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.
Sadie
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You ain't nothing but a hound dog
Crying all the time.
You ain't nothing but a hound dog
Crying all the time.
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit
And you ain't no friend of mine.
Well, that was just a lie.
Yeah they said you was high classed
Well, that was just a lie.
Yeah, you ain't never caught a rabbit
And you ain't no friend of mine.
[Chorus]
[Repeat: x2]
Well they said you was high classed
Well, that was just a lie.
Yeah they said you was high classed
Well, that was just a lie.
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit
And you ain't no friend of mine.
[Chorus]
The lyrics of James Taylor's “Sadie” are actually a reworking of the classic Elvis Presley hit “Hound Dog.” The song is about a woman named Sadie who is constantly crying and complaining. James Taylor replaces the original lyrics of “You can wag your tail / But I ain’t gonna feed you no more” with “You ain’t never caught a rabbit / And you ain’t no friend of mine.” This highlights Sadie’s incompetence and laziness, as she has never worked hard enough to even catch a rabbit. She is a hound dog that only cries and does not contribute or put in any effort.
The lines “Well they said you was high classed / Well, that was just a lie” reveal that Sadie is living a lie and trying to portray herself as something she is not. She is pretending to be high class or of a higher social status, but in reality, she is not. These lines also show that the singer or James Taylor is not ignorant to Sadie’s ways and sees through her façade. The chorus “You ain’t nothing but a hound dog / Crying all the time / Well, you ain’t never caught a rabbit / And you ain’t no friend of mine” is a clever use of metaphor to describe Sadie’s behavior and attitude.
Line by Line Meaning
You ain't nothing but a hound dog
You are no more than a dog that always whines
Crying all the time
You are whimpering all the time
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit
You have never achieved anything significant or worthwhile
And you ain't no friend of mine
So, I don't consider you as my friend either
Well they said you was high classed
Others thought you had a lot of class, elegance or sophistication
Well, that was just a lie
Unfortunately, it was a false opinion of them about you
Yeah, you ain't never caught a rabbit
Despite thinking highly of yourself, in reality you have never achieved anything great
And you ain't no friend of mine
Therefore, I don't find you worthy of my friendship either
You ain't nothing but a hound dog
You are simply a pathetic and miserable creature
Crying all the time
Just whining and whimpering all the time without achieving anything
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit
You have never been able to achieve even a small victory in your life
And you ain't no friend of mine
So, I don't want to associate with you at all
Lyrics © Exceleration Music Partners, LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: THEODORE R TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind