Song of the Day 7/9: James Taylor, “Something in the Way She Moves”
El Somnambulo speculated on whether, if the Beatles had never existed, James Taylor would have had a recording career, because his first album was released by Apple Records, the Beatles’ label. That’s hard to determine, because Taylor didn’t become a star until he returned to the U.S. But it’s undeniable that George Harrison wouldn’t have written “Something” without the jumping-off point of Taylor’s “Something in the Way She Moves” from that Apple album.
James Taylor was produced by another British Invasion star, Peter Asher of Peter & Gordon fame. There first US hit went to # 1 out of the box, “A World Without Love” written by Lennon and McCartney.
JT’s first hit went to #3 in Sept. ’70, “Fire And Rain”. In late 1969 the British studio group Flying Machine made the Top 5 with “Smile A Little Smile For Me”. Casey Kasem and countless DJ’s said James was on that record. Not so, even tho he lived in the UK at the time. In the 60’s JT was in a MA based band called the Flying Machine. After they broke up he crossed the pond to start anew.