Born Richard Dean Taylor on the 11th May 1939 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, he began his career in 1961 as a pianist and singer with several bands in Toronto. He also made his first recordings in 1961, for the Audiomaster record label. The next year, Taylor's "At the High School Dance", a single for Amy-Mala Records, was a minor success. His next single, "I'll Remember", on the Barry label, reached number twenty-three for Toronto rock -and-roll radio station CHUM, and the singer decided to relocate to Detroit, Michigan to further his career.
In Detroit, Taylor was hired by Motown Records in 1964 as a songwriter and recording artist for the Motown subsidiary V.I.P. label. Taylor's scheduled first single (March 1964) for V.I.P. was the topical satire "My Ladybug (Stay Away from That Beatle)", but it was deemed too weak for release and was never issued.
It was not until November 1965 that Taylor's debut V.I.P. single, "Let's Go Somewhere", was issued. It was written by Taylor in conjunction with Brian Holland, and produced by the team of Holland and Lamont Dozier, who had already produced five number-one songs for The Supremes. However, the song was only a regional success, in several U.S. cities and Toronto.
Taylor's next single (1967's "There's a Ghost in My House") was written by the team of Holland–Dozier–Holland along with Taylor, and again produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier. It was also a commercial disappointment in the U.S., but it reached number three in the U.K. in 1974. Taylor was also beginning to become a songwriter for other acts; for example "I'll Turn to Stone" by the Four Tops and "All I Need" by The Temptations were both charting U.S. singles in 1967, co-composed by him.
In 1968, Taylor's self-produced single "Gotta See Jane", (co-written with Brian Holland), became a top-twenty hit in the UK. However, his real success came as a member of the Motown writing and production team known as "The Clan". This production group were briefly the prime creators of material for Diana Ross & the Supremes after the Holland/Dozier/Holland team left Motown. Among Taylor's successful co-compositions and co-productions during 1968/69 as a member of The Clan were Diana Ross & the Supremes' number-one U.S. release "Love Child" and their number-ten releaset "I'm Livin' in Shame".
Taylor resumed his recording career in 1970, becoming one of the first artists assigned to Motown's new subsidiary Rare Earth, which was dedicated to Caucasian artists. In that year his first Rare Earth single, "Indiana Wants Me", reached number one in his native Canada. It reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number two in the U.K.. "Gotta See Jane" was also reissued in 1971, and became a top-ten success in Canada. His 1972 single "Taos, New Mexico" did not do well on the Canadian charts.
Taylor continued recording for Rare Earth, and working as a writer/producer for other artists until Rare Earth was ended in 1976. Though he never again scored the charts as he had done with "Indiana Wants Me", his releases did moderately well, especially in Canada. As a Canadian citizen, he could be played on CKLW and other Canadian radio stations and counted towards the stations' Canadian content quotas.
Taylor attempted a comeback during the early 1980s, after which he had a hiatus from the music industry. He has recently established his own record company, Jane Records.
Gotta See Jane
R. Dean Taylor Lyrics
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Speedin' trough the dark night,
Drivin' trough the poundin' rain
I gotta see Jane
Windshield wiper splashin',
Splashin', callin' out her name
Just gotta see Jane
To find a place for me in the world outside
I wasn't alive, I could not survive
The frantic pace, the constant chase
To win the race, turned my heart cold inside
I gotta find what I left behind
Red light, green light,
Speedin' through the dark night,
Drivin' through the poundin' rain,
I gotta see Jane
Freeway, byway,
Earin' up the highway,
Runnin' up a world insane
Just gotta see Jane
A town of steel that isn't real
It could not feel what's in the heart of me
I was so alone in a world of stone
I missed her arms, that once held me
That made me see, I was the lonely one
But now and then I was runnin' scared
And I could feel the touch of time
Turnin' the wheel of life to yesterday
When love and happiness were mine
I gotta find that world of Jane and me
Liked it used to be
Oh, I gotta see Jane
Her love for me I pushed aside
Walked out alone
To face a world turned cold
Although I tried I could not survive
The frantic pace, the constant chase
To win the race, it's not a part of me
I've gotta find what I left behind
Oh, I gotta see Jane, I gotta see Jane
The lyrics to R. Dean Taylor's "Gotta See Jane" depict a man's desperate journey to reunite with the woman he left behind. The song describes a high-speed car chase through rain and darkness as the singer searches for the one thing missing in his life-- Jane. He left her arms to find his place in the world but found that the constant chase for success left him feeling empty and alone.
The lyrics reveal a sense of regret and a longing to return to a simpler time when love and happiness were the driving forces in his life. The song's themes of isolation, loss, and the desire for connection are universal, making it relatable to anyone who has experienced a difficult journey to find their place in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Red light, green light, Speedin' trough the dark night, Drivin' trough the poundin' rain I gotta see Jane
Despite the difficult night and weather, the singer is in a rush and determined to see Jane and nothing will stop him.
Windshield wiper splashin', Splashin', callin' out her name Just gotta see Jane I left her arms to find my way
The windshield wiper's movement and sound imitates the singer’s internal monologue as he sees himself regardless of the negative effects of leaving Jane, knowing he has to leave in order to grow.
To find a place for me in the world outside I wasn't alive, I could not survive The frantic pace, the constant chase To win the race, turned my heart cold inside
The singer left Jane to find his own identity and his place in the world. He wasn't himself, he was unhappy and he was struggling to keep up with the pace of life, it made him feel empty and unfulfilled.
I gotta find what I left behind Red light, green light, Speedin' through the dark night, Drivin' through the poundin' rain, I gotta see Jane
After searching for his place in the world, the singer realizes that what he needs to find is what he left behind, meaning his relationship with Jane. Regardless of the night and the weather, he’s in a rush to return to her.
Freeway, byway, Earin' up the highway, Runnin' up a world insane Just gotta see Jane
The singer has decided that no matter how crazy and chaotic life gets, nothing else is as important to him as seeing Jane again.
A town of steel that isn't real It could not feel what's in the heart of me I was so alone in a world of stone I missed her arms, that once held me That made me see, I was the lonely one
The singer finally realizes that the town he lived in was empty and lacking in real emotions. He feels like he never truly belonged and was always lonely. He misses how Jane’s presence made him feel and he regrets pushing her away.
But now and then I was runnin' scared And I could feel the touch of time Turnin' the wheel of life to yesterday When love and happiness were mine
While the singer is driving to see Jane, he thinks back to when he was happy and in love with her. He realizes how scared he was and how no time can change how he still feels about her.
I gotta find that world of Jane and me Liked it used to be Oh, I gotta see Jane Her love for me I pushed aside Walked out alone To face a world turned cold
He yearns to go back the time when he and Jane had a world of their own before he left her. He regrets pushing away Jane's love and the emotional investment they had in each other. Now alone, the world seems cold and less hopeful.
Although I tried I could not survive The frantic pace, the constant chase To win the race, it's not a part of me I've gotta find what I left behind Oh, I gotta see Jane, I gotta see Jane
The frantic pace and constant chase of trying to find his place in the world did not work for him, and he regrets letting Jane go. He has realized that he does not want to compete to 'win the race' since it is not in his nature. He knows what he wants now, and that is to rediscover Jane.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: R. DEAN TAYLOR, RONALD MILLER, RONALD N. MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind