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.
Wichita Lineman
James Taylor Lyrics
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Searching in the sun for another overload
I hear you singing in the wire, I can hear you through the whine
And the Wichita Lineman is still on the line
I know I need a small vacation but it don't look like rain
And if it snows that stretch down south won't ever stand the strain
And I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time
And I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time
And the Wichita Lineman is still on the line
The song "Wichita Lineman" by James Taylor is a poignant and melancholic narrative that explores the loneliness and yearning of a lineman who is tasked with maintaining and repairing power lines in the desolate plains of Kansas. Taylor uses vivid imagery, metaphors, and personification to create a vivid picture of a man who has resigned himself to his solitary life, but who still finds comfort in the connection he feels with others through the electrical wires.
The opening lines of the song establish the setting and the singer's occupation. He is a lineman for the county, and he spends his days driving down the main road, searching for equipment failures and power outages. The phrase "searching in the sun for another overload" suggests that his job is arduous, and he is often confronted with extra work due to extreme weather conditions or malfunctioning electrical systems.
The lines "I hear you singing in the wire, I can hear you through the whine" are not only a beautiful metaphor for the connection between people that transcends distance, but they're also an allusion to the melody of the song itself. The reference to "Wichita Lineman" being still on the line suggests that even though the lineman may be alone working on a desolate road, he has a connection to others through the electrical wires, which the singer can hear in the melodic hum of the electrical wires.
Line by Line Meaning
I am a lineman for the county and I drive the main road
I work as a lineman for the county, responsible for the transmission of telecommunication signals. My job takes me driving along the main road.
Searching in the sun for another overload
I am out in the sun, trying to locate a problem that is causing an overload on the transmission line.
I hear you singing in the wire, I can hear you through the whine
As I'm listening for the source of the problem, I can hear the transmission humming with activity.
And the Wichita Lineman is still on the line
I am still working hard, trying to locate the issue on this transmission line.
I know I need a small vacation but it don't look like rain
I am aware that I could use a short break, but it doesn't seem like the current weather will allow me to take any time off.
And if it snows that stretch down south won't ever stand the strain
Even if it snows, I still can't take a break because there is a long stretch of the transmission line down south that can't handle the strain and needs maintenance.
And I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time
Besides feeling overworked, I have a strong desire for someone's comfort and support.
And the Wichita Lineman is still on the line
Despite my exhaustion and emotional needs, I'm still working hard on this transmission line problem.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jimmy Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind