What Are the 5 Biggest U.S. Hits by James Taylor?

James Taylor epitomizes for many the easygoing songwriter archetype. His smooth, distinct vocals project friendliness and wisdom. That helped him to carve out a unique niche among his peers, and it also assisted him in doing quite well throughout the years on the pop charts.

The qualities mentioned above sometimes hid the depth of his lyrics and the sturdiness of his melodies, not to mention his underrated skills as a singer of others’ material. All of those various strengths come to the fore on these five songs, his biggest ever in the U.S.

5. “Her Town Too” (No. 11 in 1981)

When the MTV boom of the 1980s truly took hold, it was always going to be tough for singer/songwriters who relied more on substance than flash to make a mainstream commercial stand. “Her Town Too” came right before the peak of that era, allowing Taylor one last ride in the higher reaches of the pop charts. He enlisted JD Souther to help him sing it as a kind of duet. Taylor and Souther co-wrote the track with guitarist Waddy Wachtel, and the trio turn out the kind of winding, wistful character study not unlike what you’d expect from Souther’s buddies the Eagles.

4. “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)” (No. 5 in 1975)

In addition to being a top-notch songwriter, Taylor has proven time and again to be a superb interpreter. His secret: He sings each song he covers like James Taylor. That might sound obvious, but we can all probably name a few misfires by artists trying to match the flavor of a hit original instead of just being themselves. One thing Taylor does capture that’s evident in Marvin Gaye’s original version: the relaxed nature of the vocals. After all, this is a song about somebody realizing how lucky he is, so there shouldn’t be any angst in the picture.

3. “Handy Man” (No. 4 in 1977)

While “How Sweet It Is” was a somewhat obvious choice for a Taylor rendering, neither of the other popular versions of this track seem that apropos to Sweet Baby James’ stylings when you hear them. Jimmy Jones’ chugging 1959 take and Del Shannon’s swaggering 1964 version both give off the impression these guys are trying to convince this girl they’re up for the task of making her happy. When Taylor takes on “Handy Man,” he sounds so calm about it that it’s a foregone conclusion he’ll be the man for the job.

2. “Fire and Rain” (No. 3 in 1970)

Instead of being able to enjoy the blessing of being The Beatles’ first big discovery, Taylor’s personal problems were only amplified by the pressure of that situation. He unburdened it all on “Fire and Rain.” What’s impressive here is how he makes the various references, which are almost like in-jokes without a punchline, coalesce into something that would touch audiences who knew nothing about the specifics behind the lyrics. His vocal style again plays into the song’s effect. Instead of sounding like he’s rending his garments about the injustice of it all, he underplays it, and that’s somehow more devastating.

1. “You’ve Got a Friend” (No. 1 in 1971)

It’s kind of a strange story how Taylor was able to hit No. 1 with a song that was released almost simultaneously by the song’s writer (Carole King). King’s own version is now considered a classic, but it didn’t do nearly as well as Taylor’s at the time. What’s even stranger: Taylor claimed King wrote it as a kind of response song to Taylor’s own “Fire and Rain” from the previous year. All of that is trivia, of course. What matters is Taylor was a pretty good delivery system for King’s message, one of forthcoming consolation for those in the direst of straits.

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