What Makes Jim Croce’s Operator So Unique

In this episode my friend and fellow YouTuber Mary Spender and I analyze and react to Jim Croce's classic hit "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)".

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[peggymuehleisenstahlin]

Tears streaming as I listen to your commentary. Knowing that you have recognized our brother Maury’s musical talent is heartwarming. It’s 49 years now and the memories are like an unbelievable yesterday. Thank you for remembering and honoring their lives.

[BlueSun]

I too was crying through the entire commentary. Before Jim Croce ever recorded, I was a friend of his and his wife, Ingrid's. I was 5 or so years younger, a folk guitar accompanist (I still play at 75) and part of a group who used to meet at Jim's old white farmhouse near Lindell (IIRC), in the western exurbs of Philadelphia around 1970. We'd sit around on the lawn drinking beer, playing guitars, singing traditional songs & some of Jim & Ingrid's earliest works (see his album "Jim & Ingrid Croce" from the late '60s for these) & having the time of our lives. Everybody could see that, if he ever got his break, Jim was going to be something extra special in the folk world. The songs that he had already written were among the best I've ever heard with "Operator (That's Not the Way it Feels)" in the #1 position ("Operator" was officially listed as written in 1972, but Jim recorded it on singles as early as the mid-60s). I have always loved the way Jim & Maury blended their guitar styles to the point where 1 + 1 was so much greater than 2. They combined to blend all of the best of Martin guitars' low & high ranges. I'd love to see you analyze "Time in a Bottle" (which reached #1 on the charts posthumously), another song I simply can't listen to without crying. Play it all the way through before you start to dissect it for its full effect. The thought of all that Jim and Maury missed in life that should have been their time to shine to the world is tragic. It is always crushing to lose a friend, but to see Jim & his brilliance, along with Maury's, which sadly passed almost unnoticed outside of the musician world) resurrected 5 decades later is a remarkable synthesis of Joy and Sadness. Thank you for rediscovering Jim's "Operator, " one of the all-time most moving songs I've ever heard. Perhaps the perfect song.

BTW, not only did Ingrid perform herself for a number of years before opening her restaurant in California, but Jim's son, A. J. does remarkable covers of his father's songs.

[mhsewbiz]

I'm 78 years old, and a former telephone and directory assistance operator, mostly all-night shift. Loved it! Every time I hear this song, he is singing to me! I can so relate to this! ♥ Such a classic and clever song!

[ferdiremo]

Jim is just like a shooting star. A short burst of amazing that left us wanting for more.

[Souzawrites]

I saw his son in concert last year and he explained where this song came from. His father was in the army stationed at Fort Dix, and when the soldiers had free time, they'd line up at the only pay phone on base to wait their turn to call home to talk to their girls. While he waited for his turn, he heard one side of tragedies playing out before his eyes as soldier's girls moved on while they were away. As a song writer, he realized it was pure gold.

[marksc]

Rick I hate to admit it … but every single time this masterpiece of a tune comes on … someone starts chopping onions 🥲

[pentaholicproductions]

i’m a 17 year old girl and i’ve had a strong emotional connection to Jim Croce’s music ever since last year. he’s gotten me through hard times 🤍 young people can totally connect to older music although the lyrics may describe a world we can’t fully relate to, the emotions held in the music transcends the barriers :)

[michellemichon]

I attended A.J. Croce's concert last night. What a wonderful storyteller & entertainer he is. We all laughed, cried & sang along to the songs. It was a magical night. Extra appreciation for your video. LOVE

[kevingreen]

This song has always murdered me. Croce was able to communicate what the rest of us can only feel. Brilliant.

[alanclayton]

I love the way Mary slips in the vocal, in a seemingly casual way...and it's heaven.

[garrett]

Jim Croce was such a phenomenal songwriter because he could make meaningful and deep emotional connections with the listener with conversational diction while being musically fluid yet deceptively complicated. I always recommend him to others in my generation (Millennials), hoping they will take the time to truly listen and appreciate his music.

[snausages]

I've listened to this song hundreds of times, but still every single time the "you can keep the dime..." line gives me the feels.

[sarradet]

There is more to this story. Jim's inspiration came from this time in the army in the 1960s. I served in the 80s and it was the same. There were pay phones near the barracks and soldiers would line up for their turn calling home to talk to their parents, wives, and girlfriends. That "old friend" Ray had the universal name of "Jody" among soldiers and he was the guy who would steal your girl while you were away. We even had cadences we sang while running and marching about what we would do to "Jody" when we got back home. Many times, the soldier found out during one of these not so private phone calls and the other soldiers in the line could hear enough to know that Jody has struck again. Any soldier who served before cell phones can identify with this part of military service. I recall an interview Croce gave where he explained all this as his inspiration for Operator.

[oscardiggs]

As a huge Croce fan, I need a cover album of his hits sung by Mary. Such a gorgeous voice for this material.

[kevinlurker]

Jim deserves incredible accolades for his gift of word. Storytellers always got to me. The complexity that comes out of a few well placed words, open up a canvas for your own mind to paint. That's a rare gift. Just look at how Rick and Mary react. They know!

[floydthebarber]

Jim's "You can keep the dime" is the greatest throwaway line in rock history.

[ralex]

This song still makes me teary eyed, especially when he says, there’s something in my eyes.
It’s a masterpiece, they don’t write them like this anymore. Jim Croce was a legend, what a tragic ending to a beautiful soul. Gut wrenching.

[bradwitt]

I was at his last concert at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Such a solid performance that night, the singing, guitar playing, harmony... all of it. He did "I got A Name" which was released the next day. Such a full life, productively, in such a short time span. One of a kind.

[joelpanetta]

One of the GREATEST songs ever written. Jim's writing & Maury's guitar was just incredible.

[chrisgirth]

One of my all time favorite songs. I have sat and contemplated the lyrics to this song. His cadence and conversation with himself is unparalleled songwriting. Unsung hero of this song is Maury. Could listen to this a million times and never get sick of it.