Time in a Bottle

"Time in a Bottle"
Single by Jim Croce
from the album You Don't Mess Around with Jim
B-side	"Hard Time Losin' Man"
Released	November 1973
Format	7" 45 RPM
Recorded	1972
Genre	Folk rock
Length	2:30
Label	ABC
Writer(s)	Jim Croce
Producer	Terry Cashman
Certification	Gold
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 posthumous Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 Singles chart number-one hit for singer-songwriter Jim Croce. The song reached the top spot on the Billboard chart at the end of December 1973, three months after his death in a plane crash. It was the third posthumous number one single on the Hot 100. At the same time, it was a number-one hit on the Billboard Easy Listening chart.

The song was originally written for Croce's son, A.J., and appeared on his third album in 1972, You Don't Mess Around with Jim. The following year Croce would shoot to fame with his hit single "Bad Bad Leroy Brown", just months before the September 20 plane crash. Time in a Bottle was later used as the title for a compilation album of Croce's love songs.

In popular culture

The song started receiving widespread airplay in September 1973, after it was featured over the end credits of the ABC TV movie, She Lives!, starring Desi Arnaz Jr. and Season Hubley.

The song is featured in the R rated comedy The Hangover Part II.

This song was performed on an episode of The Muppet Show.

Covers

Time in a Bottle has been covered many times since its original release. These are some of the artists that have covered the song:

• Roger Williams on "The Best of the Beautiful"
• Nana Mouskouri on "Only Love"
• Glen Campbell on "Love Songs"
• Jerry Reed on Jerry Reed Sings Jim Croce
• Floyd Cramer on "Just Me and My Piano"
• The Ventures on "The Ventures Play the Jim Croce Songbook"
• Roger Whittaker on "Evergreens"
• Eddie Kendricks on "For You"
• Howard Keel on "I Loved You So"
• Lena Horne on "Lena & Michel"
• Michael English on "Jim Croce: A Nashville Tribute"
• Chris de Burgh on "Footsteps 2"
• Ricardo Arjona on "Animal Nocturno" Español

Track listing

7" Single (ABC-11405)

1. "Time In A Bottle" - 2:24
2. "Hard Time Losin' Man" - 2:23

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1973–1974)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	1
U.S. Cash Box Top 100	1
Canadian RPM Top Singles	1
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary	1
Australian Top 100 Singles	60

Year-end charts

Chart (1974)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	24
U.S. Cash Box Top 100	36
Canadian RPM Top Singles	39

Certifications

Country	Certification
United States	Gold (RIAA)

Chart procession and succession

Preceded by "The Most Beautiful Girl" by Charlie Rich	US Billboard Hot 100 number one single December 29, 1973 – January 5, 1974	Succeeded by "The Joker" by Steve Miller Band
Preceded by "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)" by Helen Reddy	US Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one single December 29, 1973 – January 11, 1974	Succeeded by "The Way We Were" by Barbra Streisand
Preceded by "The Most Beautiful Girl" by Charlie Rich	Canadian RPM 100 number one single January 12–18, 1974	Succeeded by "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks
Preceded by "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)" by Helen Reddy	US Cash Box number one single January 12–18, 1974	Succeeded by "The Joker" by Steve Miller Band
Preceded by "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)" by Helen Reddy	Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary number one single January 19 – February 1, 1974	Succeeded by "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks