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.
Traffic Jam
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How I hate to be late,
It hurts my motor to go so slow.
Damn this traffic jam,
Time I get home my supper'll be cold,
Damn this traffic jam.
Well I left my job
It took fifteen minutes
To go three blocks,
Just in time
To stand in line
With a freeway looking
Like a parking lot.
Damn this traffic jam,
How I hate to be late,
It hurts my motor to go so slow.
Damn this traffic jam,
Time I get home my supper'll be cold,
Damn this traffic jam.
Now I almost had
A heart attack,
Looking in my rear view mirror,
I saw myself
The next car back,
Looking in the rear view mirror,
About to have
A heart attack, I said,
Damn this traffic jam,
How I hate to be late,
It hurts my motor to go so slow.
Damn this traffic jam,
Time I get home my supper'll be cold,
Damn this traffic jam.
Now when I die
I don't want no coffin,
I thought about it
All too often.
Just strap me in
Behind the wheel
And bury me with
My automobile.
Damn this traffic jam,
How I hate to be late,
It hurts my motor to go so slow.
Damn this traffic jam,
Time I get home my supper'll be cold,
Damn this traffic jam.
Damn.
Now I used to think
That I was cool
Running around
On fossil fuel,
Until I saw
What I was doing
Was driving down
The road to ruin.
The lyrics to James Taylor's song Traffic Jam express the frustration and monotony that comes with being stuck in traffic. The repetition of the phrase "damn this traffic jam" accurately conveys a sense of helplessness and desperation, as the singer is forced to sit and wait in their car. The lyrics use a conversational tone that effectively captures the feelings of everyday commuters who are constantly plagued by gridlock.
In addition to capturing the ubiquitous experience of traffic, the song also touches on larger themes of mortality and the negative impact of fossil fuels on the environment. The lines "Now when I die I don't want no coffin, I thought about it all too often. Just strap me in behind the wheel and bury me with my automobile" reveal a darkly humorous attitude towards death and the role that cars play in modern life. Meanwhile, the lines "Now I used to think that I was cool running around on fossil fuel, until I saw what I was doing was driving down the road to ruin" suggest an awareness of the environmental consequences of individual actions.
Overall, James Taylor's Traffic Jam is a catchy and insightful song that accurately depicts the experience of being stuck in traffic, while also exploring deeper themes related to society, mortality and the environment.
Line by Line Meaning
Damn this traffic jam,
I am frustrated by this traffic jam and the impact it is having on my schedule.
How I hate to be late,
It is very important to me to be punctual and I am unhappy that this traffic jam is preventing me from meeting that standard.
It hurts my motor to go so slow.
My car is not designed to move at such a slow pace and it may cause damage to the engine over time.
Time I get home my supper'll be cold,
The delay caused by this traffic jam means that I will not be able to eat dinner while it is still hot.
Well I left my job
I departed from work
About five o'clock,
Around the time when most people finish their workday
It took fifteen minutes
It required a quarter of an hour of my time
To go three blocks,
To travel only a short distance
Just in time
Arriving at the perfect moment
To stand in line
To queue up or wait in a line of cars
With a freeway looking
While the highway appears
Like a parking lot.
It feels as though I am stuck in a very large parking lot rather than on a road.
Now I almost had
I came close to experiencing
A heart attack,
A life-threatening medical emergency caused by immense stress and anxiety.
Looking in my rear view mirror,
Reflecting on what is happening behind me while I am driving.
I saw myself
I noticed something concerning occurring
The next car back,
The car in the lane behind me
About to have
On the verge of
A heart attack, I said,
I was very stressed out and anxious
Now when I die
At the time of my death
I don't want no coffin,
I do not wish to have a traditional burial
I thought about it
I have reflected on this decision
All too often.
More frequently than I care to admit
Just strap me in
Secure me inside
Behind the wheel
In the driver's seat of my car
And bury me with
Inter me alongside
My automobile.
My car, which has been an important part of my life.
Now I used to think
At one point in time, I believed
That I was cool
That I was popular, popularly accepted or fashionable
Running around
Engaging in various activities
On fossil fuel,
Burning oil and other fossil fuels
Until I saw
Until I became aware of
What I was doing
The environmental impact of my actions
Was driving down
Was having a detrimental impact on
The road to ruin.
The path to destruction and catastrophe.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind