(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)
James Taylor - "You've Got a Friend"
Hit Number 1: July 31, 1971
Stay at Number 1: 1 Week
In his song "Fire and Rain", James Taylor sings the words "I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend." And that was true. Taylor wrote that song while he was in rehab from drug addiction and had also been suffering from depression. If that wasn't enough, he had to deal with the suicide of a childhood friend of his. "Fire and Rain" recounts Taylor's roller coaster of a life and all the crap he endured before getting his big break and becoming a blossoming music star. It became his first big hit, and it is easily his best song. (It made it to #3. It's an 8) A year after the release of "Fire and Rain", all of his past misfortunes were still fresh on his mind. That's when he heard a song Carole King had written called "You've Got a Friend", and Taylor knew that he had to record it himself.
Ironically enough, according to King the inspiration to write "You've Got a Friend" came from that same line in "Fire and Rain": "I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend." So naturally, it seemed as if the two were destined to collaborate on something. King's version of the song was included on her album Tapestry (both King and Tapestry just recently appeared in this series), and her version is different from Taylor's in the sense it's more of an orchestrated sound. King's version has her signature piano, along with a string section and a lack of percussion. She also reaches for big notes, while Taylor stays at the same levels. Taylor's version is more similar to folk rock, and his version replaces King's piano with a lead guitar, and the string section is replaced by backup singers. Taylor and King recorded their versions on the same day, and they played on each other's versions. King is one of the backup singers on Taylor's version, along with Joni Mitchell, who was another great musician in her own right. (Mitchell's highest-charting single is "Help Me", which made it to #7 in 1974. It's a 9)
I should point out here that James Taylor's music, in my opinion, is pretty generic. The whole side of my mom's family seems to love him, but I guess his music just doesn't quite resonate with me like it does for them. With that being said though, I respect Taylor's rendition of "You've Got a Friend". Part of that is because of his string of bad misfortune that hit him that led up to it, but also because it honestly is a pretty nice song. The song works as a warm embrace to anyone in need, whether that's a lover a friend or a member of your family, it works. I think I've heard before that the song could also work as being about God, but the song isn't quite powerful enough to be labeled like that. (Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water", on the other hand, could definitely be labeled like that) It's a gentle pat-on-the-back of a song.
Just like other of Taylor's material though, it's still just a generic song in my eyes. Taylor warmly coos throughout the song, and it transitions from major to minor chords pretty gracefully. Other than that though, all it is is a warm, gentle lullaby to someone you love that is in need. It's something I respect, but you'll never see me playing something like this on repeat. It's just not my kind of song.
As for Taylor, he won't appear in this blog again, but he continued to do well for himself. He released other albums throughout the rest of the '70s, and today he still continues to perform live shows, most recently performing at Joe Biden's inauguration. It's safe to say that he has put his past troubles behind him, and he found his own friends.
GRADE: 6/10
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