You may remember that James Taylor was bumped from performing at the Democratic National Convention in August. The show had gone long. A big supporter of Democratic politics, Taylor seemed not to take it personally. He performed at a Harris-Walz rally in North Carolina last Thursday, where he sang “You’ve Got a Friend.”
That song got me thinking about who you, the readers of Steady, have become: a community of friends. I hope that I have been a friend to you as well during the past four years, when you may have needed “a helping hand.”
The song has quite a pedigree. It was written by legendary singer-songwriter Carole King and made famous by Taylor. In fact, the song appeared on albums by each artist in 1971 and won Grammys for both. We found a newly remastered recording of the two of them performing the song together live that year. That is King on piano.
The two have been friends for more than 50 years. King credits Taylor with helping her overcome her fear of performing live. Taylor has said “You’ve Got a Friend” was a response to the line, “I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend,” from his own song, “Fire and Rain.”
“The song was as close to pure inspiration as I’ve ever experienced,” King once said of writing “You’ve Got a Friend.” “The song wrote itself. It was written by something outside myself, through me.”
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Stay Steady,
Dan
Definitely you have been a friend and "helping hand" to all of us, Mr. Rather. Thank you.
Thank you, thank you Dan! I regard your Steady columns as letters from a friend. Having watched you on TV for as long as you’ve been on national TV, I have admired and valued your reporting. This song and especially Taylor’s original recording of it have been One of the most meaningful to me since I heard it first when the “Mud Slide Slim” album was released. I am so pleased to be hearing this particular live recording and seeing both Taylor and King. Thank you for this start to my Sunday. I’m glad to be part of your friend group on Steady.