Time in a Bottle
1973 single by Jim Croce
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"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.[3]
"Hey Tomorrow" (international)
| "Time in a Bottle" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by Jim Croce | ||||
| from the album You Don't Mess Around with Jim | ||||
| B-side | "Hard Time Losin' Man" (USA/Canada) "Hey Tomorrow" (international) | |||
| Released | November 1973 | |||
| Recorded | January–March 1972 | |||
| Studio | The Hit Factory (New York, NY)[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:29 | |||
| Label | ABC | |||
| Songwriter | Jim Croce | |||
| Producers | Terry Cashman, Tommy West | |||
| Jim Croce singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Composition
Croce wrote the lyrics after his wife, Ingrid, told him she was pregnant in December 1970.[4] The arrangement features a harpsichord that producer Tommy West discovered had been left in the mixing studio.[5]
Reception
Cash Box magazine called the song "a sweet, tender ballad filled with Croce's magical vocal touch".[6] Record World called it "an instant classic and an extremely moving record."[7]
"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.[8]
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.[9]
In 1977, "Time in a Bottle" was used as the title of a compilation album of Croce's love songs.[10]
Track listing
7" single (ABC-11405)[11]
- "Time in a Bottle" – 2:24
- "Hard Time Losin' Man" – 2:23
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
All-time charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[18] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[19] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
In popular culture
- The song was performed on a 1977 episode of The Muppet Show.[20]
- The song was used in television commercials for Mateus wine in 1983.[21][22][23]
- The song was sung by Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong) and Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis) in an elevator in The Hangover Part II.[24]
- The song was featured in X-Men: Days of Future Past in a slow-motion sequence showcasing the character Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver.[25]
- In 2016, Apple released an iPhone 6s commercial called "Timer" which played some of "Time in a Bottle"; the commercial also features Sesame Street's Cookie Monster interacting with Siri.[26]
- The song was featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series Agatha All Along end credits for episode seven "Death's Hand in Mine".[27]