Hymn (James Taylor song)

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"Hymn"
Hymn James Taylor label.jpg
Single by James Taylor
from the album One Man Dog
B-side "Fanfare"
Released1973
Genre Folk rock
Length2:24
Label Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s) James Taylor
Producer(s) Peter Asher
James Taylor singles chronology
"One Man Parade"
(1973)		"Hymn"
(1973)		"Let It All Fall Down"
(1974)

"Hymn" is a song written by James Taylor that was originally released on his 1973 album One Man Dog It was subsequently released as the B-side of the single "One Man Parade" and later released as the A-side of a single backed by Taylor's song "Fanfare". The single did not chart.

Contents

Background

Both "Hymn" and "Fanfare" were part of a suite of short songs on side 2 of the album. [1] [2] [3] Both songs were recorded at A&R Studios in New York. [2]

Musicologist James Perone finds the song to be "interesting," particularly with its relationship to Taylor's life and certain Beatles influences. [4] Perone describes three distinct sections as having three different themes, all related to people trying to influence him: first religious zealots, second stoned-out drug users, and finally the love of a woman which really frees his soul. [4] Perone points out that the love of a woman likely references Simon, who he had recently married. [4] Perone finds Beatles influence in that it has thematic similarities to John Lennon's recent solo song "God." [4] According to Perone, both "God" and "Hymn" "[reference] the style of gospel music." [4] Donald Langis of L'Evangeline regarded the song as being semi-religious with lines such as "Let the winter wind blow/Where will we hide when it comes from inside?" [5]

About his affinity for hymns, Taylor has said:

Hymns and carols, they are just basically a foundational education, they are what a whole lot of Western music is based on. I grew up in a very non-religious household, and it wasn't till I went away to school and got exposed to this stuff that I learned all of these hymns. They were an education to me: the harmonies, the chord structures, the way they progressed it. It's basically Western Music 101. I learned to play them on the guitar out of boredom, but they basically gave me a foundation for music. [6]

Taylor later wrote a song "New Hymn" in collaboration with Reynolds Price, which Newsday critic Jim Feldman described as "a hushed plea for social commitment." [7]

Reception

Billboard described "Hymn" as "folksy-gospel arrangement in the best Taylor traditional, featuring strong piano with the singers voice taking the spotlight." [8] Cash Box called it a "pop oriented single certain to gain immediate top 40 acceptance across the country." [9] Record World said that "'Mr. Mellow' gets a boost from a horn section that should help disc get across-the-board attention." [10] Rolling Stone critic Jon Landau rated "Hymn" as the best song on One Man Dog, calling attention to the line "As a man and a woman stand alone in the light/Give us reason to be, like the sun on the sea." [1] Berwyn Life critic Steve Sparacio described the song as "lyrical." [3] Calgary Herald critic Jim Rennie said that although many of the songs on One Man Dog are "bits and pieces", "Hymn" is a "substantial enough composition" that has "the same soft, fluid, country flavor that almost all of Taylor's songs contain." [11]

Despite the critical praise, the single failed to chart. [2]

Personnel

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References

  1. 1 2 Landau, J. (January 18, 1973). "One Man Dog". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 2014-07-02.
  2. 1 2 3 White, T. (2009). Long Ago And Far Away: James Taylor - His Life And Music. Omnibus Press. pp. 210–214, 377. ISBN   9780857120069.
  3. 1 2 Sparacio, Steve (January 17, 1973). "Newlyweds record hits". Berwyn Life. p. 12. Retrieved 2023-03-24– via newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Perone, James E. (2018). The Words and Music of James Taylor. Praeger. pp. 29–30. ISBN   9781440852688.
  5. ↑ Langis, D. (December 22, 1972). "James Taylor a la croisee des chemins". L'Evangeline. p. 14. Retrieved 2014-07-02.
  6. ↑ Kot, Greg (June 29, 2016). "James Taylor's improbable life as a survivor". Chicago Tribune. p. 13. Retrieved 2023-03-24– via newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Feldman, Jim (September 24, 1993). "Taylor Rollicks and Rolls for a Cause". Newsday. p. 81. Retrieved 2023-03-24– via newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Radio Action and Pick Singles" (PDF). Billboard. April 7, 1973. p. 70. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  9. ↑ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 7, 1973. p. 20. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  10. ↑ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. April 7, 1973. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  11. ↑ Rennie, Jim (January 12, 1973). "Records". Calgary Herald. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-03-24– via newspapers.com.
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