Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the No. 3 single "Fire and Rain" and had his first No. 1 hit the following year with "You've Got a Friend", a recording of Carole King's classic song. His 1976 Greatest Hits album was certified Diamond and has sold 12 million US copies. Following his 1977 album, JT, he has retained a large audience over the decades. Every album that he released from 1977 to 2007 sold over 1 million copies. He enjoyed a resurgence in chart performance during the late 1990s and 2000s, when he recorded some of his most-awarded work (including Hourglass, October Road, and Covers). He achieved his first number-one album in the US in 2015 with his recording Before This World.
He is known for his popular covers of other people's songs, such as "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" and the aforementioned "You've Got A Friend", as well as originals such as "Fire and Rain".
Taylor's four siblings (Alex, Livingston, Hugh, and Kate) have also been musicians with recorded albums. Livingston is still an active musician; Kate was active in the 1970s but did not record another album until 2003; Hugh operates a bed-and-breakfast with his wife, The Outermost Inn in Aquinnah on Martha's Vineyard; and Alex died in 1993 on James's birthday.
After his divorce from Carly Simon in 1983, Taylor married actress Kathryn Walker on December 14, 1985 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. She had helped him get off heroin, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1996.
On February 18, 2001, at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Boston, Taylor wed for the third time, marrying Caroline ("Kim") Smedvig, the director of public relations and marketing for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.[81] They had begun dating in 1995, when they met as he appeared with John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra. Part of their relationship was worked into the album October Road, on the song "On the 4th of July". The couple reside in the town of Washington, Massachusetts, with their twin boys, Rufus and Henry, born in April 2001. Henry shares James' intrest and talents.
Sally and Ben, his children with Carly Simon, have also embarked on musical careers. After they were born, Taylor moved with his family to Lenox, Massachusetts.
A Junkie
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A junkie's sick, a monkey's strong, that's what's wrong.
Well, I guess he's been messing around downtown, so sad to see the man losing ground.
Winding down behind closed doors on all fours.
Mama, don't you call him my name, he can't hear you anymore.
Even if he seems the same to you, that's a stranger to your door.
Go on, ask him what's he come here for.
Oh my God, a monkey can move a man. Send him to hell and home again.
An empty hand in the afternoon, shooting for the moon.
It's halfway sick and it's halfway stoned. He'd sure like to kick but he's too far gone.
They wind him down with the methadone, he's all on his own.
But baby, don't you throw your love away, I hate to seem unkind.
It's only that I understand the man that the monkey can leave behind,
I used to think he was a friend of mine.
Oh, La la la la la la la la,
Oh, la la la la la la la la.
La la la, la la la, la la la la.
The lyrics of James Taylor's song A Junkie's Lament describe the sad reality of drug addiction. The first verses refer to a person called Ricky who has fallen into the trap of drug abuse. The words "kicking the gong" in the opening line are slang for using opium, and "lickity-split" implies that it has not taken long for the addiction to take hold. The term "monkey" when used in this context is a derogatory term for someone addicted to drugs, and the image of a junkie as a sick individual with a monkey on their back is well established.
The next lines describe how Ricky has been "messing around downtown", implying that he is unable to maintain his normal life due to his addiction. The phrase "all fours" suggests that he is crawling about looking for his next fix. The chorus of the song is sung to Ricky's mother, imploring her not to call him by name, as it elicits no response from him. "It's only that I understand the man that the monkey can leave behind" suggests that the drug addiction has changed Ricky into someone else entirely. The song ends on a sad note, but the lyrics paint an accurate picture of the struggles of addiction.
Line by Line Meaning
Ricky's been kicking the gong, lickity-split, didn't take too long.
Ricky's been using drugs at a rapid pace, it didn't take him long to become addicted.
A junkie's sick, a monkey's strong, that's what's wrong.
Drug addicts are ill, but the addiction is strong, that's the problem.
Well, I guess he's been messing around downtown, so sad to see the man losing ground.
Ricky has been hanging out downtown, it's unfortunate to see him deteriorating.
Winding down behind closed doors on all fours.
Ricky is getting high behind closed doors on all fours.
Mama, don't you call him my name, he can't hear you anymore.
Don't refer to Ricky as my son, he's too high to hear you.
Even if he seems the same to you, that's a stranger to your door.
Even if Ricky still looks like the same person to you, he's a stranger now.
Go on, ask him what's he come here for.
Ask Ricky what his purpose in life is now that he's addicted to drugs.
Oh my God, a monkey can move a man. Send him to hell and home again.
Drug addiction has a powerful grip, sending a person back and forth between life and death.
An empty hand in the afternoon, shooting for the moon.
Without drugs, life seems empty, but drugs offer false hope of reaching the 'moon'.
It's halfway sick and it's halfway stoned. He'd sure like to kick but he's too far gone.
Ricky's addiction is somewhere between illness and being high, he wants to quit, but it's too late.
They wind him down with the methadone, he's all on his own.
Methadone is being used to help Ricky's addiction, but ultimately he's alone in the battle.
But baby, don't you throw your love away, I hate to seem unkind.
Don't give up on loving Ricky, even though it's hard for me to say.
It's only that I understand the man that the monkey can leave behind,
I understand the person that drug addiction has turned Ricky into.
I used to think he was a friend of mine.
I used to be friends with Ricky before the drugs took over his life.
Oh, La la la la la la la la,
Oh, la la la la la la la la.
La la la, la la la, la la la la.
These lines are just meaningless filler and don't contribute to the song's overall meaning.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind