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.
Shadow
R. Dean Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But every day I love you more
Shadow, you bring me down
And every day I need you more
Than the day before
Body of a woman, mind of a child
Shadow, you sure do drive me wild
Shadow, it's in your touch
All those things that I just don't know
Shadow, you mean so much
I never thought I had so far to go
I need you so
Body of a woman, mind of a child
Shadow, you sure do drive me wild
You're only 14 years old
Hair dark, black as coal
Eyes that look into your soul
Touch that makes you lose control
Shadow she's gonna stay
Won't go away
Body of a woman, mind of a child
Shadow, you sure do drive me wild
You're only 14 years old
Shadow, you drag me down
But every day I love you more
Shadow, it's in you're touch
Yeah every day I need you more
The lyrics of R. Dean Taylor's song Shadow explore the singer's complicated and unsettling feelings towards a young girl. The chorus of the song describes the titular “shadow” dragging the singer down and bringing him down, but also how he loves and needs her more every day. The verse delves deeper into his attraction to the young girl with lyrics such as "body of a woman, mind of a child" and "you're only 14 years old".
One possible interpretation of the song is that it's a commentary on the destructive nature of lust and the taboo of child-adult relationships. The "shadow" represents the singer's dark, forbidden desires that he can't resist even though he knows it's wrong. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the young girl, with "hair dark, black as coal, eyes that look into your soul, touch that makes you lose control" – all enticing and seductive qualities that the singer can't resist. The line "won't go away" suggests that he knows this attraction is permanent, and that he's doomed to be haunted by it.
Line by Line Meaning
Shadow, you drag me down
The singer feels weighed down by their infatuation with Shadow.
But every day I love you more
Despite feeling dragged down, the singer's feelings for Shadow continue to grow stronger each day.
Shadow, you bring me down
Shadow's presence has a negative impact on the singer's life or emotional state.
And every day I need you more
Despite the negative impact, the artist's need for Shadow's companionship grows more intense with each passing day.
Than the day before
The artist's need for Shadow increases in a noticeable way each day.
Body of a woman, mind of a child
Shadow possesses physical attributes of a mature woman, but demonstrates emotional or intellectual immaturity.
Shadow, you sure do drive me wild
The singer is deeply and uncontrollably attracted to Shadow despite any potential negative consequences.
You're only 14 years old
Shadow's age is revealed to be a point of serious concern or controversy in the relationship.
Shadow, it's in your touch
Shadow's physical touch has an alluring quality to it that is inexplicable to the artist.
All those things that I just don't know
The artist is drawn to Shadow's mysterious nature or things about Shadow that are unknown or unexplained to them.
Shadow, you mean so much
Shadow has become increasingly important or significant to the singer despite any negative aspects of their relationship.
I never thought I had so far to go
The artist is surprised by how much they have invested in their relationship with Shadow, despite potentially knowing it to be unhealthy.
I need you so
The singer feels a strong and unyielding need for Shadow in their life, even if it is detrimental to them.
Hair dark, black as coal
A physical description of Shadow's hair, which is used to characterize her as mysterious, seductive, or otherworldly.
Eyes that look into your soul
Shadow's eyes are used to characterize her as possessing a depth of character or emotion that is powerful or alluring.
Touch that makes you lose control
Shadow's physical touch has a powerful effect on the artist and they find themselves powerless to resist it or her.
Shadow she's gonna stay
Despite any potential negative consequences, Shadow will remain in the artist's life and they will continue to pursue their relationship.
Won't go away
Despite possible negative consequences or repercussions, Shadow's presence in the singer's life has become an unshakeable force and they are unable to break free from it.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: R. DEAN TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind