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.
Fading Away
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, don't I always let you know?
So that you and I can go my way together.
And if I get carried away,
Well, I could be sailing on a song
And maybe we could carry on forever.
But lately this old dog has been chasing his tail
Round and round and round.
They have been winding slowly down.
Everybody's breezing up but I'm seizing up,
I'm freezing up and I'm fading away.
I've got a hold on a night in June,
I've got room for you and me.
I've got moonlight up in the trees,
I've got sixty-eight degrees.
I've got nothing on my mind
But I've got loving in my heart,
And I've got something out in the garden
I want to show you.
Well, it really doesn't matter after all
If we quit this round about
And no one will really notice
If we can just sit this next one out.
You can strike up the band without me,
You may have your doubts about me,
But I'm just fading away.
You can hardly even see me
Because I'm fading away.
Well, it's hard to find a label
For this feeling in my bones.
That this is all a make-believe
But my cards are on the table
And there ain't nothing up my sleeve.
And here I thought I was a thinking man
But I'm a shrinking man, I'm sinking man,
I'm fading, fading away.
Well, it's really not so bad
To be fading away.
Come on along with me
And we'll go fading away.
You can hardly even hear me
Because I'm fading away.
In James Taylor's song "Fading Away", the artist is expressing his feelings of disengagement and detachment from the world around him. He seems to be losing his sense of purpose and direction, feeling like he is "chasing his tail" and going in circles in his mind. The imagery of the circles winding down and the idea of "fading away" highlight his emotions of slowly losing himself.
Despite his struggles, the artist also speaks of the things he has to offer and share with others. He has love in his heart and is open to new experiences, such as showing someone something in his garden. However, he still feels like he is not fully present or seen, as the world seems to be breezing by while he is seizing up and freezing up.
The song ends with Taylor embracing his fading away, acknowledging that it is not such a bad thing after all. He invites others to join him in this acceptance and to "go fading away" together.
Overall, "Fading Away" is a poignant reflection on the human experience of feeling lost and disconnected, but also finding beauty and acceptance in those moments.
Line by Line Meaning
When I've got something to say,
If I have something to say, I'll always let you know so we can work on it together.
Well, don't I always let you know?
I always make sure to communicate with you.
So that you and I can go my way together.
We can work things out together in a mutual manner.
And if I get carried away,
If I get too excited,
Well, I could be sailing on a song
I might be carried away by the music and joy.
And maybe we could carry on forever.
We could continue in this state of happiness for an eternity.
But lately this old dog has been chasing his tail
Lately, I've felt like I'm going nowhere.
Round and round and round.
It's a cycle I can't seem to break free from.
And the circles in my mind,
And my thoughts keep cycling.
They have been winding slowly down.
But now they're starting to slow down and go nowhere.
Everybody's breezing up but I'm seizing up,
Everyone else is doing well, but I'm stuck.
I'm freezing up and I'm fading away.
I'm stuck and it's gradually wearing me down.
I've got a hold on a night in June,
I have a plan on a special night in June.
I've got room for you and me.
I have a special place where we can be together.
I've got moonlight up in the trees,
There's a beautiful scenery waiting for us.
I've got sixty-eight degrees.
It's a comfortable temperature for both of us.
I've got nothing on my mind
I've cleared my mind of distractions.
But I've got loving in my heart,
All I have is love and affection in my heart.
And I've got something out in the garden
I have something in my garden that I want to show you.
I want to show you.
I'm eager to share it with you.
Well, it really doesn't matter after all
In the end, it doesn't matter.
If we quit this round about
We don't need to continue in this cycle.
And no one will really notice
No one will actually care.
If we can just sit this next one out.
We can take a break from it all.
You can strike up the band without me,
You don't need me anymore.
You may have your doubts about me,
You're not sure if I'm still in the game.
But I'm just fading away.
But I'm gradually going away.
You can hardly even see me
I'm slowly becoming invisible
Because I'm fading away.
Because I'm gradually slipping away.
Well, it's hard to find a label
It's hard to put a name to my problem.
For this feeling in my bones.
For this internal discomfort.
That this is all a make-believe
That everything is not as it seems.
But my cards are on the table
But my intentions are honest and out in the open.
And there ain't nothing up my sleeve.
I'm not hiding anything.
And here I thought I was a thinking man
I thought I was smart and had everything under control.
But I'm a shrinking man, I'm sinking man,
But now I feel small and helpless.
I'm fading, fading away.
I am slowly disappearing.
Well, it's really not so bad
It's not the end of the world.
To be fading away.
To disappear for a while isn't too bad.
Come on along with me
Come with me.
And we'll go fading away.
We'll disappear together for a while.
You can hardly even hear me
You can barely hear my voice.
Because I'm fading away.
Because I'm gradually slipping away.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROBERT ROGERS, SMOKEY ROBINSON, WARREN MOORE, WILLIAM ROBINSON JR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind