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.
Baby Boom Baby
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A picture of you, baby boom baby.
Holding on for everything
You figured you're due, little turtleneck girl.
The moon on your shoulder,
The wind in your lovely hair, oh what a night.
We sat on the beach and watched
As the sun rose into the Summer air.
You said we couldn't miss what we never knew,
Something about something that you had to do,
Sitting on the sand with a hole in my shoe.
I had no way of knowing where
You might have been, time goes by.
All on my own I imagine you
A life in between, all own my own.
Wrote a long letter but it never made it
Out of my head, oh, oh,
Somehow reading your name it wasn't the same
As leaving the thing unsaid.
How come I miss what I never knew,
Drag out the past just to paint it blue,
And spend my days with a dream of you?
Oh, after the fall, here I'm trying
To find our name on the wall.
It was neither yours nor mine,
It was something of the two combined,
From a time spent out of time.
I work hard to see that you remember my name,
Nod your head yes,
Do all I can to make you want to see me again,
Oh what a night.
Got a letter from the mail,
Got a message from the telephone.
Seems you're working in town,
Moving around, living alone.
Now I'm caught in the spotlight,
Walking the wire,
My feet are frozen and my heart's on fire,
What do I do if my dream come true?
La la la, la la la la la...
The song "Baby Boom Baby" by James Taylor is a nostalgic reflection on past love. The opening lines describe the feeling of familiarity and reminiscence that strikes the singer when the season turns, evoking a picture of someone from his past - "a picture of you, baby boom baby." The singer is caught up in memories of young love and the emotions that accompanied it, captured by lines such as "Holding on for everything you figured you're due" and "what a night, we sat on the beach and watched."
Taylor describes the longing and regret he feels for a relationship that didn't last, and the uncertainty surrounding his attempts to reconnect with this person. In the second verse, he talks about the struggle to make contact, how he wrote a letter that never got sent and that "reading your name it wasn't the same as leaving the thing unsaid." The chorus reflects the bittersweet aspect of the song's theme, as Taylor wonders why he misses someone he never really knew, and why he continues to dream of her, even though she's gone.
The final verse introduces the possibility of hope, as the singer discovers that the woman he's been longing for is back in town. He doesn't know what to do with this information or how to react, but the thrill of anticipation is evident in lines like "Now I'm caught in the spotlight, walking the wire, my feet are frozen and my heart's on fire." The song ends with a fade-out, leaving the listener to imagine what will happen next.
Line by Line Meaning
Somehow the season always brings
Each season reminds me of you, my Baby Boom Baby
A picture of you, baby boom baby.
Your image is imprinted in my mind, my Baby Boom Baby
Holding on for everything
You hold onto every moment like it's your last, my little turtleneck girl.
You figured you're due, little turtleneck girl.
You felt like you were owed everything, my little turtleneck girl.
The moon on your shoulder,
You carried the weight of the moon on your shoulder, my Baby Boom Baby.
The wind in your lovely hair, oh what a night.
You looked beautiful with the wind blowing through your hair on that unforgettable night, my Baby Boom Baby.
We sat on the beach and watched
We spent quality time together watching the sunrise on the beach, my Baby Boom Baby.
As the sun rose into the Summer air.
We watched as the sun rose, bringing warmth to the Summer air, my Baby Boom Baby.
You said we couldn't miss what we never knew,
You explained that we couldn't long for something we never had, my Baby Boom Baby.
Something about something that you had to do,
You had other priorities that you needed to take care of, my Baby Boom Baby.
Sitting on the sand with a hole in my shoe.
I sat with you on the sand, even though I had a hole in my shoe, my Baby Boom Baby.
I had no way of knowing where
I didn't know where you were or what you were doing, my Baby Boom Baby.
You might have been, time goes by.
Time went by, and I lost track of where you went, my Baby Boom Baby.
All on my own I imagine you
I imagined what your life must be like on my own, my Baby Boom Baby.
A life in between, all own my own.
A life that was lived between two people was now being lived by me alone, my Baby Boom Baby.
Wrote a long letter but it never made it
I wrote a heartfelt letter to you, but it never reached you, my Baby Boom Baby.
Out of my head, oh, oh,
It remained locked in my mind, unable to be shared with you, my Baby Boom Baby.
Somehow reading your name it wasn't the same
Seeing your name after writing the letter lost its meaning for me, my Baby Boom Baby.
As leaving the thing unsaid.
Leaving my feelings unsaid felt like the better choice, my Baby Boom Baby.
How come I miss what I never knew,
I don't understand how I can miss something I never had, my Baby Boom Baby.
Drag out the past just to paint it blue,
I find comfort in remembering the past, even if it makes me feel blue, my Baby Boom Baby.
And spend my days with a dream of you?
I spend my days dreaming about what could have been with you, my Baby Boom Baby.
Oh, after the fall, here I'm trying
After everything fell apart, I'm trying my best, my Baby Boom Baby.
To find our name on the wall.
To find our name, a symbol of our relationship, on the wall, my Baby Boom Baby.
It was neither yours nor mine,
The name didn't belong to either of us, my Baby Boom Baby.
It was something of the two combined,
It was something we both shared, a connection that couldn't be broken, my Baby Boom Baby.
From a time spent out of time.
From a time in our lives that felt like it was outside of time, my Baby Boom Baby.
I work hard to see that you remember my name,
I try my best to make sure you remember me, my Baby Boom Baby.
Nod your head yes,
I hope you'll nod in recognition when you realize it's me, my Baby Boom Baby.
Do all I can to make you want to see me again,
I'll do whatever it takes to make you want to spend time with me again, my Baby Boom Baby.
Oh what a night.
That one unforgettable night that changed everything, my Baby Boom Baby.
Got a letter from the mail,
I received a letter from you in the mail, my Baby Boom Baby.
Got a message from the telephone.
I received a message from you over the phone, my Baby Boom Baby.
Seems you're working in town,
You're staying close by, working in town, my Baby Boom Baby.
Moving around, living alone.
You're staying mobile, living on your own, my Baby Boom Baby.
Now I'm caught in the spotlight,
Now I'm in the public eye, my Baby Boom Baby.
Walking the wire,
I'm in a precarious situation, trying my best to keep things together, my Baby Boom Baby.
My feet are frozen and my heart's on fire,
I feel stuck and out of control, with my emotions running high, my Baby Boom Baby.
What do I do if my dream come true?
What do I do if everything I've been dreaming of comes true, my Baby Boom Baby?
La la la, la la la la la...
The melody carries on, a reminder of what once was and what could be again, my Baby Boom Baby.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@peeweecoco
I love James. And, I grew up listening to him. But this, this is one of my top 5 JT songs....it has a very special meaning for me, and a very special place in my heart. I had no idea after all these years that it had a video. The video is perfect, as is the song. We just saw James in STL last year....I have been fortunate enough to say I have seen him 8 times now. Every time he is fabulous.... he will always be my FAVORITE!!
@EdwardCampbellMusic
This video was uploaded a few months ago.
@TommyGadd
I remember really liking the song when I first got the cassette. Well,,,many years later I revisited the album and when I heard it again I couldn't get it out of my head. This is one of those James tunes that cross over into a great story and takes you on his journey. That's why I feel his music has moved me the most of any writer. It also reminds you where you once were when you first heard it. Good times back then.
@aBobelet
This was always one of my favourite songs from this album, I had no idea there was a video for it!
@RCROSSH
I absolutely agree with you!. I didn't know there was a video of this song!!
@jcraigshelton
Mine too!
@packersfan8876
Favorite *
@aBobelet
@I love The packers you can tell a lot about where a person is from by how they spell... I'll stick with cheques in my favourite colour, thanks neighbour.
@crystalli6295
@Packersfan in some countries, it’s favourite
@rucker293
Agreed. Hard to believe this is listed among the finest songs ever crafted by James Taylor, who had admittedly has written so many great tunes. . But this song has a poignancy that is special and heartfelt.