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.
On The 4th of July
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who would run into one another now and again.
At the Yippee Cai O or the Mesa Dupree, or a dozen different everyday places to be.
I was living alone, we were ever so brave on the telephone.
Would you care to come down for fireworks time,
We could each just reach, we step out of line.
And the smell of the smoke and the lay of the land
And the tiny tin voice of the radio band singing "love must stand,"
Love forever and ever must stand.
Unbelievable you, impossible me, the fool who fell out of the family tree,
The fellow that found the philosopher's stone, deep underground like a dinosaur bone.
Who fell into you at a quarter to two with a tear in your eye for the Fourth of July
For the patriots and the minutemen and the things you believe they believed in then
Such as freedom, and freedom's land and the kingdom of God and the rights of man
With the tiny tin voice of the radio band singing "love must stand,"
Love forever and ever must stand and forever must stand.
Oh, the smell of the smoke as we lay on the land
And the feeling of finding my heart in my hand
With the tiny tin voice of the radio band singing "love must stand,"
Love forever and ever must stand and forever must stand.
All on the Fourth of July, on the Fourth of July.
James Taylor's song "On The 4th of July" is a nostalgic tune that tells the story of two friends who eventually fall in love. The lyrics describe how they used to run into each other at various places like Yippee Cai O or Mesa Dupree. They gradually fell in love, and one year, the singer invited his/her friend to watch fireworks together on the Fourth of July. Through poetic language, the lyrics describe the intense emotions that the singer experiences as they embrace on the holiday. The smell of the smoke, the lay of the land, and the radio's tin voice all contribute to a feeling of love and unity.
The song's refrain, "Love must stand, love forever and ever must stand," reinforces the idea that love is the key to happiness and that it can help people overcome any obstacle. The lyrics also suggest that freedom is an integral part of love, and that patriotism and the rights of man are critical values.
Overall, "On The 4th of July" is a beautiful reminder of the power of love and the importance of celebrating freedom on Independence Day.
Line by Line Meaning
Shall I tell it again how we started as friends
Do you want me to recount how we first met and became friends?
Who would run into one another now and again.
We happened to cross paths every now and then.
At the Yippee Cai O or the Mesa Dupree, or a dozen different everyday places to be.
We would bump into each other at various places such as the Yippee Cai O, the Mesa Dupree, or just regular everyday locations.
I was living alone, we were ever so brave on the telephone.
I was living by myself, and we were always bold when we talked on the phone.
Would you care to come down for fireworks time,
Would you like to join me for the fireworks on the 4th of July?
We could each just reach, we step out of line.
We could touch and hold hands, and not worry about boundaries and restrictions.
And the smell of the smoke and the lay of the land
The scent of the smoke from the fireworks and the beauty of the land around us
And the feeling of finding one's heart in one's hand
The sensation of discovering our emotions and feelings for each other
And the tiny tin voice of the radio band singing "love must stand,"
The faint voice of the radio playing songs about how love should always endure.
Love forever and ever must stand.
Love should always last, no matter what.
Unbelievable you, impossible me, the fool who fell out of the family tree,
You are amazing and I am flawed, like a foolish person who fell out of their family history.
The fellow that found the philosopher's stone, deep underground like a dinosaur bone.
I was like someone who discovered something valuable like the philosopher's stone or a fossil dug up from deep underground.
Who fell into you at a quarter to two with a tear in your eye for the Fourth of July
I fell into you at 1:45AM on the Fourth of July, with tears in your eyes.
For the patriots and the minutemen and the things you believe they believed in then
We celebrated the patriots and minutemen, and their beliefs which we still hold dear today.
Such as freedom, and freedom's land and the kingdom of God and the rights of man
We admired and cherished the concepts of freedom, the land that embodies freedom, the kingdom of God and the rights of man.
Oh, the smell of the smoke as we lay on the land
We breathed in the scent of the fireworks and lay on the beautiful land.
With the tiny tin voice of the radio band singing "love must stand,"
The radio voice sang out again about the importance of love enduring.
Love forever and ever must stand and forever must stand.
The message was clear: love should always last, now and forever.
All on the Fourth of July, on the Fourth of July.
This all happened on the most patriotic day of the year, the Fourth of July.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind