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.
Limosine Driver
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Big cadillac car
Rich and famous
No matter who you are you are
I seen a rock n roll rider
I seen a cinema star
Chorus:
Roll down the road roll down the
Roll down the road with me
Want you to roll down the road
Roll down the road roll down the
Roll down the road with me
Deep into the night
Blue velvet push
Cut glass crystal
I mean it means so much
Long cool fingeroos
Soft tenderloin touch
Chorus
City sidewalk shining wet with rain
Run through the run through one more again
Run through the jungle
Fetch a lady's glove
Kicking off a bundle
Go on and give it a shove
Speak up don't mumble
Who do you love
The first stanza of James Taylor's song "Limosine Driver" is about the lavish lifestyle that is afforded to the rich and famous. As a limousine driver, Taylor has seen it all - from rock n' roll riders to cinema stars. No matter who you are, if you're rich and famous, you'll be traveling around in a big Cadillac car. This emphasizes the power and privilege that money can bring, as it allows people to live a life of luxury and have access to things that most ordinary people can only dream of.
The second stanza is a description of the experience of being in a limousine. The driver refers to the "blue velvet push" and "cut glass crystal," which suggests the luxurious atmosphere that these cars are designed to provide. The "long cool fingeroos" and "soft tenderloin touch" seem to describe the feeling of being pampered and taken care of, which is a key part of the limousine experience. Overall, the song is a celebration of the extravagant lifestyle that is associated with wealth and fame.
Line by Line Meaning
Limousine driver
Referring to the driver of a luxury vehicle
Big cadillac car
Describing a large vehicle of high quality
Rich and famous
Alluding to individuals with wealth and status
No matter who you are you are
Implying that even people of high status require transportation
I seen a rock n roll rider
Referring to a musician who travels in style
I seen a cinema star
Describing an actor or actress who also enjoys luxury transportation
Chorus:
Won't you roll down the road
Roll down the road roll down the
Roll down the road with me
Want you to roll down the road
Roll down the road roll down the
Roll down the road with me
Asking the driver to continue down the road while the singer and another individual (possibly a love interest) ride in the vehicle
Deep into the night
Illustrating a late hour of the day
Blue velvet push
Describing the upholstery of the vehicle
Cut glass crystal
Referring to the glassware used in the car
I mean it means so much
Expressing the importance of the luxurious experience
Long cool fingeroos
Describing a particular aspect of the vehicle that the artist finds appealing
Soft tenderloin touch
Using a food-based metaphor to describe the comfort of the vehicle
Chorus
See above
City sidewalk shining wet with rain
Depicting a rainy urban environment
Run through the run through one more again
Encouraging the driver to continue down the street
Run through the jungle
Using a metaphor to describe the experience of city transit
Fetch a lady's glove
Asking the driver to assist in retrieving an item
Kicking off a bundle
Possibly referring to the removal of excess money (a bundle) from the vehicle
Go on and give it a shove
Using a colloquial expression to instruct the driver to start moving again
Speak up don't mumble
Telling someone to speak louder and more clearly
Who do you love
A rhetorical question that does not directly relate to the song's subject matter
Contributed by Declan A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.