james taylor wandering meaning

Meaning of Wandering by James Taylor

In "Wandering" by James Taylor, the lyrics portray a restless and nomadic lifestyle. The song expresses a sense of constant movement and an inability to settle down. Let's break down key lyrics and their meanings to understand the song's message:

"I've been wandering Early late From New York City To the Golden Gate"

These lines suggest that the narrator has been roaming and traveling extensively, ranging from New York City to the Golden Gate (a reference to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco). The use of "early late" indicates that this wandering has been ongoing for a long time, possibly implying a sense of aimlessness or searching for something.

"My daddy was an engineer My brother drives a hack My sister takes in laundry While the baby balls the jack"

These lyrics highlight the narrator's family background, revealing that their father was an engineer, their brother drives a cab ("hack"), their sister takes in laundry for a living, and their younger sibling engages in dubious activities ("balls the jack" refers to gambling or engaging in illicit behavior). These lines imply a working-class upbringing and perhaps suggest a heritage of instability or struggle.

"I've been in the army I've worked on a farm And all I've got to show Is the muscle in my arm"

These lines indicate that the narrator has experienced various jobs and lifestyles, including serving in the army and working on a farm. However, the narrator feels that despite their efforts, the only thing they have to show for their endeavors is physical strength ("muscle in my arm"). This could reflect a sense of disillusionment or dissatisfaction with the results of their labor.

"My ma she died When I was young My daddy took to stealing And he got hung"

These lyrics reveal a tragic family history, where the narrator's mother died when they were young, and their father turned to criminal activity ("took to stealing") and ultimately met a grim fate ("got hung"). This personal background adds another layer of hardship and loss to the narrator's life story.

"Snakes in the ocean Eels in the sea I let a redheaded woman Make a fool out of me"

These lines utilize symbolism and metaphor to express the narrator's experiences with betrayal or manipulation. The mention of "snakes in the ocean" and "eels in the sea" suggests treacherous or deceitful situations. The reference to a "redheaded woman" could represent a particular person who deceived or led the narrator astray. This imagery reinforces the theme of the narrator being caught in a never-ending cycle of disappointment and poor choices.

Overall, "Wandering" portrays a sense of restlessness, discontentment, and an inability to find stability or purpose. The lyrics draw upon themes of family, work, betrayal, and personal struggles. The song reflects the feelings of being adrift in life, constantly moving from place to place without finding a true sense of home or fulfillment. The significance lies in the exploration of how difficult circumstances and personal choices can lead to a perpetual state of wandering, both physically and metaphorically.

This meaning interpretation was written by AI. Help improve it with your feedback

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The Meaning Behind The Song: Wandering by James Taylor

Introduction

I first heard the song “Wandering” by James Taylor while I was on a road trip with some friends. We were driving down the coast, windows rolled down, and the sweet melody of this song filled the car. I remember being captivated by the lyrics, the soulful voice of Taylor, and the emotional depth it conveyed. Since then, this song has held a special place in my heart, and I have always been intrigued by its meaning.

Table of Contents

The lyrics of “Wandering” paint a vivid picture of a lifetime filled with restlessness, frequent movement, and uncertainty. It begins with Taylor singing, “I’ve been wandering, early late, from New York City to the Golden Gate.” This line sets the tone for the song, emphasizing the nomadic nature of the protagonist’s life. He is constantly on the move, never settling down.

The following lines reveal more about the protagonist’s family. Taylor sings, “My daddy was an engineer, my brother drives a hack, my sister takes in laundry while the baby balls the jack.” These lines speak to a working-class background, where everyone in the family is occupied with their own responsibilities. Despite these connections, the protagonist still feels a sense of detachment and longing for stability.

Taylor further expresses this longing in the chorus, repeating, “And it don’t look like I’ll ever stop my wandering.” This repetition reinforces the idea that the wandering is not a temporary phase but a fundamental part of the protagonist’s identity.

The second verse sheds some light on the protagonist’s past experiences. He mentions being in the army and working on a farm, emphasizing his willingness to take on different jobs and explore various lifestyles. However, despite these experiences, all he has to show for it is the muscle in his arm. This line suggests a sense of disillusionment and a lack of substantial achievements in his life.

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The song takes a darker turn when Taylor reveals, “My ma she died when I was young, my daddy took to stealing, and he got hung.” These lines expose a tragic family history that might have contributed to the protagonist’s longing for a sense of belonging and stability.

In the third verse, Taylor introduces a new element to the story by mentioning a redheaded woman who made a fool out of him. This romantic encounter, filled with regret and heartache, adds another layer of complexity to the protagonist’s wandering spirit and perhaps serves as a reminder of the transient nature of relationships.

The song concludes with a repetition of the chorus, driving home the idea that the protagonist’s wandering is unlikely to cease.

Historical Context

Interestingly, “Wandering” is credited as a traditional song with a new arrangement and additional lyrics by James Taylor. However, it originally appeared as “Wanderin'” on Eddy Arnold’s 1967 album “Wanderin’ with Eddy Arnold.” The lyrics of both versions share striking similarities, suggesting that Taylor drew inspiration from Arnold’s rendition.

It is worth noting that Charles Grean, Eddy Arnold’s producer, is credited as the composer and lyricist of the song. Therefore, while Taylor added his own touch to it, the essence of “Wandering” can be traced back to its traditional roots.

“Wandering” is a poignant song that speaks to the universal human desire for a sense of home and belonging. James Taylor’s soulful rendition, coupled with heartfelt lyrics, create a moving experience for listeners. Whether one relates to the themes of restlessness, familial complications, or the quest for stability, this song holds a profound meaning that resonates with many.

Personally, this song reminds me of my own journey as a digital nomad, constantly exploring new places and searching for a place to call home. Whether I’m working in different cities or backpacking through unknown territories, “Wandering” serves as a reminder of the inherent beauty and challenges of a transient lifestyle.

As I continue to wander, this song remains a steadfast companion, reminding me of the intrinsic joy and occasional heartache that comes with embracing the unknown.

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Meaning of Wandering by James Taylor

The song "Wandering" by James Taylor tells the story of a person who has been continuously moving and wandering through different places and experiences in their life. The lyrics suggest that the narrator's family has been involved in various occupations, such as engineering, driving taxis, laundry, and taking care of a baby. The repetition of "it don't look like I'll ever stop my wandering" indicates a sense of restlessness or inability to settle down. The lyrics also mention the narrator's experiences in the army and working on a farm, but they feel like they haven't achieved much despite their efforts. The mention of the narrator's mother's death and their father turning to criminal activities adds a layer of tragedy to their story. Towards the end, the lyrics mention being fooled by a redheaded woman, possibly suggesting a failed romantic relationship. The song concludes with the repetition of the opening line, emphasizing the narrator's ongoing wandering and the uncertainty of ever finding a sense of permanence or peace. Overall, "Wandering" depicts a life of constant movement, searching, and perhaps a feeling of being lost or disconnected. It reflects on the narrator's personal experiences and the challenges they face in the pursuit of stability and meaning in their life.

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James Taylor (page 1)

Carolina in my mind.

“This is a song I wrote in Spain, partially in Spain and partially here [ in London – Ed ]. I was homesick at the time, I didn’t really have a home but that doesn’t keep you from being homesick sometimes.” James Taylor (178)

“I was homesick when I wrote it, and the ‘holy host of others standing ’round me’ refers to the Beatles [ who were recording the White Album nearby at the time – Ed ]. The lyric dealt with being somewhere else, which has always made me feel real good, and it encouraged me that I could write a song that strong.” James Taylor (67)

“The song ‘B.S.U.R.’ on Flag was inspired by the cartoons of William Steig, who has a book out called CDB! about how to take letters and numbers and turn them into sentences, like ‘IMAUMBN’–’I am a human being’–or ‘URNNML’–’You are an animal.’ Well, my sister and I used to play that game. So I wrote ‘B.S.U.R.’ [which contains the verse: “She’s been holding on too long/Hoping I’m gonna change/Giving it up just a little bit more/Each time I come home/Looking and acting strange/Putting her down for putting up with me”] and Carly [ Simon, wife – Ed ] was fine about the song, sang on it, but other people were appalled that I could put our relationship on the line that way. She’s written a song called ‘Fair Weather Father’ that seems to paint me pretty ugly, but I sang backup on it, and I don’t take it seriously.” James Taylor (67)

“The chorus came first, since it’s all in initials, and I wanted to write the whole tune that way, just a sort of – exercise. You find people who write lyrics spend a lot of time making spoonerisms. It’s one of those relationship songs. The lyric didn’t seem to be about me and Carly at all, but she finds some correlations. I suppose it may be – I mean,after all, l wrote it. It’s probably not about Haldeman and Erlichman. I think that sometimes my behavior threatens her, ’cause she feels I might really harm myself. And it’s hard to commit yourself, emotionally to someone who could do damage to you through your commitment to them. It’s this business of whether or not you can afford to really put your life in the hands of someone who may not be in enough control of themselves to keep themselves alive. And I think there have been times when Carly worried about that with me. It’s not that she was trying to control me; she was just trying to decide whether or not she was gonna be able to stand to love me if she might have to lose me. And there were years and there have been instances when that was possible.” James Taylor (568)

Walking Man

“It was about the coming of winter and the way I feel about it. I panic a little bit when I feel it coming on. It’s always reminded me of having to go back to school, and maybe it’s a primal thing of realizing that winter means you’re going to have to put up with a tough time–the dark, difficult, cold times you have to be prepared for.” James Taylor (67)

“I wrote a lot of songs about my dad. It’s probably typical, but I have a sense that he was emotionally sort of frozen. “Walking Man” is informed by my longing for him. He disappeared for a few years when I was seven, eight and nine. He was drafted into the Navy, and then he volunteered to go to the South Pole. We missed him a lot. My mother was a daughter of a Yankee fisherman. She had five kids born within six years in the countryside of North Carolina, and here she was waiting for her husband to come home. That always stayed with me, somehow.” James Taylor (573)

Hour That The Morning Comes

“‘Hour That the Morning Comes’ is about people at a party. The first one is Carly [ Simon – Ed ], who doesn’t get drunk and has a good time without hurting herself. The second guy, with his head ‘kacked’– that’s a junkie term–in his lap, is just someone who’s miserable. The next person, the fool with the lamp shade on, is somebody else I know, and the ‘secret-agent man’ is a dealer, or someone with an angle he has to play out at the party.” James Taylor (67)

Sleep Come Free Me

“Bob Rafelson, the director, came to the Vineyard one time and asked me if I wanted to act in Brubaker, which he started making before something took him off the project. He said he was also looking for a song for the movie, and I came right out with this line ’10 lonely years without a woman,’ which was part of the original lyric. Then, to make it rhyme, I made it ’10 lonely years of my life taken.’ A couple of weeks before that, I had gone on a bender, and I got so drunk that I blacked out a whole rampage of awful behavior. I don’t know where I got the energy for it. I can remember that I played ‘She Caught the Katy,’ which I love, at a party for something like eight hours straight, and when someone finally threatened, or offered, to beat me on the head lest I keep playing the song, I actually bit a big hole in the guitar. And this guitar belonged to a good friend of mine, so it was a bad thing to have done. I had also recently watched a TV program on angel dust, where some poor bastard killed a man and couldn’t remember afterward. So I began to think of how some person could end up with no memory of what he had to pay for with his time in prison. When I came to, I heard for days about my behavior–some people just gave me dirty looks–so I wrote that into the song: Now the state of Alabama says I killed a man/The jury reached the same conclusion/I remember I was there/With a tire iron in my hand/The rest is all confusion.” James Taylor (67)

Fire And Rain

““Fire and Rain” has three verses. The first verse is about my reactions to the death of a friend. The second verse is about my arrival in this country with a monkey on my back, and there Jesus is an expression of my desperation in trying to get through the time when my body was aching and the time was at hand when I had to do it. Jesus was just something that you say when you’re in pain. I wasn’t actually looking to the savior. Some people look at it as a confirmation of belief in Christ as the one true path and the one sole way, which I don’t believe in, although he can certainly be a useful vehicle. And the third verse of that song refers to my recuperation in Austin Riggs [ a Massachusetts hospital- Ed ] which lasted about five months.” James Taylor (567)

“Again it wasn’t any kind of premeditated attempt at knocking down an audience. I was just writing down a song for myself. The song came in three different portions. The first verse came in a basement apartment in London. The second verse in a hospital room in Manhattan where I was recovering from what made me leave England – some hard times and stuff, and the third verse was written in Austin Riggs hospital in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. So it’s a three month period of time in 1968. It’s like three samplings of what I went through then.” James Taylor (568)

Mudslide Slim

“That song was actually as much as anything else to Peter Asher, who bore the brunt of my discomfort about the deadline aspect of Mudslide Slim. I wrote that song in the studio. The bridge, which was, “Do you believe I’ll go back home/Hey, mister. can’t you see that I’m dry as a bone?” is about having to write a song. It’s an album cut about having to make an album cut. It’s kind of a rip-off, except that it’s really a nice tune. After a while, a novelist who does nothing but write novels is going to end up writing a novel about writing a novel. The first chapter will say, “I wrote these words upon my typewriter,” or pretty soon “my vision is going to be turned right … I’m going to be looking at my feet.”” James Taylor (567)

““Fanfare” is about Carly [ Simon – Ed ], or about Carly and myself.” James Taylor (567)

Nobody But You

“The line “Nobody But You,” is about Carly [ Simon – Ed ]. The song itself isn’t about anything. That song is nonsense.” James Taylor (567)

Secret o’ Life

“I think “Secret o’ Life” is a spiritual song. The reason I call it “Secret o’ Life,” sounding like an o, is because it sounded like such a preposterous title. So presumptuous. So I wanted to make it sound like a Lifesaver flavor, you know. I think that song is about the decaying universe, about entropy, about being in the Now.” James Taylor (568)

Enough To Be On Your Way

“[ Supposedly about the death of his brother Alex although the song refers to Alice – Ed ]. No, it was Alice all along. It actually started before Alex died. When I started the song, I just had the line “The last time I saw Alice, she was leaving Santa Fe.” About nine months or so after Alex died, I went to Paris and was walking around the streets there, and the song just came down around the circumstances of Alex’s dying. I was there by myself for a long time, walking around by myself in the streets. It was a dark time, a rainy time. And the song came out at me from alleyways and in cafes.” James Taylor (569)

“My brother Alex was also an addict, and in 1993, he died of it. There was a sense of relief when he died, for him and for his family, that one felt. It wasn’t until a year or so had passed that I got back in touch with the totality of his life rather than just the shambles of its end, the pain of it. That’s when I wrote this song.” James Taylor (573)

Sunny Skies

“‘Sunny Skies’ was an exception which I wrote in London. It was actually the stage name for a Pakistani rhythm and blues singer but the character I modeled it on was a friend of mine called Kingman Rooster. I put the line ‘You’ll be pleased to find he ain’t got no friends’ because the song was too rosy up to that point – it was kind of a rude turnaround!” James Taylor (865)

Page 2 >>

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When people use the term "singer/songwriter" (often modified by the word "sensitive") in praise or in criticism, they're thinking of James Taylor. In the early '70s, when he appeared with his introspective songs, acoustic guitar, and calm, understated singing style, he mirrored a generation's emotional exhaustion after tumultuous times. Just as Bing Crosby's reassuring voice brought the country out of the Depression and through World War II, Taylor's eased the transition from '60s activism and its attendant frustrations into the less political, more inward-looking '70s. He was rewarded with a series of hit albums and singles (surprisingly, many of the latter were covers of old songs rather than his own compositions), and he managed to survive his initial fame to achieve lasting popularity. He continued to tour successfully for decades, and, starting with his 1970 breakthrough Sweet Baby James, all but one of his regular album releases for the rest of the century went gold or platinum, while his 1976 Greatest Hits album achieved a diamond certification reflecting sales of more than ten million copies.

Taylor was the son of Dr. Isaac and Gertrude Taylor. His three brothers Alex (1947-1993), Livingston, and Hugh -- and his sister Kate -- all became musicians and recorded albums of their own. In 1951, Dr. Taylor was appointed dean of the medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the family moved from New England to the South. Taylor studied cello as a child, but first took up the guitar in 1960. In 1963, he began attending Milton Academy, a prep school in Massachusetts. That summer, he met fellow guitarist Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar while staying on Martha's Vineyard, and the two formed a folk duo. Taylor dropped out of school at 16 and formed a band with his brother Alex. Having moved to New York, he suffered from depression and checked himself into McLean Psychiatric Hospital in Massachusetts, a stay that would inspire some of his early songs. While there, he earned a high-school diploma. Upon release, he returned to New York in 1966 and formed a new group, the Flying Machine, with Kortchmar and Joel O'Brien. The band played in Greenwich Village and was signed to a fledgling record label, Rainy Day Records (the name taken from Taylor's song "Rainy Day Man"). It released one single, "Brighten Your Night with My Day"/"Night Owl," both songs written by Taylor. The record was unsuccessful, and the band broke up in the spring of 1967.

By 1968, Taylor had become addicted to heroin. In an attempt to overcome his addiction, he moved to London, where he submitted a demo tape to Peter Asher, former member of Peter & Gordon, then working for the Beatles' Apple Records label. As a result, Taylor was signed to Apple and recorded his debut solo album, James Taylor, released in the U.K. in December 1968 and in the U.S. in February 1969. Initially, it received little attention. A more pressing concern, however, was that Taylor had not been able to kick heroin. As a result, he returned to the U.S. and checked into the Austin Riggs Hospital in Massachusetts. By July 1969, he had recovered sufficiently to make his solo debut at the Troubadour nightclub in Los Angeles, but soon after he was in a motorcycle accident and broke both of his hands, which put him out of commission for several months.

Freed of his Apple Records contract, Taylor signed to Warner Bros., moved to California, and, retaining Asher as his manager and producer, recorded his second album, Sweet Baby James. It was released in February 1970 and became a major success during the course of the year, spurred by the single "Fire and Rain," a song that reflected on his experiences in mental institutions, which peaked in the Top Five in October, the same month that Sweet Baby James achieved the same status on the LP charts. With that, interest in Taylor's first album was re-stimulated, and it belatedly reached the charts along with the single "Carolina on My Mind," as did James Taylor & the Original Flying Machine: 1967, a short collection of unfinished recordings made by his '60s band. Sweet Baby James then spawned a second hit single, "Country Road," which peaked in the Top 40 in March 1971. The same month, Taylor appeared on the cover of Time magazine, touted as the founder and leading proponent of the "singer/songwriter" trend in popular music.

Meanwhile, Taylor acted in a feature film, Two-Lane Blacktop, co-starring with the Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson. It was not successful, and Taylor didn't pursue an acting career, though the movie has been well-reviewed since then. Taylor also worked on a new album, returning to record stores in April 1971 with Mud Slide Slim & the Blue Horizon. As he toured the U.S., the LP spent the summer in the Top Ten, eventually peaking just below the top of the charts, paced by its first single, "You've Got a Friend," written by Carole King, which hit number one in July and went gold. A second single, "Long Ago and Far Away," reached the Top 40, and the album eventually sold more than two million copies. On March 14, 1972, Taylor won the 1971 Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, for "You've Got a Friend."

Taylor took what was then considered a long time -- more than a year and a half -- to come up with his next album, One Man Dog, released in November 1972. On November 3, 1972, during an appearance at Radio City Music Hall in New York, he announced to the crowd that he had married singer/songwriter Carly Simon earlier in the day. Simon was already well-known for the hits "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" and "Anticipation," and would soon top the charts with "You're So Vain." One Man Dog marked a fall-off in Taylor's record sales, though it went gold, reached the Top Five, and spawned a Top 20 single in "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight."

Taylor was next heard from in January 1974, when he sang a duet with his wife, "Mockingbird," a cover of the 1963 hit by Inez & Charlie Foxx, on her Hotcakes album. Released as a single, the recording reached the Top Five and went gold. That spring, Taylor launched a major tour in anticipation of his next album, Walking Man, released in June. Though it reached the Top 20, the album was a commercial disappointment, failing to go gold or produce a chart single. But Taylor bounced back the following year with the May release of Gorilla. Again, he succeeded by reviving an old hit, this time Marvin Gaye's 1964 song "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)," which reached the Top Five, helping the album become a Top Ten, gold-selling hit.

In the Pocket, Taylor's seventh album, was his third annual warm-weather release, appearing in June 1976. Its single was the singer's own "Shower the People," which reached the Top 40, while the album made the Top 20 and went gold. Nearing the end of his Warner Bros. contract, Taylor re-recorded a couple of his Apple songs for his Greatest Hits LP, released in November. It became a perennial seller. With that, in a major coup, he was signed by Columbia. His debut for the label, JT, was released in June 1977. Once again, a revival spurred its sales, as Taylor covered Jimmy James' 1959 song "Handy Man" and took it into the Top Five, followed by a Top 20 showing for his own "Your Smiling Face." With such stimulation, JT reached the Top Five and sold over two million copies. On February 23, 1978, Taylor picked up a second Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, for "Handy Man."

Along with Paul Simon, Taylor was a featured singer on Art Garfunkel's cover of "(What A) Wonderful World," previously a hit for Sam Cooke and Herman's Hermits, which peaked in the Top 20 in March 1978. Taylor next became involved with the Broadway musical Working, based on Studs Terkel's bestseller, writing three songs for it. The show ran a scant 25 performances after opening on May 14, 1978, but Taylor reclaimed "Millworker" and "Brother Trucker" for his next album. Meanwhile, his duet with Carly Simon on a revival of the Everly Brothers' "Devoted to You" peaked in the Top 40 in September.

Flag, marking a nearly two-year break between albums, appeared in April 1979, its Top 40 hit single being a revival of the 1963 Drifters hit "Up on the Roof." Despite the lack of a really big hit single, the LP reached the Top Ten and went platinum. That September, Taylor performed at Madison Square Garden in the No Nukes concerts, later being featured in the No Nukes triple LP and in the No Nukes concert film.

Taylor embarked on a national tour in the summer of 1980, despite not having a current album to promote. From here on, recurrent touring became a regular part of his career and contributed to his longevity as an artist. That fall, he appeared on the children's album In Harmony 2, singing "Jelly Man Kelly." The album won the 1981 Grammy for Best Recording for Children. He toured extensively during 1981, releasing Dad Loves His Work in February. The album reached the Top Ten and went gold, spurred by the Top Ten success of the single "Her Town Too," written by Taylor, J.D. Souther, and Waddy Wachtel, Taylor's most successful original composition since "Fire and Rain."

Taylor continued to tour frequently in the early '80s, a period when his marriage to Carly Simon came to an end (they were divorced in 1983). Often, his performances took place overseas. In January 1985, he performed at the Rock in Rio concert in Brazil, a show that resulted in the Brazil-only release Live in Rio. His next studio album, following a gap of more than four years, was That's Why I'm Here, released in October 1985. As usual, his record label issued a cover song as the single; in this case it was Buddy Holly's "Everyday," which didn't get very far up the charts. Nevertheless, Taylor's long career and constant touring had brought him a permanent audience ready to buy his records, and the album eventually went platinum. On December 14, 1985, he married for the second time, to Kathryn Walker; a month later, he was on tour in Australia.

Road work continued to be Taylor's primary occupation in the mid-'80s, but he came off tour long enough to finish another album, Never Die Young, only a little more than two years after That's Why I'm Here, released in January 1988. The title song, issued as a single, barely reached the charts, but Never Die Young was another million-seller. The late '80s and early '90s saw more extensive worldwide touring. New Moon Shine, Taylor's 13th regular album release, came in October 1991, the same month that he sold out six consecutive shows at the Paramount Theater in New York; the disc stayed in the charts nearly a year and sold a million copies.

Despite his consistent draw as a concert attraction, Taylor had never released a live album in the U.S. until the August 1993 appearance of Live, a two-CD set that went platinum within months. Columbia, which had never had a Taylor compilation to promote, trimmed the album down to a single disc of hits for the 1994 release (Best Live). Taylor was divorced from his second wife in 1996. His next album, Hourglass, released in May 1997, demonstrated his continuing appeal by entering the charts in the Top Ten. On February 25, 1998, it won the 1997 Grammy for Best Pop Album. In October the same year, Columbia issued the DVD Live at the Beacon Theatre while Billboard magazine was honoring Taylor with their highest accolade, the Century Award.

By 2000, Taylor's first Greatest Hits collection had sold over ten million copies, earning him the RIAA's Diamond Award. Taylor was also inducted into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2000, and at the end of the year, Columbia issued Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, covering the years 1977-1997. Fans who had waited five years for new material were awarded with October Road in 2002, an album that earned two Grammy nominations and eventually went platinum. A year later, The Best of James Taylor became the first compilation to cover material from his years with Apple, Warner Bros., and Columbia. In 2004, he appeared on the television show The West Wing, released Christmas Album, and sang the national anthem before game two of the World Series. Two years later, Taylor released James Taylor at Christmas and made an appearance on the soundtrack for the Pixar film Cars. In 2007, the CD/DVD One Man Band was released on the Hear Music label. An album featuring a dozen cover versions of various songs, simply and appropriately called Covers, followed a year later in 2008, also from Hear Music. A sequel, Other Covers, appeared in 2009.

Following a highly successful dual tour with Carole King, Taylor and King released a concert CD/DVD set called Live at the Troubadour in 2010. Never one to shy away from his political views, Taylor was active during Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, performing at both the Democratic National Convention and then in January 2013 at the president's second inauguration. In April of 2015, Taylor debuted the single "Today, Today, Today" in advance of a new album called Before This World. Featuring guest spots from Sting and Yo-Yo Ma, Before This World was Taylor's first album of new material since 2002's October Road and there was a pent-up demand for the record: upon its June 16 release, it entered the Billboard 200 at number one, becoming his first-ever chart-topping LP.

William Ruhlmann AllMusic.com

• James Taylor – Never Die Young A comment was added to Never Die Young by jb014 . Seems pretty obvious to me that this is about some hippie friends he knew, a couple, who died young. The tone is deeply loving and even celebratory, in the face of a tragedy. "We were... 4 months ago

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James Taylor

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James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. more »

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Written by: JAMES TAYLOR

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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"Wandering Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Sep. 2024. < https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/24019705/James+Taylor/Wandering >.

Missing lyrics by James Taylor?

Know any other songs by james taylor don't keep it to yourself, image credit, the web's largest resource for, music, songs & lyrics, a member of the stands4 network, watch the song video, more tracks from the album, live at the beacon theatre.

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• #2 Another Day
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• #3 Daddy's All Gone
• #4 Everyday
• #6 Only a Dream in Rio
• #7 Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
• #8 Your Smiling Face
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• #10 Shower the People
• #11 How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)
• #12 Fire and Rain [DVD]
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• #19 Line 'Em Up
• #20 Up on the Roof
• #21 Steamroller Blues
• #22 Belfast to Boston
• #23 Wandering
• #24 Not Fade Away

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