The Finest Line
by A.J. Croce (featuring Margo Price)

Album: Heart Of The Eternal (2025)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song deals with the fragility of love: "Between our loving arms is drawn the finest line."

    It's a duet between A.J. Croce (Jim Croce's only child) and the country singer Margo Price.

    "I was not initially planning on recording as a duet," Croce said on the Songfacts Podcast. "I had never met Margo Price. She just stumbled into the studio the second or third day of tracking, heard what we were doing and offered to sing on something."
  • Most of A.J. Croce's songs come out of him quickly, but not this one. He told Songfacts how it came together:

    "I had been brooding over those lyrics for about a year, even though they're relatively simple, because I wanted them to be really effective. I had written it on guitar. The day I was leaving for LA, I was on the phone with my girlfriend and I was playing it on piano. I had played it for her on guitar, but something resonated with it on piano - it was so much more emotional and dramatic. I finished the lyrics on the plane flying out there that day.

    When Margo offered to join on a song, I was trying to think where it could be most special to have a guest like her. When I looked at that song and took the verse and broke it in half, I realized it was a really interesting conversation. It answered a question with a question. It had a Gothic feel to it, but it was very much in keeping with a spiritual connection to something deeper. It's a conversation.

    I felt lucky that there was an opportunity to explore that - it hadn't even been in my mind that that would be how it was done."
  • The song is part of A.J. Croce's 2025 album Heart Of The Eternal. By this time, he had been performing his dad's songs in addition to his own. That change of heart came around 2013 when he felt established in his own right. Unlike his dad, who was tethered to his guitar, A.J.'s primary instrument is piano.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.

Frankie Valli

Frankie ValliSong Writing

An interview with Frankie Valli, who talks about why his songs - both solo and with The Four Seasons - have endured, and reflects on his time as Rusty Millio on The Sopranos.

Stan Ridgway

Stan RidgwaySongwriter Interviews

Go beyond the Wall of Voodoo with this cinematic songwriter.

Gene Simmons of Kiss

Gene Simmons of KissSongwriter Interviews

The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."

Glen Burtnik

Glen BurtnikSongwriter Interviews

On Glen's résumé: hit songwriter, Facebook dominator, and member of Styx.

Eagles Lyrics Quiz

Eagles Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

Lots of life lessons in these Eagles lyrics - can you match them to the correct song?