James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter … Read Full Bio ↴James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

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.

Hello Old Friend
James Taylor Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Paris' rooftops were lovely to see
Switzerland's vertical landscape
Crossed my mind's eye just now
Canada's shoreline has been calling out to me
But it's been too long a time
Since last I crossed
That vast nantucket sound

Refrain
Hello old friend
Welcome me home again
Well, I've been away
But that's all over now
Say I can stay for October, now
Stay a while and play

Little dog david
I must look like a fool
I should've remembered
You'd be forgetting my smell, well
Give me a week or two to recapture my cool
I've got stories to tell
About how I snatched the devil's catch
And out ran the hounds of hell

Refrain

Overall Meaning

In James Taylor's song "Hello Old Friend," the lyrics describe a sense of longing and nostalgia for home. In the opening verses, Taylor reflects on the beauty and allure of different landscapes he has encountered on his travels, from Paris' rooftops to Canada's shoreline, but ultimately expresses a desire to return to his old home and the comfort of familiar surroundings. The refrain of the song emphasizes this sentiment, as Taylor sings, "Hello old friend, welcome me home again."

Throughout the song, Taylor uses vivid imagery and metaphor to convey his emotions. He compares his return home to recapturing his cool, suggesting that being in his familiar environment will help him regain a sense of calm and ease. He also mentions a small dog named David, whom he has not seen in a while, illustrating the fact that being away for a long time can cause people to forget or be forgotten by those they care about.

Line by Line Meaning

Paris' rooftops were lovely to see
I enjoyed the view of the beautiful rooftops in Paris.

Switzerland's vertical landscape
I just thought about Switzerland and its stunning mountainous terrain.

Crossed my mind's eye just now
I imagined it in my mind for just a moment.

Canada's shoreline has been calling out to me
I have a strong desire to visit the shoreline in Canada.

But it's been too long a time
It's been a really long time since I've done any of these things.

Since last I crossed that vast nantucket sound
It's been forever since I've ventured across the vast expanse of the Nantucket Sound.

Hello old friend
It's great to see you again, my old friend.

Welcome me home again
I feel like I've come home again now that I'm here with you.

Well, I've been away
I've been away for a long time.

But that's all over now
But I'm here now and my time away is finished.

Say I can stay for October, now
Can I stay for the month of October?