"Operator" by Jim Croce

Jim Croce is one of the most beloved singer-songwriters of all times; a native of Philadelphia, he was instrumental in the development not only of the blue-eyed soul sound for which the city is known but also for the folk-rock fusion that helped define the sound of the 1970s.

When he died in a plane crash on this day in 1973 - the day before his third album was to be released - the music industry lost one of its best voices, not to mention one of its best lyricists. Although his string of hits was a short one, it has endured. Time in a Bottle, Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, and this one, Operator, are some of the most poignant and durable songs of the decade.

Croce's personal motto was: 'If you dig it, do it. If you really dig it, do it twice.' Right on.
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