James Taylor, otro recomendado

La misma paz interior que me producía a mis 20 escuchar su música, me la brinda cada vez que lo retomo (más allá de sus letras en las que pocas veces reparo). Sobreviviente de los 70s, como Joni Mitchell, Crosby y Nash, Joan Baez y Dylan, testigos privilegiados de una época de grandes cambios culturales y alardes que terminaron en retirada. Quisiera leer las bios de estos artistas para saber que se siente estar en el lugar y momento justos de semejante movida ("¡unos nacen con estrella y otros estrellados!"). ¿Uds. se han perdido a J.T. todos estos años? Estos son los temas imprescindibles que llevo en mi teléfono. Son los que les recomiendo para empezar a disfrutarlo. Horanosaurus.

4th of July
James Taylor
Album: "October road" (2002) que incluye a Steve Gadd, Greg Phillinganes, Ry Cooder y Luis Conte, entre otros. 

Shall I tell it again how we started as friends
Who would run into one another now and again
At the yippee cai o or the mesa dupree
Or a dozen different everyday places to be

I was loping along living alone
We were ever so brave on the telephone
Would you care to come down for fireworks time
We could each just reach
We step out of line

And the smell of the smoke and the lay of the land
And the feeling of finding one's heart in one's hand
And the tiny tin voice of the radio band singing
"love must stand"
Love forever and ever must stand

Unbelievable you, impossible me
The fool who fell out of the family tree
The fellow that found the philosopher's stone
Deep underground like a dinosaur bone

Who fell into you at a quarter to two
With a tear in your eye for the fourth of july
For the patriots and the minutemen
And the things you believe they believed in then

Such as freedom, and freedom's land
And the kingdom of God and the rights of man
With the tiny tin voice of the radio band
Singing "love must stand"
Love forever and ever must stand
And forever must stand

Oh the smell of the smoke as we lay on the land
And the feeling of finding my heart in my hand
With the tiny tin voice of the radio band
Singing "love must stand"
Love forever and ever must stand

All on the fourth of july
On the fourth of july

Only a dream in Rio

James Taylor-Jim Maraniss
Album: "That's why I'm here" (1985) con Russ Kunkel, Michael y Randy Brecker, David Sandborn, Tony Levin, Don Henley, Joni Mitchell, Eliane Elias, Airto Moreira, Graham Nash, etc. etc. 

Dos videos hermosos, el 2do. con Milton Nascimento en coros y Nana Vasconcelos, experto en chirimbolos.

More than a distant land

Over a shining sea
More than the steaming green
More than the shining eyes

Well they tell me it's only a dream in Rio
And nothing could be as sweet as it seems on this very first day down
They remind me, son, have you so soon forgotten?
Often as not it's rotten inside and the mask soon slips away

Strange taste of a tropical fruit
Romantic language of the Portuguese
Melody on a wooden flute
Somba floating in the summer breeze
Take it easy

It's alright you can stay asleep
You can close your eyes
You can trust the people of paradise
To call your keeper and tender your goodbyes

Oh what a night, wonderful one in a million
Frozen fire, Brazilian stars, oh holy Southern Cross
Later on take me way downtown in a tin can, I
Can't come down from the bandstand, I'm
Never thrown for such a loss when they say

Quando a nossa me acordar
Andaremos ao sol
Quando a nossa me acordar
Cantara pelo serto
Quando a nossa mae acordar
Todos os filhos sabero
Todos os filhos sabero
E se alegraro

Caught in the rays of the rising sun
On the run from the soldier's gun
Shouting out loud from the angry crowd
The mild the wild and the hungry child
I'll tell you there's more than a dream in Rio

I was there on the very day and my heart came back alive
There was more
More than the singin' voices
More than the upturned faces
And more than the shining eyes

But it's more than the shining eye
More than the steaming green
More than the hidden hills
More than the concrete Christ
More than a distant land
Over a shining sea
More than a hungry child
More like another time
Born of a million years
More than a million years

You can close your eyes

James Taylor 
Album: "Mud Slide Slim & The Blue Horizon" (1971) con Danny Kortchmar, Russ Kunkel y la participación de Carole King, Joni Mitchell, etc. etc.

Romántica versión con su ex mujer, Carly Simon.

Well the sun is surely sinking down

But the moon is slowly rising
So this old world must still be spinning 'round
And I still love you

So close your eyes
You can close your eyes, it's all right
I don't know no love songs
And I can't sing the blues anymore
But I can sing this song
And you can sing this song when I'm gone

It won't be long before another day
We gonna have a good time
And no one's gonna take that time away
You can stay as long as you like

So close your eyes
You can close your eyes, it's all right
I don't know no love songs
And I can't sing the blues anymore
But I can sing this song
And you can sing this song when I'm gone

Line 'em up

James Taylor

Album: "Hourglass" (1997) con Michael Brecker, Steve Wonder, Branford Marsalis, Sting, Yo-Yo-Ma, etc. 

En este video en el programa de Jool Hollands -ex Squeeze-, con la yapa de "Fire and rain".

I remember Richard Nixon back in '74
And the final scene at the White House door
And the staff lined up to say good-bye
Tiny tear in his shifty little eye
He said nobody knows me
Nobody understands
These little people were good to me
Oh I'm gonna shake some hands

CHORUS:
Somebody line 'em up
Line 'em all up
Line 'em up
Line 'em all up
Line 'em up
Line 'em all up
Line 'em up
Line 'em all up

At that time my heart was all broke
I looked like ashes and smelled like smoke
And I turned away from my loving kind
Try to leave my body and live in my mind
But it's much too much emotion
To hold it in your hand
They've got waves out on the ocean
They're gonna wear away the land

- Chorus -

Oh I've seen corn in Kansas
And I've seen picket fences
And certain cowboy dances
I've gone lining up for shows
I've been safely placed in rows
Sure I know how it goes

Another day goes by
Little time machine
I'm breaking my brain
Over what it might mean
Just to claim the time
And to turn away
To make today today

Who waits for you
Lonely tired old toad
It's your life laid out before you
Like the broken white line down the center of the doggone road

- Chorus -

Yeah, big moon landing
People all standing up
Smiles for the loved ones
They go walking on down the aisles
Each re-engages stepping into the sun
I watch them turn like pages
One by one by one

- Chorus –

Sweet baby James
James Taylor
Album: "Sweet Baby James" (1970), con Russ Kunkel, Danny Kortchmar, Carole King y otros. 

There is a young cowboy, he lives on the range,
His horse and his cattle are his only companions.
He works in the saddle and sleeps in the canyons,
Waiting for summer, his pastures to change.
And as the moon rises he sits by his fire,
Thinking about women and glasses of beer,
And closing his eyes as the doggies retire.
He sings out a song which is soft but it's clear,
As if maybe someone could hear.
He says

Goodnight you moonlight ladies,
Rockabye sweet baby James.
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose,
Won't you let me go down in my dreams,
And rockabye sweet baby James.

The first of December was covered with snow
So was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston
The Berkshires seemed dream-like on account of that frosting
With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go.

There's a song that they sing when they take to the highway,
A song that they sing when they take to the sea,
A song that they sing of their home in the sky,
Maybe you can believe it if it helps you to sleep,
But singing works just fine for me.

Goodnight you moonlight ladies,
Rockabye sweet baby James.
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose,
Won't you let me go down in my dreams,
And rockabye sweet baby James.

Chanson francaise

James Taylor

Album: "Flag" (1979) con Danny Kortchmar y la participación de David Sandborn, Graham Nash, Carly Simon, etc. 

J'ai trouvé cette chanson française 

Mise dans un coin, 
Tout au fond de mon crâne 
Pas encore exprimée.

Et donc je manque des idées anglaises, 
Paraître, peut-être, quelque chose, je n'ai pas pensé. 
Si je dis que je t'aime, 
Ce n'est pas tout à fait 
La vielle même chose, 
Car les mots que je dis 
Ne viennent pas du même ésprit

Et me voici, baby 
Etranger nouveau 
J'essaye et j'essaye mais je sais 
Que je n'ai pas assez de français

Mais qu'est ce qu'on peut dire? 
Il me faut finir 
Suffisant à dire 
Je ne vais jamais écrire 
Encore une chanson française

Au revoir, mes amis, 
Je vous aime beaucoup.

Daddy’s baby
James Taylor

Album: "Walking man"(1974) con David Spinozza, Rick Marotta, Michael y Randy Brecker y la participación de Carly Simon y Paul y Linda McCartney en voces. 

--No pude encontrar aún ningún video en Youtube para acercarles este precioso tema, la mejor canción de cuna del siglo XX. No exagero.

Daddy's baby, what's got you thinking,
What's got you sinking so low?
Is there something I should know,
Something new to you?

Daddy's baby, fussing and fretting,
Keeping on getting it wrong.
She can only last so long,
She’s going for a song,

So sing her a lullaby … by,
Baby, don't like to cry.
So sing her a lullaby … by,
Swaddle and swing her,
Sing her a lullaby.

She makes her feelings known to me,
Her ev’ry side is shown to me.
And in our time alone
My love has surely grown of its own,
Solid as a stepping stone,
As silently as the dawn was breaking,
Soft and clear,
And my tears were dry
And my fears had flown,
So I called my love my home.

Don’t be sad ‘cause your sun is down

James Taylor

Album: "In my pocket" (1976) con Danny Kortchmar, Russ Kunkel, Carly Simon, Bonnie Raitt, Art Garfunkel, Steve Wonder, Michael Brecker y Ernie Watts.

Don't be sad 'cause your sun is down

You can rise above it
Don't be sad 'cause you're on your own
You have to learn to love it
Don't be sad 'cause your sun is down
You're gonna find your way
Don't be sad 'cause your day is done
There's another day, everyday

(Chorus)

Everyday I wake up just the same
Waiting for something new
Every night I have myself to blame
For the dreams that haven't come true
But especially today I'm feeling blue

Don't be sad 'cause your son is down
Little mama he's bound to feel it
Don't be sad 'cause your boy is blue
It wouldn't do to conceal it from you
Don't be sad 'cause your sun is down
The night doesn't need your sorrow
Don't be sad 'cause the light is gone
Just keep your mind on tomorrow and carry on

You’ve got a friend

Carole King 

Album: "Mud Slide Slim & The Blue Horizon" (1971) con Danny Kortchmar, Russ Kunkel y la participación de Carole King, Joni Mitchell, etc.

When you're down and troubled
And you need some loving care
And nothing, nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon i will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there
You've got a friend

If the sky above you
Grows dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind begins to blow
Keep your head together
And call my name out loud
Soon you'll hear me knocking at your door

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there
Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend

When people can be so cold
They'll hurt you and desert you
And take your soul if you let them
Oh, but don't you let them

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there
You've got a friend

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