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.
Seminole Wind
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Men would search for wealth untold
They'd dig for silver and for gold
And leave the empty holes
And way down south in the Everglades
Where the black water rolls and the saw grass waves
The eagles fly and the otters play
In the land of the Seminole
[Chorus]
So blow, blow Seminole wind
Blow like you're never gonna blow again
I'm calling to you like a long lost friend
But I know who you are
And blow, blow from the Okeechobee
All the way up to Micanopy
Blow across the home of the Seminole
The alligators and the gar
And progress came and took its toll
And in the name of flood control
They made their plans and they drained the land
Now the glades are going dry
And the last time I walked in the swamp
I sat upon a Cypress stump
I listened close and I heard the ghost
Of Osceola cry
[Chorus]
The song Seminole Wind by James Taylor is often interpreted as a lament for the disappearing natural landscapes of Florida that were once the home of the Seminole tribe. The opening verse speaks of men who have been searching for wealth since ancient times, but ending up leaving behind only empty holes in their quest for silver and gold. The second verse describes the beauty of the Everglades, where the black water rolls and the saw grass waves, and where the Seminole tribe lived. The chorus references the Seminole wind, asking it to blow once again, as the singer calls out to it like a long lost friend. Taylor mentions the Okeechobee and Micanopy, places in Florida, and urges the wind to blow across the land of the Seminole, where alligators and gar can be found.
The following verse speaks of the changes brought to the land due to progress in the form of flood control measures that drained the land, leading to the drying up of the glades. The last time Taylor walked in the swamp, he sat on a Cypress stump and heard the cry of Osceola's ghost. Osceola was a famous Seminole leader who fought against the efforts to relocate the tribe after the Seminole Wars. The song thus serves as a testament to the beauty of Florida and the legacy of the Seminole tribe, whose home has been altered by human intervention. It also serves as a call to action for the preservation of the natural world.
Line by Line Meaning
Ever since the days of old
For ages past, humankind had greed for more materials
Men would search for wealth untold
People dug for treasure and riches of varying kinds
They'd dig for silver and for gold
They dug for silver and gold, taking resources from the earth
And leave the empty holes
After obtaining the riches, the earth would be left with vacant pits.
And way down south in the Everglades
Heading towards the southern part of the woodland, known as the Everglades
Where the black water rolls and the saw grass waves
Where gloomy, still water meets the waving, razor-edged leaves of the sawgrass
The eagles fly and the otters play
Eagles soar and otters frolic in the Southern Florida woodlands
In the land of the Seminole
This is the state of the Seminole tribe
Blow like you're never gonna blow again
Please, wind, blow so hard that this could be your last time blowing ever again.
I'm calling to you like a long lost friend
This is your friend who's been waiting to speak with you
But I know who you are
You do not need to introduce yourself, since I know precisely who you are
Blow across the home of the Seminole
Travel over the Seminole's homeland, eradicating all other concerns
The alligators and the gar
Alligator and serial type of fish related to the needlefish can be seen
And progress came and took its toll
Despite its achievements, technological advancement has had consequences
And in the name of flood control
This action was done in the merit of containing flood damage
They made their plans and they drained the land
They formulated strategies for flood management, and thus, the land was drained
Now the glades are going dry
The wetlands are becoming dry at this time
And the last time I walked in the swamp
The last moment that I moved foot was at the swamp area
I sat upon a Cypress stump
I had the opportunity to sit on a cypress knee
I listened close and I heard the ghost
I was very attentive, and I heard the spirit
Of Osceola cry
It was Osceola that I heard
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN DAVID ANDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind