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.
Looking For Love On Broadway
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walking alone on Broadway, watching the people, watching the town go down.
Broadway's a river to me, fat fish in the big city sea, taxi cabs, limousines, submarines.
Got my mind on a sweet dream, keeping an eye on this street scene.
'Cause I'm open for love in the middle of town tonight.
Had my fill of self-pity, I brought all my blues to the city.
Guess I'm pressing my luck in the middle of town tonight.
It looks like tomorrow, it seems like the end of a dream.
Dawning on me on Broadway in the morning light, it's a dream.
And I'm just a fool looking for love on Broadway.
In James Taylor's song "Looking For Love On Broadway", the singer is wandering around Broadway in search of a reason to be there, hoping to find love tonight. He is walking alone, observing the people and the town go down. Broadway, in his eyes, is like a river with fat fish swimming in the sea of the big city, which has taxi cabs, limousines, and submarines. Though he is keeping an eye on the street scene, his mind is occupied with thoughts of a sweet dream. He is optimistic about finding love in the middle of town tonight and has left his blues behind.
The singer seems to have left his past behind and is looking for new beginnings in the city. He has had enough of feeling sorry for himself and has brought all his blues to the city, attempting to press his luck in the middle of town tonight. In his search for love, he is waiting for someone to smile back at him. He realizes that the next day may seem like the end of a dream and that he is just a fool looking for love on Broadway.
Line by Line Meaning
Need a reason to be here, hoping to find it tonight.
I came to Broadway with the hope of finding something that will give me a reason to be here, and I am hoping to find it tonight.
Walking alone on Broadway, watching the people, watching the town go down.
I am walking alone on Broadway, observing the people and the city, coming to life as the night begins to unfold.
Broadway's a river to me, fat fish in the big city sea, taxi cabs, limousines, submarines.
To me, Broadway is like a river, filled with life and activity, where one can see people from all walks of life, from the ordinary to the exotic, moving like a school of fish in what feels like a giant sea.
Got my mind on a sweet dream, keeping an eye on this street scene.
My mind is set on a sweet dream, but I am also keeping an eye on the street scene, looking for anything that might catch my attention.
'Cause I'm open for love in the middle of town tonight.
I am open to love, and I am hoping to find it in the middle of town tonight.
Had my fill of self-pity, I brought all my blues to the city.
I've had enough of feeling sorry for myself, so I brought all my troubles and worries to the city with the hope of finding something better.
Guess I'm pressing my luck in the middle of town tonight.
I know I am taking a chance by seeking love in the middle of town tonight, but I am willing to take the risk.
See me waiting on you to smile back on me, child.
I am hopeful that someone out there is waiting for me to smile at them, so they can potentially become my romantic partner.
It looks like tomorrow, it seems like the end of a dream.
Despite the optimism and hope of the night before, in the daylight of the morning, it all seems like a dream that may soon come crashing down.
Dawning on me on Broadway in the morning light, it's a dream.
Standing on Broadway in the morning light, I am fully aware that everything I had wished and hoped for last night indeed feels like a dream, and may not be a reality anymore.
And I'm just a fool looking for love on Broadway.
Despite the tough reality of the morning after, I remain a fool truly searching for love on Broadway, and I am willing to continue taking the chance until I find what I am looking for.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind