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.
Knockin' Round The Zoo
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a Thursday afternoon,
There's bars on all the windows
And they're counting up the spoons, yeah.
And if I'm feeling edgy,
There's a chick who's paid
To be my slave, yeah, watch out James.
But she'll hit me with a needle
Now the keeper's trying to cool me
Says I'm bound to be all right,
But I know that he can't fool me
'Cause I'm putting him uptight, yeah.
And I can feel him getting edgy
Every time I make a sudden move,
Whoa, yes it's true.
And I can hear them celebrating
Every time I up and leave the room.
Now my friends all come to see me,
They just point at me and stare.
Said, he's just like the rest of us
So what's he doing there?
They hide in their movie theaters
Drinking juice, keeping tight,
Watch that bright light.
'Cause they're certain about one thing, babe,
That zoo's no place to spend the night, no.
Just knocking around the zoo
On a Thursday afternoon,
There's bars on all the windows
And they're counting up the spoons, yeah.
And if I'm feeling edgy,
There's a chick who's paid to be my slave,
Watch out Kootch.
But she'll hit me with a needle
If she thinks I'm trying to misbehave.
In James Taylor's song "Knocking 'round the Zoo," the singer is describing his experiences while inside a zoo. The first verse portrays a somewhat disturbing image, as the singer describes bars on all the windows and someone counting spoons. He then mentions a "chick" who is paid to be his slave, and how she will hit him with a needle if he misbehaves. It is unclear whether this is a real situation or a representation of the singer's state of mind.
In the chorus, the singer speaks of feeling "edgy" and making sudden moves that make the zookeeper uneasy. He feels like everyone is celebrating when he up and leaves the room. The second verse mentions the singer's friends coming to see him and pointing at him, wondering what he's doing there. They prefer to hide in movie theaters and drink juice, believing that the zoo is no place to spend the night.
Overall, the song seems to be a commentary on mental health and how people with mental illness can be misunderstood and ostracized. The singer's experiences in the zoo could be symbolic of being trapped and caged in one's own mind.
Line by Line Meaning
Just knocking around the zoo On a Thursday afternoon,
Casually wandering around the zoo on a Thursday afternoon.
There's bars on all the windows And they're counting up the spoons, yeah.
The zoo is a secured environment and staff takes inventory to ensure that nothing goes missing.
And if I'm feeling edgy, There's a chick who's paid To be my slave, yeah, watch out James.
If I get restless, there's a zookeeper's assistant to manage me, but doesn't want me to get too wild.
But she'll hit me with a needle If she thinks I'm trying to misbehave.
The zookeeper's assistant has a way of keeping the animals in line, even if it means using force.
Now the keeper's trying to cool me Says I'm bound to be all right,
The zookeeper is trying to calm me down, assuring me that everything is okay.
But I know that he can't fool me 'Cause I'm putting him uptight, yeah.
The zookeeper is secretly worried about me, and I know it, which makes him nervous.
And I can feel him getting edgy Every time I make a sudden move, Whoa, yes it's true.
The zookeeper is aware of all my movements, and I can sense he's always on alert.
And I can hear them celebrating Every time I up and leave the room.
The zookeeper and staff are relieved whenever I'm out of sight and back in my enclosure.
Now my friends all come to see me, They just point at me and stare.
My friends come to the zoo to visit me, but they don't particularly do anything noteworthy except watch me.
Said, he's just like the rest of us So what's he doing there?
My friends are questioning why I am in an enclosure and not living freely like they are.
They hide in their movie theaters Drinking juice, keeping tight, Watch that bright light.
My friends live a mundane life and seek distraction in movies and drinks, but nothing compares to my life in the zoo.
'Cause they're certain about one thing, babe, That zoo's no place to spend the night, no.
My friends believe the zoo is not where one would want to live or stay, even if for a night.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES TAYLOR, JAMES V TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind