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The two “biggest influences” on James Taylor’s songwriting

Sun 3 December 2023 11:00, UK

Music has always been a salvation for James Taylor. In moments of his life when it felt like everything was against him, he’s thankfully had songwriting to turn to in his search for salvation. However, Taylor could have been a considerably different artist and person without two primary influences marauding their way into his existence.

Taylor has faced significant hardship, which began during his childhood. While teenage years should be full of exhilarating discovery and jubilation, it was a much darker reality for the musician. During his education at a preparatory school, Taylor sought help due to suffering from mental health issues, which led to him staying in a psychiatric hospital.

Following this testing period, Taylor followed his dream and moved to New York City, where anything was possible. Here, he was able to embed himself into the bustling music scene and make a name for himself in Greenwich Village, the same place where his hero Bob Dylan first established himself a few years prior.

Without Dylan creating the pathway for Taylor to follow, he may have never moved to New York and gambled upon himself carving out a career in the music industry. However, Dylan’s pioneering approach to songwriting significantly impacted Taylor and how he tackled the music-making process.

During an interview with Record Collector in 2008, Taylor confessed: “Dylan was a revelation. There’s nothing like the effect of hearing Bob Dylan with a guitar and singing Bob Dylan’s 114th Dream or whatever it was, 419th Dream (laughs). Dylan was a real revelation. I guess he would say he was listening to Cisco Houston and Eric Von Schmidt and Woody Guthrie. But he really turned the world on its ear and opened the door for a lot of us.”

Expanding further on his influences, Taylor continued: “He and The Beatles were the biggest influences on my lyrics. And then musically the thing I was most thrilled by was to hear Ray Charles. Sam Cooke was also great. And Marvin Gaye – and Marvin was also a writer, and it’s just so beautiful, his stuff. And Stevie (Wonder), of course.”

With The Beatles, Taylor was fortunate enough to witness their magic touch from up close. After developing a dangerous heroin addiction while in New York, Taylor took himself away from the madness of the Big Apple and moved to London. His talent soon alerted The Beatles, who signed him to Apple Records.

Furthermore, while he worked on his eponymous debut album at Trident Studios in London, The Beatles were simultaneously creating their masterpiece, The White Album. Only a few years prior, Taylor was hero-worshipping the four Liverpudlians from the other side of the Atlantic, and by 1968, they were sharing a workspace.

Despite being influenced significantly by these two acts mentioned above, Taylor added his unique flavouring to the mix, which stopped him from attempting to sound too much like his idols. However, without The Beatles and Bob Dylan, there’s no James Taylor.

Listen to Taylor cover Dylan’s ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right’ below.