You Don't Mess Around With Jim (1972)
Yesterday I watched a youtube short - an excerpt of an interview where Earl Sweatshirt described the "institution" of the album as an art form. I really appreciated the language he used to describe the process of listening through an album over and over, uncovering little nuggets that passed you by the last time, and thus understanding more readily and deeply the story the artist is telling. Over the last week I have been attempting this method of discovering an album, and Jim Croce's 1972 release You Don't Mess Around With Jim has been speaking to me and my soul. For years I have caught myself humming or singing a few of these songs to myself, but until now I have not traversed it cover to cover.
I'm not very experienced in music reviews, so I will go through with a few quick notes on each of the songs and maybe we will learn something along the way.
You Don't Mess Around With Jim
The titular track - this one tells the tense, tragic tale of two "pool-shooting" boys living fast. Jim, already established, is bested by Slim, and the chorus carries on with a slightly new sound. The piano backing paints a scene akin to a saloon, and it's a certified "catchy and easy to sing" banger.
Tomorrow's Gonna Be a Brighter Day
This song exemplifies one of my favorite traits of Croce's songwriting: he can write lines of densely syllabic lyrics which cascade into one another seamlessly. The story is one of a lover trying to convince his partner he will change for the better. Among the more memorable quotes is "nobody ever had a rainbow, baby, until he had the rain."
New York's Not My Home
Croce brings us into a slower, pensive and doubtful frame of mind here. I thought the guitar sounded choral, and the chromatic walking down of the bass is satisfying. Around the time, I believe Jim and his wife Ingrid were indeed leaving New York to return to Pennsylvania, so the inspiration for this song seems rather straightforward.
Hard Time Losin' Man
The snare drum is driving, and we can sing along if we want to. This is a hopeful song, a "my luck is so bad" kinda song. I thought it is funny that the narrator smokes an ounce of "oregano" and loses himself.
Photographs and Memories
Jim is reminding me of John Denver in this one. This is a beautiful ballad of remembrance for a loved one who is no longer around. Calling back to Earl Sweatshirt's comments, I think Photographs and Memories is my favorite song from this album that I hadn't known before. I have been processing a breakup this past week, so perhaps it is the timeliness of this song that is getting to me.
Walkin' Back to Georgia
I LOVE to hum and sing along to this one, and have been doing so for ages. Croce is giving us the thoughts of a remorseful and broke lover returning to one who was true to him in a previous time, perhaps trying to convince himself that he is going to settle with her. This song also contains what might be my favorite little guitar riff on the album, which comes right after "she's the girl who said she loved me" in each chorus - so delicious.
Operator (That's Not the Way it Feels)
Operator is one of the singles from this release, and among the more popular songs from the album. Like so many other songs here, there is a narrator dealing with thoughts of heartbreak and loss in love. This time, it comes in the form of a desperate conversation with a phone operator, in which he struggles to prove he is over it. I love the harmony between the guitars as they guide us through the tune.
Time in a Bottle
This song is the third single from the album, being released posthumously following Croce's tragic death in a plane crash (small aircraft are so dangerous). I find Jim's vocals to be softer and closer to ethereal in this song, hanging around in a minor key for some bits. "There never seems to be enough time to do the things you wanna do once you find 'em."
Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy)
The energetic blues guitar intro pulls us out of whatever funk we may have been in, introducing us to a "dirt track demon" by the name of Roy. There is more of the rapid fire lyricism on display, this time painting a portrait of a fearless racer, dripping with midcentury Americana charm. A tattoo that just says "hey" is so crazy...
Box #10
Box #10 reminds me of Hard Time Losin' Man, except the aspiring guitarist in this song is actually taking pretty serious losses. He is calling back to his parents to ask for money, fighting embarrassment and shame. I really don't know what to do with this one. Maybe this guy is just lying or irresponsible and using his family to fund his lifestyle.
A Long Time Ago
I interpret this one as a fairly direct message Jim is singing to his wife Ingrid, especially understanding that for years she performed with him on the road. The intertwined, layered voices of the guitars echo how our lives overlap with one another in love. "I will go if you will take me . . . I am so alone"
Hey Tomorrow
The rhythmic guitar and marching bass in the introduction will always get me. In Hey Tomorrow, we have a person admitting their humility/humanity to an abstract concept of the future, or the universe. To me, this track is about finding the resolve to continue on in a world which will put you on your ass and leave you with nothing. I have found myself singing this one a lot lately - this is like my song of my lifetime right now.
Hey tomorrow, you better believe that
I'm through wasting what's left of me
'Cause night is falling,
and the dawn is calling
I'll have a new day if she'll have me
Playing and replaying and digesting this album has been a really informative and enjoyable experience for me. I loved sitting out on the porch, singing along and crying and thinking about all the people that I have met and will meet in this lifetime. I introduced myself to my neighbor Ahan with snot running down my face lol, it was beautiful. Organizing my thoughts and feelings about this music has been a great exercise as well - I hope that you enjoyed reading if you made it this far. And ultimately, I hope you go listen to You Don't Mess Around With Jim.
