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.
B.S.U.R.
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hoping I'm gonna change
Giving it up just a little bit more
Each time I come home
Looking and acting strange
Putting her down for putting up with me
(Chorus)
As you see as I am I am
Be as you are
As you see as I am I am
Do you think you might improve me
Trying to take control
Watching every little thing I do
Just like a bleeding movie
Just like a leading role
Mama, this ain't me and I don't
Believe that's you
- Chorus -
First you make believe
I believe the things
That you make believe
And I'm bound to let you down
Then it's I who have been deceiving
Purposely misleading
And all along you believed in me
So we circle around one another
Playing I guessing game
Strangers at this masquerade
Pretending to know each other
We strain to catch a name
And never see the mistakes we must have made
- Chorus -
In James Taylor's song "B.S.U.R.", the singer reflects on a troubled relationship with his partner. He acknowledges that she has been holding on for too long, hoping that he will somehow change, however, he continues to behave strangely and put her down for sticking with him. The chorus of the song suggests that they should both accept each other as they are, flaws and all, and stop trying to change or control each other.
The second verse sees the singer questioning whether his partner is actually trying to help him improve or is just trying to control him. He feels like he is constantly being watched and judged, like he is in a movie being directed by her. He then turns the mirror around and acknowledges that he has been deceiving her and leading her on, all while she truly believed in him.
In the final verse, the singer describes the relationship as a masquerade, where they both pretend to know each other but are really just strangers. They both make mistakes but never acknowledge them, and the cycle of pretending continues. Taylor's lyrics offer a poignant reflection on the challenges of relationships and the importance of accepting each other for who we are.
Line by Line Meaning
She's been holding on too long
She has been waiting for me to change for a long time
Hoping I'm gonna change
She keeps hoping that I will change
Giving it up just a little bit more
She compromises a bit more every time I come home
Each time I come home
Every time I return home
Looking and acting strange
She seems different and behaves strangely
Putting her down for putting up with me
I criticize her for tolerating my behavior
Be as you are
Just be yourself
As you see as I am I am
I am who I am, just like you
Do you think you might improve me
Are you trying to change me for the better?
Trying to take control
Attempting to have power over me
Watching every little thing I do
Observing every single action I take
Just like a bleeding movie
Like a dramatic movie that hurts to watch
Just like a leading role
As if I am starring in the movie
Mama, this ain't me and I don't
Mom, this is not who I truly am and I'm not sure why
Believe that's you
I don't think that's who you are either
First you make believe
At first, you pretend
I believe the things
I actually start to believe what you pretend
That you make believe
What you are pretending
And I'm bound to let you down
I will inevitably disappoint you
Then it's I who have been deceiving
Then I realize that I have also been lying
Purposely misleading
Deliberately giving false information
And all along you believed in me
And throughout it all, you had faith in me
So we circle around one another
We keep going around in circles
Playing I guessing game
Playing a game of trying to figure each other out
Strangers at this masquerade
We are like strangers at a costume party
Pretending to know each other
Acting as though we know everything there is to know about each other
We strain to catch a name
We try hard to remember each other's names
And never see the mistakes we must have made
We fail to recognize the errors we've both made
- Chorus -
Repeats the chorus
Contributed by Elena W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.