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.
Something In The Way She Moves
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or looks my way, or calls my name
That seems to leave this troubled world behind
If I'm feeling down and blue
Or troubled by some foolish game
She always seems to make me change my mind
And I feel fine anytime she's around me now
Almost all the time
And if I'm well you can tell she's been with me now
She's been with me now quite a long, long time
And I feel fine
Every now and then the things I lean on lose their meaning
And I find myself careening
In places where I should not let me go
She has the power to go where no one else can find me
Yes and silently remind me
The happiness and the good times that I know, but as I had got to know them
It isn't what she's got to say
But how she thinks and where she's been
To me, the words are nice, the way they sound
I like to hear them best that way
It doesn't much matter what they mean
What she says them mostly just to calm me down
And I feel fine anytime she's around me now
She's around me now
Almost all the time
If I'm well you can tell she's been with me now
She's been with me now quite a long, long time
Yes and I feel fine
James Taylor's "Something In The Way She Moves" is a tender love song in which Taylor proclaims the transformative power his love has had on him. The lyrics describe the way his loved one's presence and actions ease his troubled mind and bring him back to joy. Taylor credits this effect not to his partner's physical appearance, but rather to her calming energy and the understanding she shows him. The lyrics observe that the meaning of things Taylor may have relied on in the past have lost their value, but the presence of the woman he loves is a constant source of comfort and support.
The song is notable for the gentle, acoustic guitar melody that reflects the tender and soothing tone of the lyrics. The chorus repeats the phrase "And I feel fine" with a hopeful and contented air that reflects the peace Taylor finds in his partner's presence. Taylor's soft and intimate vocal delivery further underscores the song's part-troubled, part-hopeful mood.
Line by Line Meaning
There's something in the way she moves
The way she moves or looks at me or calls me gives me a sense of relief and takes me away from the world's troubles.
If I'm feeling down and blue
When I'm sad and dejected
She always seems to make me change my mind
She has a way of making me change my opinion or outlook to a more positive one.
And I feel fine anytime she's around me now
I feel happy and content whenever she is around.
Almost all the time
She is around me almost constantly.
And if I'm well you can tell she's been with me now
If I am feeling good and healthy, it's because she's been with me recently.
She's been with me now quite a long, long time
She has been a part of my life for a significant amount of time.
Every now and then the things I lean on lose their meaning
Occasionally, the things I rely on lose their significance and importance to me.
And I find myself careening
And in those moments, I feel unsteady and uncertain.
In places where I should not let me go
In places where I shouldn't be, where my mind can lead me astray.
She has the power to go where no one else can find me
She can reach out to me where no one else can, to help me in difficult times.
Yes and silently remind me
And without speaking, she reminds me of the happiness and good times I've had.
The happiness and the good times that I know, but as I had got to know them
The happiness and joy I've experienced in the past, but in a different way than I currently do.
It isn't what she's got to say
It's not about what she says.
But how she thinks and where she's been
But it's about her thoughts and experiences.
To me, the words are nice, the way they sound
Her words sound good to me, regardless of their meaning.
I like to hear them best that way
I enjoy hearing her words sound beautiful, even if I don't always understand them.
What she says them mostly just to calm me down
She mainly speaks to me to soothe my mind and ease my worries.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: James Taylor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind