James Taylor Famous Songs
For The Acoustic

Carolina In My Mind was written for his debut album about being homesick for North Carolina where he grew up while in England at the time in 1968. The song was not a commercial success but has been played at many concerts over the decades.

Paul McCartney played bass and George Harrison sang backing vocals on this track as The Beatles were recording in the same studio as Taylor.

I play this one in standard tuning with a few hammer-ons but no real lead. For rhythm play a steady shuffle with a  root up down up root up down up pattern. The chords here are D, G, D/Gb, Em, A7, D/Db, Bm, Bm/A, C, E, Esus, A7sus, Dbm and a G6.

Copperline North Caroline is a place where James Taylor grew up as a kid on Morgan Creek Road. The town renamed the local bridge after James Taylor. Reynolds Price co-wrote this song with Taylor.

This song can be found on James Taylor's "New Moon Shine" album from 1991.

I play a capo 2nd fret for this one in standard tuning and no lead.  This one is pretty much all arpeggio playing with the chords D, D/b, G, A7, Em, Bm, D/Gb and an A.

Everyday of course is an old Buddy Holly tune that James Taylor covered as a track from his "That's Why I'm Here" album from 1985.

Everyday was released as one of three singles and was the highest charting at #3 in the US Adult Contemporary chart.

Another one with a capo 2nd fret and standard tuning and no lead. For chords I play a D, Bm, Em, A7, Gbm, Bm, G, A#, C and an A7sus with a a down down up stop up down up stop up rhythm pattern.

Fire And Rain is a finger-picking song normally but can be played with rhythm and still capture the essence of the song. James Taylor recorded this one back in 1970 from his second album "Sweet Baby James". He completed the song while going through rehab for depression issues.

There isn't any picking break in this song. I have changed the arrangement and brought the intro back into the ending.

The rhythm here is mainly just a just playing a shuffle rhythm with no lead picking in standard tuning and with a capo 2nd fret.

Frozen Man inspiration came after looking at pictures in a National Geographic article about a man lost on a northern Canadian expedition and found frozen 100 years later. His father being away for two years in the Navy was also part of this songs story.

This song can be found on James Taylor's 1991 "New Moon Shine" album. The song was never released as a single. 

Then chords here are D, Bm, Em7, A6, A7, D/Gb, G, Em, Gbm, E7, A7sus, C and an F with some riffs throughout. I play an arpeggio rhythm and a root up down up pattern, a shuffle strum and a few places where you'll use down down down up strum pattern. All in standard tuning.

Handyman hails from 1959 and first recorded by one of the writers, Jimmy Jones. Del Shannon also released a version in 1964.

This is one of those songs that has what we call a signature riff. And it's so simple with a hammer-on the A string 2nd fret to the open D. And yet, any radio station plays 10 seconds of this song and most people will know the song.

James Taylor released his version from the "JT" album in the summer of 1977.

Some riffs here with a root up down up root up down up rhythm pattern in standard tuning. For chords play a D, Bm, G, A7, A, Em, Gbm, Bm/A and a Dsus.

How Sweet It Is was first recorded by Marvin Gaye back in 1965 and one of the three songwriters got the idea from watching comedian Jackie Gleason who used the line "How Sweet It Is" in every episode of The Honeymooners.

In 1975 James Taylor released his album 'Gorilla" and this song was the lead single from that album and hit #1 on the Easy Listening charts and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. His former wife Carly Simon also sang on the track. 

Another one in standard tuning with a down up stop up down up stop up rhythm pattern with a sax break or just hum through it. The chords are Cmaj7, Am, G, C, Em and a D.

Mexico, written by James Taylor,  also hails from the 1975 album "Gorilla" and reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 for Taylor. The song makes you think the writer has visited Mexico but we discover that he is only fantasizing about visiting.

Download the free Mexico James Taylor chords below.

Jimmy Buffett also covered this song for his Barometer Soup album in 1995 and James Taylor has included this song on several albums down through the years.

I play a capo 2nd fret in standard tuning and no lead. See the lesson for all of the rhythm patterns in this one with the chords D, Bm, A, Em, C and a G.

Montana hails from the 2015 album by James Taylor entitled "Before This World". The song was released as a single but never charted.

The rhythm here is played with a combination of arpeggio and strumming for the first bit, them switch over to a root down up down up, root down up down up pattern. Played in standard tuning and no lead with the chords G, A, Em7, A7,  D, A/D, Bm, Bm/A, D/Gb, Gbm, Fdim/Ab, E and a C.

October Road album was released by James Taylor in 2002. During the next 13 years his albums consisted of covers of other peoples songs until 2015 when he released his own material once more.

This album reached #4 on the US Billboard 200 and spawned 5 singles, including the title track.

Played in standard tuning and no lead with the chords E, A, B, Dbm, G, Db, B7 and an Esus.

For rhythm you'll start off in a variation of the E chord and once you begin to sing and start strumming you'll be using a simple shuffle pattern ... but then this song shifts into a root up down up bass up down up and then reverts back to the shuffle

Shower The People is from the 1974 album "In The Pocket" and topped the Easy Listening Chart. It also hit #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Carly Simon also sang harmony vocals on this track with James.

James plays this one with a capo on the 3rd fret,  but you can always change that position based on your vocal range.

Another combo of patterns using arpeggio combined with a down down up down during the verse but changes into a shuffle and and some walking bass notes in the chorus. I play a capo 3rd fret, no lead and with the chords D/Gb, G, A7, D, Bm, Bm/A, A7/A#, A7sus and a B7.

Something In The Way She Moves appeared on James Taylor's very first album back in 1968. He also played this song to Paul McCartney and George Harrison in his attempt to join Apple Records. Harrison of course used this line to write The Beatles hit "Something". 

Tom Rush and Harry Belafonte have covered this song.

I play a capo 3rd fret here in standard tuning with some riffs during the strumming. The chords are A, Em, D, G, C, D/C,  D/B,  D/A, Gbm,  Bm, Bm/E and a D/Gb with a steady up and down rhythm pattern.

Suite For 20G was written in order to get paid $20,000 in 1970 to complete his "Sweet Baby James" record, which was his 2nd at the time. This song completed the album.

So he strung together 3 unfinished songs into one, and this song is that result.

This one with a capo 2nd fret and with some lead in standard tuning. The rhythm pattern is a steady up and down pattern and then changes to all down strokes as the song takes on a rock and roll vibe. For chords use a D, Dsus, C, A, A/B, E, G and a Gb.

Sweet Baby James one of James Taylor's first 3 singles and hails from his 1970 album Sweet Baby James.

Although a concert favourite, this song failed to chart when it was released.

This one has a root down up down up and repeat rhythm pattern in standard tuning with no lead required. The chords here are G, Em, A7, D, A, Gbm, Bm, Esus, E and an A7sus.

Up On The Roof was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin back in 1962 and The Drifters had a top 10 hit with their release. Years later Carole King released a version and James Taylor player acoustic on that track.

In 1978 Taylor released his version and scored a #28 on the charts and hails from the album "Flag". This was James Taylor's last top 40 hit to date.

I play a capo 3rd fret here in standard tuning with a down down up down down up down up rhythm pattern and with some arpeggio. No lead with the chords Em, D/Gb, G, A, Bm, Gbm, A7, D, Dmaj7 and a Bm/A.

Wandering does not have much info available except to say that it appeared on his studio album entitle "Gorilla" which was released back in the Spring of 1975.

This song was never released as a single to my knowledge. 

Combining arpeggio and rhythm the first is a down down up down and then a down down down up where the up is the strum for the most part. Played in standard tuning and no lead with the chords Gsus, G, C, Em, Asus, A7, Dm, G7,Dm, F and a G7.

Your Smiling Face was a #6 for James Taylor in the US when it was released back in 1977 from the album JT.

The song reached #4 in Canada.

I play a capo 4th with a steady up and down and you move thru the chords of G, C, G6, Am, Am/G, F, Em, Dm7, D/Gb, Ddim, Em/D, A7, D, A/Db, Bm, Bm/A, A, Gdim, B, E, Dbm and Gbm. A few riffs in standard tuning.

You've Got A Friend is a Carole King song and one she recorded in 1971 for her "Tapestry" album. James Taylor did a version that same year for his Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon album.

Taylor released his version as a single and scored a #1 hit in the US and a #4 in the UK. Taylor offer longtime friend Mary Hopkin from Wales a chance to record the song but she turned it down and she said later it was a huge mistake. She made the song "Those Were The Days" a bit hit.

Capo 2nd is the original key in standard tuning and no lead. With no arpeggio the pattern would be down down up down down up down up rhythm. Played in standard tunin with no lead, use the chords G, C, Gbm, B7, Am, D7, Dsus4, Bm, F, A7, Am7, Gmaj7,  and a G6 (optional).