Shortly before his father's death in a 1973 plane crash, Croce's family moved west to San Diego, California, where his mother, Ingrid, raised him.
At the age of four, Croce was completely blinded, as the result of a brain tumor. Between the ages of four and ten, Croce gradually regained vision in his left eye. It was during this difficult time in Croce's life that he began to play the piano. "I learned to play music by listening and playing along to the radio and to records..." Croce says, "At some point I was given the music of Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder as inspiration, which it was, and has been ever since."
Croce's first paying gig was at the age of 12, when he was paid $20 to perform at a Bat-Mitzvah party. By the age of 16, Croce was performing regularly at San Diego nightclubs, as a sideman and band leader. Croce reflects, "I was into every kind of music... you might say I was unfocused, but I consider an eclectic taste in music to be the foundation of versatility." Croce's house burned down when he was age 15.
Ron Goldstein and Peter Bauman of Private Music signed Croce to his first record deal at age 19. He recorded two CDs for Private Music: his self-titled debut, "A.J. Croce," produced by T-Bone Burnett and John Simon, and "That's Me In The Bar," produced by Jim Keltner, and featuring artists such as Ry Cooder, David Hidalgo, and Keltner himself.
Croce's third release, "Fit To Serve," was recorded in Memphis, and produced by Jim Gaines, who had previously produced Van Morrison, Santana, and The Steve Miller Band. Croce then took a musical turn with the release of his album Transit. He explained, "I had been playing blues-based music for a long time, and I was ready to try something new." Transit was compared by critics to the work of John Lennon, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, and Van Morrison. Glen Starkey of New Times labeled Croce "a song crafter of the first order."
A fifth CD, titled "Adrian James Croce" was released in the summer of 2004, and a sixth CD, Cantos, in 2006.
Croce has performed as an opening act for artists such as Carlos Santana, Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, James Brown, Ben Harper, Dave Matthews, Earth, Wind and Fire and Ray Charles. He has also performed on such national venues as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Austin City Limits.
Coraline
A.J. Croce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well she calls me nonetheless
She′s as helpless as the mistress
Lying in her bed undressed
She sang (La, La, La, La)
She cries (La, La, La, La)
Coraline (La, La, La, La)
She's mine (La, La, La, La)
I've got a heartache trying to kill me
I'm half blind but what I do see
Ain′t what she wants or what it could be
Coraline′s goona fill her cup
Coraline get a little mixed up
Coraline ain't that love
Coraline
I see the pages named and numbered
And toward the back their torn asunder
Don′t know what kind of spell I'm under
Until the end I′ll have to wonder
In A.J. Croce's song Coraline, the singer is hopelessly in love with a girl named Coraline, who he describes as "helpless as the mistress lying in her bed undressed." Despite her calling him hopeless, she still calls him, and he cannot help but feel drawn to her. Coraline is shrouded in mystery, with a romance that the singer cannot decipher, which only adds to his heartache. He is half-blind to what is occurring between them, and whatever it is, it is not what Coraline wants or what it could be. Despite the confusion and the heartache, the singer cannot help but be drawn to her, and Coraline fills his cup, even if that means getting a little mixed up.
The lyrics suggest a tumultuous relationship between the singer and Coraline, with him constantly seeking her love even as he acknowledges her mystery and the heartache it brings him. The torn pages allude to the incompleteness of their relationship, with the singer unsure of what lies ahead. The repetition of "La, La, La, La" in the chorus adds to the dreamlike quality of the song, which only adds to the mystery of Coraline.
Line by Line Meaning
Though she calls me hopeless
Despite her thoughts of my inadequacy
Well she calls me nonetheless
But she still chooses to communicate with me
She′s as helpless as the mistress
The object of her affection has no control in the situation
Lying in her bed undressed
Succumbing to the whims of her passion
She sang (La, La, La, La)
Expressing herself in a non-verbal manner
She cries (La, La, La, La)
Expressing her emotional turmoil with the same sounds
Coraline (La, La, La, La)
The subject of her affection
She's mine (La, La, La, La)
Asserting her ownership over Coraline
She′s got a romance made of mystery
Coraline's love life is enigmatic
I've got a heartache trying to kill me
I am struggling with emotional pain
I'm half blind but what I do see
I have limited perception but still possess some understanding
Ain′t what she wants or what it could be
But it doesn't align with Coraline's desires or its true potential
Coraline′s goona fill her cup
Coraline will fulfill her desires
Coraline get a little mixed up
Coraline will experience confusion and uncertainty
Coraline ain't that love
This isn't true love
Coraline
A repeated reference to Coraline as the subject of this song
I see the pages named and numbered
Having clear direction and structure to my life
And toward the back their torn asunder
But experiencing chaos and destruction towards the end
Don′t know what kind of spell I'm under
Unsure of what force is controlling my life
Until the end I′ll have to wonder
I won't understand until the end of my life
Writer(s): Adrian James Croce
Contributed by Nathan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@vilmadsouza7699
What a lovely song. A true son of the great Jim Croce.
@tammanyfields3583
Beautiful. My sister went to Boarding School with you when you were really little. She always said you were so precious and carried your dads guitar with you all the time.
@aaronkatz2024
Wow , I was wondering 💭 if he has his dad Martin D35 guitar 🎸 and you answered that guitar 🎸 I would pay top dollar for if I was really rich Jim croces d35 that is
@sirluke7
This is awesome... wish I would hear it on the radio.....
The great Joe Cocker I could see him covering this song.
Need more music A.J. bravo!
@thepatricklynch
My favorite artist of all time. Met him when I was about ten years old, his guitarist at the time introduced me and got me his signature. He is still my main musical inspiration. Thanks AJ for what do man.
@kayalizzie
His voice is smooth as butter and that piano is jammin’. Wonderful, cool piece. Well done, AJ 👏🏻❤️
@wranglerxx
May I say today I was reminiscing to the cool tunes of my day, the 70's, and got lost in some old Jim Croce tunes. I listened and began curiously researching some life stories and times and it led me to be here. What a delightful find! I have become today a fan. Awesome tune and video. Saved to my favs.
@noahwilson3025
your dad smiles every time you sing, its a good thing. love your music!
@yogame5199
I love your dad😢😢😢
rest in peace jim croce
@RealOGMudbone
Talent is deep in the Croce blood