The No. 1 Song On July 20, 1973 Sounds Even More Rockin' Today

Songs with a carefree or singalong energy often perform well during the summer, and this smash hit from one of the most talented singer-songwriters of the 1970s, Jim Croce, is no exception. Though the charts of 1973 were dominated by catchy pop music, soul and R&B, and, of course, rock 'n' roll, the week that ended July 21 that year was not topped by any of these genres — rather, the lighthearted blues-infused folk rock masterpiece, "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown."

Croce was best known for his stellar work produced in the early 1970s. Before 1973, he'd had two major chart successes the year prior: "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" from his album of the same name, which reached No. 8 in September, and "Operator (That's Not the Way it Feels)," a No. 17 hit that supports 1972 as being the decade's best year for Americana music. He'd return in full force in the summer of '73, when his impossibly catchy song "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" stormed to the top of the charts for the first time in his career by July 20, remaining at No. 1 for two weeks. It's an unforgettable height of '70s music that almost everyone can agree on, and is still an enjoyable listen over 50 years later.  

"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" uses now-iconic imagery and colorful details to tell the story of a villainous figure, Leroy Brown, who terrorizes the South Side of Chicago. Though it balances a lax, feel-good tone with the details of the story, Jim Croce performs a masterclass of character study as he fleshes out the leading antagonist to feel larger than life. It's an excellent balance, coming together in a chorus that just about any music fan can recognize immediately: "And he's bad, bad Leroy Brown / The baddest man in the whole damn town / Badder than old King Kong / And meaner than a junkyard dog." 

Croce's songwriting blends his everyman aesthetic with a real poetic touch, appealing to both folk fans and mass audiences alike, but "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" was able to attain its star power — and its longevity — thanks to a superb arrangement. The song is headlined by a bright, soulful piano that complements Croce's warm drawl, and though the instruments remain light throughout the runtime — a quiet bass and acoustic guitars — it builds into a harmonic finale thanks to a choir of background vocals. 

Sadly, this major success would be the last Croce saw of his own music. "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" was the final single he ever released in his lifetime, as on September 20, 1973, Croce died in a plane crash after performing a show at Northwestern State College in Louisiana. Soon after his death, Croce's song "Time in a Bottle" also hit No. 1 in December of '73.