Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 1, 2026

Time in a Bottle

"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.

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Aug 1, 2026
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"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)
ReleasedNovember 1973
RecordedJanuary–March 1972
StudioThe Hit Factory (New York, NY)1
Genre
Length2:29
LabelABC
SongwriterJim Croce
ProducersTerry Cashman, Tommy West
Jim Croce singles chronology
"I Got a Name"
(1973) 		"Time in a Bottle"
(1973) 		"It Doesn't Have to Be That Way"
(1973)

"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

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

  1. "Time in a Bottle" – 2:24
  2. "Hard Time Losin' Man" – 2:23

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.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

References

  1. Ruhlmann, William. "Jim Corce - You Don't Mess Around With Jim: Ratings & Reviews". AllMusic. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  2. Breihan, Tom (May 1, 2019). "The Number Ones: Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle"". Stereogum. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  3. Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 7th edition, Billboard Books, 2000, p. 159.
  4. Hyatt, Wesley. The Billboard Book of Number One Adult Contemporary Hits, Billboard Books, 1999, p. 132.
  5. Eskow, Gary (November 2009). "Classic Tracks: Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle"". Mix (magazine). Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  6. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. November 17, 1973. p. 20. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  7. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. November 17, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  8. Zellner, Xander (June 27, 2018). "Artists Who Hit No. 1 On The Hot 100 Posthumously: XXXTentacion & More". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  9. Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top Pop Albums 1955–1985, Record Research Inc., 1985, p. 88, 505.
  10. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Time in a Bottle: Jim Croce's Greatest Love Songs". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  11. "Jim Croce – Time in a Bottle". discogs. 1973. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  12. "Time in a Bottle (song by Jim Croce) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". musicvf.com. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  13. "Top Singles – Volume 20, No. 23, January 19 1974". collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  14. "Adult Contemporary – Volume 20, No. 23, January 19 1974". collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  15. "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1974". www.cashboxmagazine.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2010.
  16. "The RPM Year-End Charts: 1974". collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  17. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  18. "New Zealand single certifications – Jim Croce – Time in a Bottle". Radioscope. Retrieved May 5, 2026. Type Time in a Bottle in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  19. "American single certifications – Jim Croce – Time in a Bottle". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  20. Jackson, Don (January 9, 2013). "Jim Croce hits Number 1 with 'Time in a Bottle'". WMJI. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  21. "Marketing & Media Decisions". Decisions Publications. April 30, 1983. Retrieved April 30, 2018 – via Google Books. Mateus highlights "Time in a Bottle" campaign on spot tv. Thirty- second spots created by Shaller Rubin & Winer link Mateus with romance and intimacy to the tune of Jim Croce's love ballad, "Time ...
  22. "Art Direction". Advertising Trade Publications. April 30, 1984. Retrieved April 30, 2018 – via Google Books. Last year's Mateus ad centered around Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle," and the current spot continues on a similar note with its "Spend the good times with Mateus" ...
  23. "Beverage World". Keller Publishing Corporation. April 30, 1985. Retrieved April 30, 2018 – via Google Books. The major advertislng support for Mateus during the past growth year was the 'Time in a Bottle" television spot, with its message. "Spend the Good Times with Mateus."
  24. Board, Josh (May 26, 2011). "MOVIE REVIEW: The Hangover Part II". SanDiego.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  25. O'Connell, Sean (May 23, 2014). "How Did They Film Quicksilver's Amazing X-Men: Days Of Future Past Scene?". Cinema Blend. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  26. "Apple enlists help of Cookie Monster to highlight 'Hey Siri' in new iPhone 6s ad". Apple Insider. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  27. Erdmann, Kevin (October 24, 2024). "Agatha All Along Episode 7 Easter Eggs & Marvel References". Screen Rant. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
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