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.
Auld Lang Syne
James Taylor Lyrics
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And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet
And surely ye'll be your pint stowp!
And surely I'll be mine!
And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne
We twa hae run about the braes,
An pou'd the gowans fine
But we've wander'd mony a weary fitt,
Sin' auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne
We twa hae paidl'd in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar'd,
Sin auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne
And there's a hand, my trusty fiere!
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll take a right gude-willie waught,
For auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne
The song "Auld Lang Syne" by James Taylor is a reflection on old times and old acquaintances. In the song, the singer asks the question of whether old friends should be forgotten and never thought of again. The phrase "auld lang syne" can be translated to "old times" or "long, long ago." The song then continues with a chorus which suggests that, despite everything that has changed, the singer and his old friends can still raise a glass to each other for old times' sake.
The subsequent verses describe the singer's memories of his old friendship with someone who he used to "run about the braes" with and "pou'd the gowans," or picked daisies in the fields. They used to paddle in a burn and enjoyed each other's company until "seas between us braid hae roar'd." Finally, the song ends with a call to raise a glass and shake hands with "trustworthy friends" for old times' sake.
Line by Line Meaning
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
Should we forget the people from our past and never think of them again?
And never brought to mind?
Should we not even remember them?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Should we really forget old friends?
And auld lang syne!
Forget about it! We'll remember them anyway, for old time's sake!
For auld lang syne, my dear,
Just because time has passed, it doesn't mean we can't share a friendship like we used to.
For auld lang syne,
For old time's sake,
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet
We'll share a drink as a symbol of our long-lasting affection and respect.
And surely ye'll be your pint stowp!
You still have your glass, don't you?
And surely I'll be mine!
I still have mine too!
And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet,
Let's drink our friendship to the good old times!
We twa hae run about the braes,
We used to run around the hills together,
An pou'd the gowans fine
pulling flowers,
But we've wander'd mony a weary fitt,
But we've been through many difficult times since then.
Sin' auld lang syne
since those old days.
We twa hae paidl'd in the burn,
We used to play in the river,
Frae morning sun till dine;
From sunrise until nightfall,
But seas between us braid hae roar'd,
But we've been separated by great distances,
Sin auld lang syne.
since those old days.
And there's a hand, my trusty fiere!
And here's my hand, my dear old friend!
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And please give me yours!
And we'll take a right gude-willie waught,
And we'll share a good drink and a hearty laugh,
For auld lang syne.
for the sake of old times.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: TRADITIONAL, TERRY RENDALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind