back then grew up with. Comics and TV. "You don't pull the mask off that ol' Lone Ranger" would be corect. And as mentioned before, the "?" is where "The Bowery" goes. Was a tough area back then, as has been mentioned, but I knew the Bowery only from the comedies called The Bowery Boys (I'm in Texas). I loved watching them! Thanks so much for letting us watch with you, and God bless you both!
Croce has some great deep cut songs too...Working at the Car Wash Blues...Lover's Cross...and I Fell In Love with a Roller Derby Queen, are all worth checking out. There's a great clip on UA-cam of Roller Derby Queen with Croce explaining where the song came from. You get a great glimpse of his personality in that clip.
The missing word was actually "The Bowery" is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan (NY). Here's a better, more detailed description of it from Wikipedia: "The Bowery is a street and neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City, United States. The street runs from Chatham Square at Park Row, Worth Street, and Mott Street in the south to Cooper Square at 4th Street in the north. The eponymous neighborhood runs roughly from the Bowery east to Allen Street and First Avenue, and from Canal Street north to Cooper Square/East Fourth Street." So, the song is saying, Uptown's got its hustlers, and The Bowery's got its bums ... rough places, indeed, but 42nd street's got Big Jim Walker who's a pool shark ... so ALL 3 places have people and things you need to look out for ... The Bowery is no different. It *_IS_* weird that the person adding the lyrics, not only can't look up the words, but also can't "speel" OR capitalize worth a damn 🤣😂🤣😁😉!!!
Another great song by Jim Croce is : "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown". Both this song and Bad, Bad Leroy Brown have a similar meaning. Please consider doing a reaction for it.
You got a couple of good fun songs recommended below. Roller Derby Queen and Working at the Car Wash Blues. I will add Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy) all are upbeat and fun.
For more fun ones (i.e. songs you HAVEN'T heard), I'd go with Working At The Car Wash Blues, Bad Bad Leroy Brown (you mentioned), Rapid Roy (That Stock Car Boy), Speedball Tucker and Roller Derby Queen. For his more romantic or serious side, I'd go for I Got A Name, Lover's Cross, I'll Have TO Say I Love You In A Song, One Less Set Of Footsteps, Walking Back To Georgia, New York's Not My Home and Photographs And Memories.
Phil and Samantha_ You are doing a terrific job with your song reactions.I would love for you to react to the song”Pieces of Dreams”by Johnny Mathis.The Live version from the Tonight Show.He was Barbra Streisand’s favorite singer when she was younger.She has said of him:”There are good singers;There are a handful of truly great singers;and then there is Johnny Mathis”. He is the third best- selling recording artist of the past century behind Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. This is a phenomenal performance by Johnny. A Must See!! I am sure you enjoy it and be floored by it. Please react to it. It is absolutely spectacular. He received two standing ovations that particular night.
God bless you for sticking to just the words and music -- for anything pre-1990, video can only distract. It's not why the song is remembered. The first line that the lyric video couldn't understand was "Uptown got its hustlers, the Bowery got its bums."
Jim's first breakout hit. Bad, Nad Leroy Brown, his biggest charting hit, came after. He had a Christmas spirit song called "It Doesn't Have To Be That Way" maybe check that out next.😊
Some of the people who make lyric videos are barely literate. ; ) Leroy Brown and the roller derby queen are two more fun characters Jim brought to us in song.
Maybe not for the channel but you may enjoy this sad Christmas song about a lonely man as the holiday approaches and the hope to rekindle a love lost. "It Doesn't Hvee To Be That Way"🎄🎄🎄
There you go! This is yet another reason why I always say to just stick to the straight up album versions of songs. Of course there are a couple of exceptions like Eve Of Destruction that has a good video associated with it that actually makes sense.
"Bad Bad Leroy Brown" & " I Got a Name" are two must do songs. Thanks for this one 😊
Also "Rapid Roy, That Stockcar Boy."
Jim croce
roller derby queen
It's great
Agree - such a great story telling song
I was just thinking about that song not too long ago. 😊
Jim Croce's "I Got a Name" is a great song.
Time In A Bottle ♥️ RIP Jim.🙏
They’ve already reacted to Time In A Bottle.
This & Bad Bad Leroy Brown are my 2 faves! ♥
For what it's worth...I like you guys.
Keep doing your thang.
Don't let the haters get under your skin.
You two have the balls to put yourselves out there.
Mad respect.
Well, one of 'em does....
BAD, BAD LEROY BROWN is Jim Croce's biggest hit.
WORKING AT THE CAR WASH BLUES and RAPID ROY THE STOCK CAR BOY are really good songs, too.
One of my favorite JC songs. Do I Got a Name and Workin’ at the Car Wash Blues.
Car wash blues would be another fun song, but I really liked his songs that tugged on the heart.
Another great folk rock singer songwriter who we lost so young. He was a unique storyteller & ballad singer. His music touches your soul. He had a lot of great hits in his short career. "Photographs & Memories", "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown", "I Got A Name", "Workin' At The Car Wash Blues," "Lover's Cross", "Rapid Roy", "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song" etc.
*You Don't Mess Around With Jim* was such a huge radio/TV variety show hit in 1971, Croce followed up with *"Bad Bad Leroy Brown"* in 1972; again another radio/TV variety show hit!
One of the greatest choruses of all time!!
moral of the story, no matter how big and bad you are, there is always someone bigger, and badder.
Bad Bad Leroy Brown ......i can name that tune in one note. great song
Ya don't mess with them ol' country boys.
The ? mark word is Bowery... The Bowery in NYC. I knew you'd like this. This is why I've been talking about it for a while. Sam mentioned the piano sitting in the back there's another acoustic played by Maury Muehleisen very close friend to Jim he also died in the crash... Next Bad Leroy Brown.
One of the best.
Two more favorites are "Roller Derby Queen" and "Rapid Roy That Stock Car Boy." I love the stories these two songs tell.
Jim was a storyteller extraordinaire. Some good ones are Bad Bad Leroy Brown and Workin' At The Car Wash Blues.
Workin at the Car Wash Blues, roller Derby Queen, I got a name, and one less set of footsteps ! All great Jim Croce songs !
I was so young when this came out. I remember getting so excited when it would come on the radio!
Thanks y’all.
Boy, that lyric video could use some spellcheck
I used to listen to him on an 8 track 😂🤣😂
Bad Bad Leroy Brown was the first song I ever remember being played on AM radio that didn't "bleep" the "four letter word" in the lyrics. Before that either the lyrics substituted with a wink or else the radio station inserted an audible beep to cover the lyric
Jim was the king of blue collar story telling.
The loss of Jim Croce was immense. This fella was a generational singer/songwriter and guitarist, along the lines of Paul Simon and Jackson Browne.
We have lost so many musical srtists in plane or car crashes, starting with the Big Bopper, & Buddy Holly. Then members of Lenard Skynard, Harry Chapin and John Denver. I know I'm forgetting others, but I still mourn the loss of their brilliant contributions. 😢❤
He went to my high school. We had a “wall of fame” and his was the only picture on it for years.
"The Bowery's got it's bums". The Bowery is an area of lower New York known for being a rough area.
His son was only a couple of years old when he passed. He does all the celebration show of his songs. He was kinda of adopted by his musician friends. I got to see him a couple of months ago . Great show. Lots of Geezers.
This is what i call one of my favourite fight songs. This one along with Bad Leroy Brown and A Man Named Sue. All songscwith a fight in them.
Boy named Sue.
Accent first syllable of his name - CROW-chee - he was on his way to my college to do a concert when his plane crashed
Box number 10 Jim Croce
My older sister had this album (You Don't Mess Around With Jim) so I used to hear the three songs you mentioned (Operator, Time in a Bottle and this one) over and over AND OVER again through the wall in the early to mid 1970's. Did, I was so sick of it. Then again, it sounds pretty good now.
"Rapid Roy, That Stockcar Boy" is also fun to listen to. And "Workin at the Car Wash Blues" is great too.
he was so cool! R.I.P. brother!
I'm not sure if you caught the reference of the ol' Lone Ranger so let me Boomer 'splain. The Lone Ranger was a populat Western TV show from the late Fifties and early Sixies. The Lone Ranger was a masked man, like Zorro, that did good deeds and got grief because he wore a mask. He and his Indian sidekick, Tonto, would ride into to some random town and clean out the bad guys. His calling card was that he always left a silver bullit for the townsfolk and one of the main catch phrases of the show was when someone would ask "Who was that masked man?", Tonto, played by Jay Silverheels, was the first Western that showed Native Americans as intelligent, capable and moral people. There was merchandising galore what with the lunchboxes and Lone Ranger toys and playsets. He was a big deal. Clayton Moore, who played the Lone Ranger, would make public appearances wearing his mask for decades after the show was cancelled and made a good living from it.
Love Jim! I was 10 when he passed in the plane crash and it hit me kind of hard realizing that he wouldn't be making music that I grew up with anymore.
This and Leroy Brown were two of the often quoted songs from the choruses when I got older.
So many of us late Boomers and early Gen X know his work so well we can sing along with every word of his songs.
Whoever did this lyrics video either didn't research them or relied on AI. Besides not knowing the word Bowery, they misheard several lines. The one example that stood out to me was "You don't pull the mask off that ol' Lone Ranger" being misinterpreted as "... off an' ol' Lone Ranger."
🌸 I have often wondered what he could have achieved if he had lived
I love the fact that he had the slim guy the bad ass......like David and Goliath.
You hit on my favorite Jim Croce song!!!!!!
Leroy Brown was after this song. You should do it! Similar themes, but different style, with a great piano intro.
Jim died to young RIP
Great reaction, Sam and Phil! An amazing singer, songwriter, story-teller left this earth when that plane crashed so many years ago.
The next song you should do by Jim Croce is “I Got a Name”. It was released right after his passing .
If you like his story telling, you need to react to his follow-up, to “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” and that is “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”.
"AGE" is a great story from Jim
🌸 he has a song called ' bad bad Leroy Brown - which is very similar to this one but it's wonderful , 5oo
"Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown" bookends this song in similarity. Jim died just as his career was skyrocketing and I was crushed when the news came over my AM radio. Harry Chapin was a contemporary story teller at the time who also was taken way too soon, age 38, in a car crash. Listen to "Mr. Tanner" by Chapin. It's kind of a Christmas song.
Rapid Roy is another great song!
This and I Got A Name are my favourites. Will never tire of telling this story, if you’ll indulge me: This song has always been in heavy rotation in my playlists. My kids know it. Driving down the road when my girl was 8-years old (this song was NOT playing at the time) she rolls down the window. Ok. Does that frequently, whatever. 10 seconds later, she pulls her head back in and says, “Huh. THAT’S why you don’t spit into the wind.” 😳😳😳 Did you just…? What the heck? One, don’t DO that! Two, could your brain not figure that out without actually trying it?! 🤦🏼♀️
Mare_Bear738 - Is absolutely correct. Bad Bad Leroy Brown is the song that turned him into a national entertainer after performing on the old Johnny Carson show. That song played on every radio station the next day almost once an hour - and it went on like that for weeks. People could not get enough of the song. The rest followed and were all hits.
I'm a big fan of "Workin' At The Car Wash Blues" by Jim Croce. I think it's the funniest song Jim ever wrote.
This was the first song I ever heard by Jim Croce, and I was fortunate enough to hear it when it first came out. I loved it. I was instantly a fan of his, and I can't think of a later song I didn't like. Oh, and by the way, Leroy Brown came out after Don't Mess Around With Jim. Also, the line in the lyrics where it says "you don't pull the mask off an ol' lone ranger" is a bit off. Jim was referring to the iconic Lone Ranger, which most of us back then grew up with. Comics and TV. "You don't pull the mask off that ol' Lone Ranger" would be corect. And as mentioned before, the "?" is where "The Bowery" goes. Was a tough area back then, as has been mentioned, but I knew the Bowery only from the comedies called The Bowery Boys (I'm in Texas). I loved watching them! Thanks so much for letting us watch with you, and God bless you both!
Croce has some great deep cut songs too...Working at the Car Wash Blues...Lover's Cross...and I Fell In Love with a Roller Derby Queen, are all worth checking out. There's a great clip on UA-cam of Roller Derby Queen with Croce explaining where the song came from. You get a great glimpse of his personality in that clip.
'Photograph's and Memories'. Cheers.
"Bad Bad Leroy Brown" would be a great follow up to this song.
The missing word was actually "The Bowery" is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan (NY). Here's a better, more detailed description of it from Wikipedia:
"The Bowery is a street and neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City, United States. The street runs from Chatham Square at Park Row, Worth Street, and Mott Street in the south to Cooper Square at 4th Street in the north. The eponymous neighborhood runs roughly from the Bowery east to Allen Street and First Avenue, and from Canal Street north to Cooper Square/East Fourth Street."
So, the song is saying, Uptown's got its hustlers, and The Bowery's got its bums ... rough places, indeed, but 42nd street's got Big Jim Walker who's a pool shark ... so ALL 3 places have people and things you need to look out for ... The Bowery is no different.
It *_IS_* weird that the person adding the lyrics, not only can't look up the words, but also can't "speel" OR capitalize worth a damn 🤣😂🤣😁😉!!!
"This escalates quickly".
History is very different than modern people.
I assume the word which was replace with a '?' in the second line was 'bowery'. Great tune!
One of his biggest hits was "Bad Bad Leroy Brown." That was played on the radio all the time in the 1970s. Great little ditty. 0-)
i_bfp
Geoff Castellucci from VoicePlay did a great cover of this song earlier this year that is worth listening to.
Another great song by Jim Croce is : "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown". Both this song and Bad, Bad Leroy Brown have a similar meaning. Please consider doing a reaction for it.
I’d love your reaction to the Car Wash Blues
You got a couple of good fun songs recommended below. Roller Derby Queen and Working at the Car Wash Blues. I will add Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy) all are upbeat and fun.
Roller Derby Queen, Workin' at the Car Wash Blues
I was a crying mess the day he passed. Please listen to I've got a name
For more fun ones (i.e. songs you HAVEN'T heard), I'd go with Working At The Car Wash Blues, Bad Bad Leroy Brown (you mentioned), Rapid Roy (That Stock Car Boy), Speedball Tucker and Roller Derby Queen. For his more romantic or serious side, I'd go for I Got A Name, Lover's Cross, I'll Have TO Say I Love You In A Song, One Less Set Of Footsteps, Walking Back To Georgia, New York's Not My Home and Photographs And Memories.
one of my favs by Jim from childhood was Bad Bad Leroy Brown. check it out.
Actually, "Roller Derby Queen" and " Rapid Roy" are also hilarious.
Phil and Samantha_ You are doing a terrific job with your song reactions.I would love for you to react to the song”Pieces of Dreams”by Johnny Mathis.The Live version from the Tonight Show.He was Barbra Streisand’s favorite singer when she was younger.She has said of him:”There are good singers;There are a handful of truly great singers;and then there is Johnny Mathis”. He is the third best- selling recording artist of the past century behind Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. This is a phenomenal performance by Johnny. A Must See!! I am sure you enjoy it and be floored by it. Please react to it. It is absolutely spectacular. He received two standing ovations that particular night.
@micheallandry Johnny Mathis was my mom's favorite. I grew up listening to him. Truly a one-of-a-kind voice! Top shelf!!
God bless you for sticking to just the words and music -- for anything pre-1990, video can only distract. It's not why the song is remembered. The first line that the lyric video couldn't understand was "Uptown got its hustlers, the Bowery got its bums."
"Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown" should be your next Croce song.
Cat Stevens - Wild World
Cat & Croce both great .
I dare you to find a Jim Croce song that's not a masterpiece 😊
Jim's first breakout hit. Bad, Nad Leroy Brown, his biggest charting hit, came after. He had a Christmas spirit song called "It Doesn't Have To Be That Way" maybe check that out next.😊
I've never understood why anyone would prefer BIG BAD.
Have they reacted to "Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown'? If not, I'll suggest that one!
Bad Leroy Brown,and Time in a bottle are the 2 you need to check out next
The first ? is
The Bowery has it's boys.
A reference to the movie franchise the Bowery Boys.
I believe it is part of the slums of old Brooklyn.
It kind of reminds me of Ray Steven’s, “The Mississippi Squirrel Revival”. It’s a hilarious song if you want a laugh.
Bad Bad Leroy Brown is a great song ❤🔥
For your next Croce story, give an ear to "Roller Derby Queen".
Jim's most popular hit is Bad Bad Leroy Brown
It's done the same way Don't Mess Around With Jim is done
This song makes me wanna snap into a Slim Jim.
Bad,Bad Leroy Brown is like this one.
If you like upbeat Jim Croce check out Rapid Roy, the guitar picking is brilliant.
Some of the people who make lyric videos are barely literate. ; ) Leroy Brown and the roller derby queen are two more fun characters Jim brought to us in song.
The ? word was bowery. An area of NY city that was considered a rough neighborhood.
Maybe not for the channel but you may enjoy this sad Christmas song about a lonely man as the holiday approaches and the hope to rekindle a love lost. "It Doesn't Hvee To Be That Way"🎄🎄🎄
There you go! This is yet another reason why I always say to just stick to the straight up album versions of songs. Of course there are a couple of exceptions like Eve Of Destruction that has a good video associated with it that actually makes sense.
Cro-chay!
real fun.
And here's the problem with lyric videos. They often have incomplete or wrong lyrics. 😁
You might want to try out Bad Bad Leroy Brown, another uptempo song with a story of a bad guy getting his comeuppance.
Such a tongue in cheak song. Fictional characters in the chorus just make the story "pop". We all miss you Jim ❤
This song is taken from a true story please look it up!!
South Alabama legends: Forrest Gump and Slim.
You guys need an introduction to his son A.J. Croce. not sure which song would be a good start. Maybe That's Me In the Bar.
Cracks me up the people who love to do lyrics videos are illiterate.
Cadalac lmao
You should react to Gordon Lightfoot - The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald if you haven't. Great storytelling folk song.