Song #262 - "You've Got A Friend" - James Taylor

Recorded - January 1971

Released - March 16, 1971 (album), May 1971 (single)

#1 for week of July 31, 1971.

     Musically, 1971 brought several new genres of music to the surface of the mainstream. One of these was the singer/songwriter genre. While there already had been numerous artists who had emulated this style in years previous, there was a noticeable surge in popularity during the first half of the 1970's. Some of the most noteworthy artists of the genre included Carole King, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell and of course, James Taylor. 

     James Taylor was certainly among the more mellow of the early 1970's singer/songwriters. As a consequence, he is often labeled as "Easy-Listening". While this isn't exactly an inaccurate statement, I don't like labeling James on the same lower rung as many of the schmaltzy soft pop singers I've already reviewed thus far.

     Taylor was born in North Carolina, and grew up widely influence by folk pioneers such as Woody Guthrie. By 1967, he had moved to London and his demos caught the attention of Paul McCartney. After being signed to The Beatles' Apple label, Taylor released his self-titled debut album which featured an early version of his classic ,"Carolina In My Mind". 

     By 1969, Taylor had moved back to the states and switched to Warner Brothers Records. In 1970, he released his seminal Sweet Baby James album which contains his timeless, "Fire And Rain". One noteworthy guest musician on this album was Carole King. James would return the favor and appear on her Tapestry album one year later. It was during these Tapestry sessions that James recorded his own version of one of Carole's originals, "You've Got A Friend". 

      The musical arrangement on "You've Got A Friend" is sparse and minimalist. Just acoustic guitars, bass, and gentle percussion. James mostly sings solo, although around the middle song he adds some harmony vocals on top of his lead. Towards the end of the song, Carole King herself adds additional harmony lines, which creates a nice vocal blend. 

      "You've Got A Friend" is quite an appropriately titled song, seeing how the version that hit #1 was literally a friend covering a friend's song. While this would be James Taylor's only #1 pop hit, he would continue to produce numerous classics over the years including a more laid-back re-recording of "Carolina In My Mind". Taylor continues to play and record a mixture of new compositions and classics to this very day. 

Final Verdict - "You've Got A Friend" is among the more mellow offerings from 1971. Nonetheless, the musical and vocal arrangements have a very "Human" quality to them. There's no pretentiousness, it's just a guy with a guitar and a small backing band. And sometimes, that's all a song needs to sound good in my eyes. 

  Coming Up Next - "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" by the Bee Gees. 

     Until Next Time, I'm Dr. Rock and whether it be winter, spring, summer, or fall, all you've got to do is call, and I'll come runnin' -