"Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)" is a 1972 song written by

Jim Croce James Joseph Croce (; January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973) was an American folk and rock singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, he released five studio albums and numerous singles. During this period, Croce took a series of odd jobs to p ...

. Croce's record was released on August 23, 1972. It was the second single released from Croce's album ''

You Don't Mess Around with Jim ''You Don't Mess Around with Jim'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Jim Croce, released in April 1972. History and release The album was recorded over a three to four-week period for approximately $18,000, with most fundi ...

''. It reached a peak of #17 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in December 1972, spending twelve weeks on the chart. There is a similar song written by

Ron "Pigpen" McKernan Ronald Charles McKernan (September 8, 1945 – March 8, 1973), known as Pigpen, was an American musician. He was a founding member of the San Francisco band the Grateful Dead and played in the group from 1965 to 1972. McKernan grew up he ...

of the Grateful Dead and released on their 1970 '' American Beauty'' album. However, Croce's song predates the McKernan song by several years . There are numerous mid-1960s recordings available of Jim Croce performances that include his exact version of "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)." While the song-stories are similar, they are distinctly different songs.

Content

'' Cash Box'' described the lyrics saying that "in James Taylor fashion, Jim Croce tries to track down his long lost lover with the help of the operator." The song relates one side of a conversation with a telephone operator. The speaker is trying to find the phone number of his former lover, who has moved to Los Angeles with his former best friend. He wants to demonstrate to both of them that he is well and over their betrayal, but admits to the operator that he is not. After the operator has given him the number, he is unable to read it, apparently due to the tears in his eyes. He then changes his mind and tells the operator not to place the call, appreciatively adding "you can keep the dime" (the then standard toll he had deposited in a payphone). The story was inspired during Croce's military service, during which time he saw lines of soldiers waiting to use the outdoor phone on base, many of them calling their wives or girlfriends to see if their

Dear John letter A Dear John letter is a letter written to a man by his wife or romantic partner to inform him that their relationship is over, usually because his partner has found another lover. The man is often a member of the military stationed overseas, alth ...

was true.

Live performances

In 1973 Croce performed "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)" on the series '' The Midnight Special''. Live versions of the song have also been released on the albums '' Jim Croce Live: The Final Tour'' and '' Have You Heard: Jim Croce Live''.

Track listing

7" Single (ABC-11335) # "Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)" - 3:45 # "Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy) " - 2:40

Chart performance

References

{{Jim Croce 1972 singles Jim Croce songs Songs about telephone calls Songs written by Jim Croce 1972 songs ABC Records singles Vertigo Records singles