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On James Taylor

 James Taylor was institutionalized; he would look out his window and see a country road. This became the inspiration for "Country Road," which is a portrait of the artist as a young man.


Take to the highway; won't you lend me your name.
Your way and my way seem to be one and the same.

I think of Taylor attempting to reach out to a poetic idol--like Walt Whitman. Following Whitman would be like following the highway, the "high" way, an elevated way of life.

Mama don't understand it.
She wants to know where I've been.
I'd have to be some kind of natural born fool to want to pass that way again....

Taylor feels some pressure to choose a "conventional" life; rejecting security would be like choosing to wear a dunce cap. But Taylor really would like to be a "fool"; he would like to exist on the edge of society. He is guilty as charged.

I can hear a heavenly band full of angels,
And they're coming to set me free.
I don't know nothing about the why or when--
But I can tell you that it's bound to be.

I guess my feet know where they want me to go.
Walking on a country road...

Taylor is triumphant; he is just going to be the person he wants to be. His feet know what they want; it's an inconvenient truth for others in his life. He ends the song by giving himself a command: "Walk on down--walk on down--walk on down--walk on down--walk on down a country road." This feels celebratory and a little scary; it's exhilarating to hear.
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Comments

  1. Unkie JApril 26, 2023 at 7:17 AM

    Beyond your accurate insights to the inner James, the pure sensuality of his playing, his voice, his poetry, his collaborations have always proven a (needed) joy and comfort for us. One of our favorites.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ReaderApril 26, 2023 at 7:45 AM

    Thank you -- and mine too. Great, great artist.

    ReplyDelete

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