Wonderland Burlesque's The Twelve Days Before Xmas - Day Eleven: It Doesn't Have To Be That Way by Jim Croce

Wonderland Burlesque's

The Twelve Days Before Xmas

 Day Eleven: 

It Doesn't Have To Be That Way by Jim Croce

Time to climb back into the Wonderland Burlesque time machine and countdown to the big day. This holiday season, the dial is set for the 1970's!

Oh, you are in for a treat, so grab a seat and buckle up. 

The seventies was a decade of change, turbulence and sweetness. Nowhere is this more felt than in the breadth and depth of the music of the time. There were so many different genres being developed, evolving and seeking validation on the radio and the industry music charts, it was a virtual musical cornucopia.  

So, get ready for another song of the season by one of our biggest (and not so big) stars, here, stateside, and across the pond, who made the seventies truly magical. 

Next up... it's a lovely ballad by the late Jim Croce.

From Wikipedia:

It Doesn't Have to Be That Way is a song written and recorded by Jim Croce for his 1973 album Life and Times. Originally released early that year as the B-side of the One Less Set of Footsteps single, it was reissued that December as the third and final single from the album, as well as Croce's second posthumously-released single. It reached a peak of #64 on the Billboard Hot 100, spending five weeks on the chart.

In the song, the narrator reveals himself to be a man who has recently ended a relationship. As the holiday season approaches, the Christmas atmosphere in his town is evident nearly everywhere, with falling snow, Christmas lights, the corner Santa Claus,  tinsel, and caroling choirs. The narrator finds room for optimism, suggesting that "it doesn't have to be that way," and that his relationship with his former love could easily be rekindled if only given a second chance.

The song remains one of Croce's most beloved.

 

It Doesn't Have To Be That Way - Jim Croce