Fire and Rain

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“Fire and Rain”
Single by James Taylor
from the album Sweet Baby James
B-side "Anywhere Like Heaven"
Released February 1970
Genre Rock
Length 3:20
Label Warner Bros.
Writer(s) James Taylor
Producer Peter Asher
For the TV movie about the crash of Delta Air Lines Flight 191, see Fire and Rain (movie).

"Fire and Rain" is a song written and performed by James Taylor. The signature single on his second album, Sweet Baby James, the song brought Taylor widespread attention. The album was released in December 1969, with the song being released as a single the following February. "Fire and Rain" quickly rose to number three on the Billboard magazine charts.

Moody, introspective, and laying bare deep emotional sensitivity, "Fire and Rain" became something of a prototype for the singer-songwriter genre that would boom in the few years following its release. The sparse arrangement, centered around Taylor's ringing acoustic guitar figures, also became a signature sound for Taylor and was influential among other performers.

"Fire and Rain" is in the 227th position on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

Contents

[edit] Origin of the song

Taylor has related different versions of what the song is about. In a BBC interview he stated that the song chronicled his experiences in mental institutions and the suicide of a friend. More recently, on the VH1 series Story Tellers, Taylor said that the song was, indeed, about Suzanne Schnerr, a friend of his who died suddenly while he was away from home. According to that account, he had been in a deep depression after the failure of his new band "Flying Machine" to coalesce (the lyric includes a reference to "sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground"; the reference is to the name of the band rather than a fatal plane crash, as was long rumored). As he was wondering what to do with himself, he received word of Schnerr's death, and the song explains that her death was a check for his own worries, a way of realizing the transience of life and his need to get back to his old friends. In other interviews Taylor has also indicated that a battle with drug addiction figured into the song.

In 2005, Taylor laid the rumors to rest during an interview on NPR. He explained to host Scott Simon that the song was written in three parts:[1]

The first part was indeed about Taylor's friend Suzanne, who died while Taylor was in London working on his first album after being signed to Apple Records. Friends at home, concerned that it may have distracted Taylor from his big break, kept the tragic news from him, and it was only some time later that Taylor found out.

The second part details Taylor's struggle to overcome drug addiction and depression.

The third part deals with coming to grips with fame and fortune, looking back at the road that got him there. It includes a reference to James Taylor and The Flying Machine, a band he briefly worked with before his big break with Paul McCartney, Peter Asher and Apple Records.

[edit] Rumors about the origin

According to some sources, James Taylor got his inspiration from an earlier tragic incident. Snopes.com reports and debunks the myth that "Fire and Rain" was written after Taylor's girlfriend, whom he was planning to marry, died in a plane crash ("Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground.") The story is as follows:

Taylor was booked to play a gig across the country on his birthday and, secretly, his friends bought plane and concert tickets for his fiance Suzanne so she could meet him there as a surprise. However, the plane crashed shortly after takeoff after complications due to heavy rain, killing many aboard, including Suzanne. Upon receiving the news, Taylor immediately wrote "Fire and Rain" as a sign of mourning ("Just yesterday morning, they let me know you were gone. / Suzanne the plans they made put an end to you. / Walked out this morning, and I wrote down this song./ I just can't remember who to send it to.")

The "Fire and Rain" is said to refer to the fiery crash in the rain. However, Taylor has openly denied these allegations and explained the true inspiration behind the song.

[edit] "Fire and Rain" in popular culture

  • Taylor performed "Fire and Rain" on The Simpsons episode "Deep Space Homer," he awkwardly replaced the lyric "In pieces on the ground" with "Flying safely through the air" due to the fact Homer and the shuttle crew are in danger of burning up in re-entry.
  • The song is featured prominently as a favorite of the family in the movie Running on Empty.
  • A book from the webcomic Sluggy Freelance is named after the song.
  • The song "Fire and Rain" is featured on the movie Remember the Titans.
  • The song is played in the final scene of the episode in Dawson's Creek where Mitch (Dawson's dad) is buried.
  • The Bacon Brothers refer to the song, in their song, "Guess Again", from the album "FoRoSoCo". The song details the singer's delusions of grandeur, while he makes numerous outrageous claims. "(You know I'm not afraid of pain, and did you know that I wrote "Fire and Rain...)"

[edit] Cover versions

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Many artists have recorded cover versions of "Fire and Rain" in a number of genres. A partial list includes:

[edit] External links