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.
Snowtime
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was snowtime, it was showtime, it was no time
To be lost in downtown Toronto
It was wintertime, 'round dinnertime
I'm beginning to see that the sunshine just doesn't want to
From a side street come a backbeat
Pulling on me like the moon pullin' on the tide
Lighting me up inside
They had the heat of the sun in the beat of the talking drum
The light of a tropical moon on a night to remember
Someone summoned up summer just strumming on an old guitar
And every note was the antidote to December
My first impression, some kind of procession
Pulling on a long line of fancy dancers
A band stuck up on a flatbed truck
They were raising a ruckus swinging for the fences
Exiled Mexican textile working
Punching two clocks, sending two paychecks home boys
Hard working law 'biding bus riding people
Celebration on wheels destination unknown
They had the heat of the sun in the beat of the talking drum
The light of a tropical moon on a night to remember
Someone summoned up summer just strumming on an old guitar
And every note was the antidote to December
Rio Grande
Oleana
Via Del Norte
Oh Canada
There was a lifeline south in the song coming from her mouth
It swallowed me up and I followed it on downtown
In the light of dawn the message that life goes on
For the frozen man an invitation to live again
They had the heat of the sun in the beat of the talking drum
The light of a tropical moon on a night to remember
Someone summoned up summer just strumming on an old guitar
And every note was the antidote to December
They were shakin' it loose with the juice from the mambo man
Long lanky yankee boy, buckwheat and spanky my my
Santiago de Cuba
Belo Horizonte
Cartagena
Guaguancó Canada
Guaguancó Canada
James Taylor's "Snowtime" is a song about finding warmth and hope in the midst of a cold and lonely winter. The singer describes wandering the streets of downtown Toronto during wintertime, feeling lost and disconnected. But then he hears the beat of a backstreet drum and is lifted out of his despair by the joy and energy of a passing parade of exiled Mexican textile workers. The band on the flatbed truck swings for the fences, and the singer feels his spirits rise with the beat of a one-note samba.
As the parade moves on, the singer follows the lifeline of the music, feeling swallowed up by its warmth and energy. He realizes that life goes on and there is always hope, even in the darkest, coldest days of winter. The song is a celebration of community and shared joy, a reminder that even in the bleakest of times, music can lift our hearts and connect us to one another.
Overall, "Snowtime" is a beautiful and inspiring song about the power of music to bring people together and lift our spirits, even in the darkest of times.
Line by Line Meaning
Oleana, via Del Norte, O Canada
Mentions various places, including Oleana and Del Norte, in Canada during wintertime.
It was snowtime, it was showtime, it was no time
The winter season has arrived, and it's time for celebration.
To be lost in downtown Toronto
People shouldn't be lost in downtown Toronto during the wintertime festivities.
It was wintertime, 'round dinnertime
It's winter around dinnertime.
I'm beginning to see that the sunshine just doesn't want to
Sunshine is rare to find during winter, especially in Toronto.
From a side street come a backbeat
A new beat and energy was noticed from a nearby street.
Pulling on me like the moon pullin' on the tide
The melody and rhythm were pulling the artist with attraction, like the pull of the moon on the tide.
Ay caramba, one note samba, la la la la bamba
The music is filled with Latino influences.
Lighting me up inside
The music has filled the artist with warmth and energy.
They had the heat of the sun in the beat of the talking drum
The music has the power and energy of a tropical atmosphere.
The light of a tropical moon on a night to remember
The atmosphere is like a tropical dream that will be remembered forever.
Someone summoned up summer just strumming on an old guitar
The joyful spirit of summer is brought forward by a simple guitar melody.
And every note was the antidote to December
The music provided hope and comfort in the cold winter month of December.
My first impression, some kind of procession
The music created a momentous and celebratory feeling like a parade or procession.
Pulling on a long line of fancy dancers
The music encouraged people to move and dance together.
A band stuck up on a flatbed truck
A highly energized band was playing on the back of a moving truck.
They were raising a ruckus swinging for the fences
The band was creating a ruckus and having fun to the fullest, as if hitting a home run in baseball.
Exiled Mexican textile working
Mexicans were working hard and long hours, sending paychecks back home.
Punching two clocks, sending two paychecks home boys
The Mexicans were working double shifts to earn enough and send checks to their families back home.
Hard working law 'biding bus riding people
The people were working hard, riding buses to and from work, and following the law.
Celebration on wheels destination unknown
People were celebrating on the streets in a moving wheel, not necessarily having a set destination.
Rio Grande
A reference to the river that borders Mexico and the United States.
There was a lifeline south in the song coming from her mouth
The artist got a message of life and hope from the music.
It swallowed me up and I followed it on downtown
The music made the artist follow it downtown to capture its energy and essence.
In the light of dawn the message that life goes on
In the light of dawn, the message of hope and life still persists.
For the frozen man an invitation to live again
For someone who is frozen or sort of stuck, the invitation to live again is there through the music.
They were shakin' it loose with the juice from the mambo man
People were dancing joyfully with the mambo man's charged up aura.
Long lanky yankee boy, buckwheat and spanky my my
A group of people in the crowd were collectively known for their appearance and nicknames.
Santiago de Cuba
A location reference in Cuba.
Belo Horizonte
A location reference in Brazil.
Cartagena
A location reference in Colombia.
Guaguancó Canada
A reference to the Guaguancó dance that has spread to Canada.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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