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.
Ain
James Taylor Lyrics
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If there were a way to say it, you know I would have played it.
Well, I'm a man of few words, trying to find a rhyme
And finally it occurred to me that I'm wasting my time.
There ain't no rhyme or reason, ain't no time or season,
Ain't no way around it, I know I would have found it.
There ain't no song in the whole wide world could hardly sing without you.
Painters use their eyes to show us what they see
But when that canvas dries we all see it differently.
There ain't black or white, there ain't no day or night.
There ain't no way around it, y.ou know I would have found it
There ain't no song in the whole wide world could hardly sing without you.
There ain't no song in the whole wide world to tell you the way that I feel.
No, no, no, I might as well pack it on up,
Not even this song's gonna tell you the way that I feel.
The above lyrics are from James Taylor's song "Ain't no Sunshine". These lyrics express the songwriter's struggle to find the right words to convey his emotions. The first verse starts with the singer saying that there is no melody or harmony that can accurately describe his feelings. He goes on to say that he would have played it if there was a way to say it. The second verse states that there is no rhyme or reason, no time or season, and no way around it; he would have found it if there was. The third verse uses the metaphor of painters using their eyes to show what they see on a canvas, but people see it differently when it dries. The chorus repeats that there is no song that can accurately describe how he feels about the person he is addressing. The final verse admits defeat in expressing his emotions and declares that even this song cannot fully convey what he feels.
Line by Line Meaning
There ain't no melody and I can't find a harmony.
I can't create a melody or harmony for a song because of the absence of inspiration.
If there were a way to say it, you know I would have played it.
I would have expressed my feelings in a song if only I had the right words for it.
Well, I'm a man of few words, trying to find a rhyme
I struggle to find words to express my feelings in a song.
And finally it occurred to me that I'm wasting my time.
I realized that trying to write a song without inspiration is a fruitless effort.
There ain't no rhyme or reason, ain't no time or season,
I can't find any logical explanation or inspiration for my songwriting endeavors.
Ain't no way around it, I know I would have found it.
If there was a solution, I would have found it by now.
There ain't no song in the whole wide world could hardly sing without you.
You are my inspiration for every song I try to write, and without you, there is no song.
There ain't no song in the whole wide world to tell you the way that I feel.
No song could ever fully express my feelings for you.
Painters use their eyes to show us what they see
Painters rely on their visual perception to convey their art to their audience.
But when that canvas dries we all see it differently.
The perception of the art differs from person to person.
There ain't black or white, there ain't no day or night.
There is no clear distinction between good and bad or between right and wrong.
There ain't no way around it, you know I would have found it
Despite the lack of clarity, if there was a clear way to express my feelings, I would have found it.
No, no, no, I might as well pack it on up,
In the absence of inspiration, I might as well give up trying to write a song.
Not even this song's gonna tell you the way that I feel.
Even this song, which is about my inability to convey my emotions through music, cannot fully express my feelings.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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