“Almost confessional”
Why James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” was never intended to be heard by the public
When I first listened to “Fire and Rain” I was in the backseat of my dad’s truck, on the way home from a late movie. Half-asleep, my 8 year-old-self interpreted it as a melancholy song, but certainly had no idea what tragedies he was referencing. My understanding of “Fire and Rain” stayed that way—until now.
The song is relatively simple, composed of three verses. “One is about a friend who committed suicide, another is about Taylor’s addiction to heroin,” writes NPR, and “the third refers to a mental hospital and a band Taylor started called The Flying Machine.”
“Suzanne, the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can’t remember who to send it to”
In the first verse, the words “they let me know you were gone” referenced the death of his friend, Suzanne Schnerr. They became close during his days with The Flying Machine, and he was informed of her passing while recording his first album and working with The Beatles.
Taylor’s struggle with drugs is recalled in the second verse.
“Won’t you look down upon me, Jesus
You’ve got to help me make a stand
You’ve just got to see me through another day
My body’s aching and my time is at hand
And I won’t make it any other way”
He reached out to God for help with the struggles of quitting heroin. “That was in New York,” Taylor explains, “and that was when I came back to this country from London and was surprised that I’d picked up a habit. So I was physically very uncomfortable and having a rough time.”
The third verse follows:
“Been walking my mind to an easy time, my back turned towards the sun
Lord knows when the cold wind blows it’ll turn your head around
“Fire and Rain” was a big hit, and became a model for future American songwriters. He revolutionized the acoustic genre and proved that a song didn't need to be “upbeat” to encapsulate the masses. Taylor explains he is surprised by how timeless the song has become, and that for him, it eventually lost some of its emotional connection to him.
“I tried to figure out at one point how many times I’d sung it, and I think it’s probably approaching a thousand times now.”
So what about “Fire and Rain” was almost confessional? Well, Taylor explains that he was sharing his private, personal feelings. He initially wrote the song for Suzanne, and Taylor says it would be impossible to write it now, as everyone’s listening. Fans listening to this timeless tune hope that this song, like the sunny days, will never end.
