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.
Places in My Past
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lovely ladies in these lazy days
And though I never took a wife
May I say that I have loved me one or two
Of the people in my past
fading faces in a waking dream
And though they never seem to last very long
There are faces I remember
I said all the dead head miles
And the insincere smiles
Sometimes I can laugh and cry
And I can't remember why
But I still love those good times gone by
Hold on to them close or let them go, oh no
I don't know, I just seem to sing these songs
And say I'm sorry for the friends I used to know
The first stanza of James Taylor's song, "Places in My Past," talks about the ladies in his life during the lazy days of his past. Although he never took a wife, he admits to having loved one or two. He then sings about the people in his past and how their faces are fading in a waking dream. Although they never seemed to last very long, their faces are still remembered from the places in his past.
The second stanza starts with a mention of dead head miles, meaning miles traveled without a paying passenger or load. This could refer to time spent on the road without any real direction or purpose, perhaps aimlessly wandering around. He then talks about insincere smiles and how he can both laugh and cry, even if he can’t remember why. Despite all of this, he still loves those good times gone by and is torn between holding on to them or letting them go. He doesn't really know what to do, but he just seems to sing these songs and apologize for the friends he used to know, possibly indicating some regrets or mistakes he has made in the past.
Overall, "Places in My Past" is a song about nostalgia and reminiscing the people and moments of the past while struggling with emotional conflicts of why things didn't last or why they ended. James Taylor's mellifluous voice along with a simple acoustic guitar in the background enhances the pensive mood of the song, making it a beautiful ode to memories.
Line by Line Meaning
There are ladies in my life
There were women in my past who were especially meaningful to me
Lovely ladies in these lazy days
These women were gentle, kind, and lived with ease
And though I never took a wife
I never got married
May I say that I have loved me one or two
I have loved one or two of these women
Of the people in my past
These women were part of my life before
fading faces in a waking dream
I remember them, but only vaguely
And though they never seem to last very long
My relationships with them never lasted very long
There are faces I remember
I still recollect some of these women's faces
from the places in my past
I associate them with locations from my past
I said all the dead head miles
I went through all the empty or monotonous miles
And the insincere smiles
And the fake smiles
Sometimes I can laugh and cry
Sometimes I can either laugh or cry or both
And I can't remember why
And I cannot figure out why I reacted this way
But I still love those good times gone by
But I still cherish the good times from my past
Hold on to them close or let them go, oh no
Either keep the memories close or let them fade away
I don't know, I just seem to sing these songs
I do not know why, but I keep singing these types of songs
And say I'm sorry for the friends I used to know
And express regret for the friends that are no longer in my life
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: James Taylor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind