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.
Some Children See Him
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The baby Jesus born this night.
Some children see Him lily white,
With tresses soft and fair.
The Lord of heav'n to earth come down.
Some children see Him bronzed and brown,
With dark and heavy hair.
Some children see Him almond-eyed,
This Savior whom we kneel beside.
Some children see Him almond-eyed,
With skin of yellow hue.
Some children see Him dark as they,
Sweet Mary's Son to whom we pray.
Some children see him dark as they,
And, ah! they love Him, too!
The children in each different place
Will see the baby Jesus' face
Like theirs, but bright with heavenly grace,
And filled with holy light.
O lay aside each earthly thing
And with thy heart as offering,
Come worship now the infant King.
'Tis love that's born tonight!
The song "Some Children See Him" by James Taylor presents a unique interpretation of the appearance of the baby Jesus. The first two stanzas describe children seeing Jesus as lily white with soft and fair hair or bronzed and brown with dark and heavy hair. The following stanzas mention children seeing him with almond eyes and skin of yellow hue or dark like them. Each stanza reflects on how children of different races or ethnicities envision the newborn Christ differently, yet all still love and worship him. The final stanza brings the message together by emphasizing that despite superficial differences, all children can see the face of the infant Jesus bright with heavenly grace and filled with holy light. The lyrics serve as a reminder of the universality of love and adoration for Jesus regardless of one's race or appearance.
The origins of the song date back to the 1950s when its lyrics were written by Wilha Hutson, a schoolteacher from Arkansas. The song was popularized by Joan Baez in the 1960s and has been covered by several artists since then. James Taylor recorded the song on his Christmas album, "At Christmas," in 2012.
Line by Line Meaning
Some children see Him lily white,
Some children imagine Jesus to be a white-skinned person
The baby Jesus born this night.
Jesus was born as a baby at night
Some children see Him bronzed and brown,
A different set of children can imagine Jesus as someone with brown skin
The Lord of heav'n to earth come down.
Jesus was sent down from heaven to earth
Some children see Him almond-eyed,
There are children who perceive Jesus to have the physical features of someone who is East Asian
This Savior whom we kneel beside.
Jesus is a Savior that people kneel beside to pray
With skin of yellow hue.
For some children, the image of a yellow-skinned Jesus can feel real
Some children see Him dark as they,
Children who are dark-skinned can imagine Jesus to have similar skin color as theirs
Sweet Mary's Son to whom we pray.
Jesus is Mary's son, and people pray to him
And, ah! they love Him, too!
Regardless of how each child imagines Jesus, they all love him
The children in each different place
Based on the location where children grow up, they can have their own distinct mental pictures of Jesus
Will see the baby Jesus' face
No matter what, children will imagine Jesus as a baby
Like theirs, but bright with heavenly grace,
Each child's imagined version of baby Jesus will have a heavenly aura that's unique to them
And filled with holy light.
Jesus is so divine that he is full of holy light
O lay aside each earthly thing
People should let go of the mundane materialistic affairs in their life
And with thy heart as offering,
We should offer our love and admiration for Jesus with all of our heart
Come worship now the infant King.
People should bestow love, praises, and prayers on the newly born Jesus
'Tis love that's born tonight!
It's the love of people for Jesus that's being celebrated on the day of his birth
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: A. BURT, W. HUTSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Miguel de León
Such a beautiful arrangement and rendition. Just love it!
tourjoursv
One of my most favorite Christmas songs. And with James singing it? Divine...
NoCuteName92677
This is my favorite song on "James Taylor at Christmas" and it captures everything for me that Christmas is about. Thank you, James. Thank you, Dave. Master musicians whose work lights my heart!
Aubree Sargent
We are singing this song at our Christmas choir in our church on Christmas Eve