"Time in a Bottle" is a song by singer-songwriter Jim Croce. It appeared on Croce's 1972 ABC third album You Don't Mess Around with Jim and was featured in the 1973 ABC made-for-television movie She Lives!. After Croce 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.Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 7th edition, Billboard Books, 2000, p. 159.
Composition Croce wrote the lyrics after his wife, Ingrid, told him she was pregnant in December 1970.Hyatt, Wesley. The Billboard Book of Number One Adult Contemporary Hits, Billboard Books, 1999, p. 132. The arrangement features a harpsichord that producer Tommy West discovered had been left in the mixing studio.
Reception Cash Box magazine called the song "a sweet, tender ballad filled with Croce's magical vocal touch". Record World called it "an instant classic and an extremely moving record."
"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.
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.Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top Pop Albums 1955–1985, Record Research Inc., 1985, p. 88, 505.
In 1977, "Time in a Bottle" was used as the title of a compilation album of Croce's love songs.
Track listing 7" single (ABC-11405) "Time in a Bottle" – 2:24 "Hard Time Losin' Man" – 2:23
Personnel Sources:
Jim Croce – rhythm guitar, vocals Maury Muehleisen – lead acoustic guitar Tommy West – harpsichord, bass
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1973–1974)PeakpositionAustralian Top 100 Singles60Canadian RPM Top Singles1Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary1U.S. Billboard Hot 1001U.S. Billboard Easy Listening1U.S. Cash Box Top 100 1
Year-end charts Chart (1974)RankCanadian RPM Top Singles39U.S. Billboard Hot 10024U.S. Cash Box Top 10036
Certifications
In popular culture The song was performed on a 1977 episode of The Muppet Show. The song was used in television commercials for Mateus wine in 1983. The song was sung by Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong) and Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis) in an elevator in The Hangover Part II. The song was featured in X-Men: Days of Future Past in a slow-motion sequence showcasing the character Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver. In 2016, Apple released an iPhone 6s commercial called "Timer" which played some of "Time in a Bottle"; the commercial also features Sesame Streets Cookie Monster interacting with Siri. The song was featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series Agatha All Along end credits for episode seven "Death's Hand in Mine".
References
External links Lyrics of this song