Sweet Baby James

Have I perhaps mentioned, once or twice, that I'm a James Taylor fan?

A few years ago a TV program, can't remember which one, played "Something in the Way She Moves", my all-time favorite JT song, as the credits started to roll.

Emily looked at me reproachfully as I listened gleefully to the first verse, hushing everyone around.

"THIS is your favorite song? This is BORING. It doesn't even have DRUMS." At the time, Emily was listening exclusively to TI.

"It doesn't need drums! Listen to the lyrics! He wrote it to Joni Mitchell when he was addicted to heroine! This is pure musical magic!" At the time, I was listening exclusively to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

In fairness to Em, the lyrics aren't even that great. They're simple, as all of his are, but I like to think that's because he was 19 and strung out on both drugs and first love. Together, they have the power to bring down civilization, but he ended up finding beauty somewhere deep inside what had to have been a psychedelic clusterf*ck of emotions and withdrawals. S is for Sweet Baby James, because he wrote that song too, and I already wrote my J entry.