['Fire and Rain'] is sort of almost uncomfortably close. Almost confessional. The reason I could write a song like that at that point, and probably couldn't now, is that I didn't have any sense that anyone would hear it. I started writing the song while I was in London...and I was totally unknown.... So I assumed that they would never be heard. I could just write or say anything I wanted. Now I'm very aware, and I have to deal with my stage fright and my anxiety about people examining or judging it. The idea that people will pass judgment on it is not a useful thought.
James TaylorI tend to write out the first iteration of a lyric here and then go over here and make variations on it, on the page opposite.
James TaylorI have a love-hate relationship with the Grammys because I don't see the music world as a competitive sport.
James Taylor