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"Fire and Rain" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter James Taylor, released in August 1970 by Warner Bros. Records as the second single from Taylor's second studio album, Sweet Baby James. The song follows Taylor's reaction to the suicide of Suzanne Schnerr, a childhood friend, and his experiences with drug addiction and fame. After its release, "Fire and Rain" peaked at number two on RPM's Canada Top Singles chart and at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.[4]
| "Fire and Rain" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Side A of the US single | ||||
| Single by James Taylor | ||||
| from the album Sweet Baby James | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | August 1970[1] | |||
| Recorded | December 1969 Sunset Sound | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:20 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | James Taylor | |||
| Producer(s) | Peter Asher | |||
| James Taylor singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
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On the VH1 series Storytellers, Taylor said the song was about several incidents during his early recording career. The second line, "Suzanne, the plans they made put an end to you", refers to Suzanne Schnerr, a childhood friend of his who died by suicide while he was in London, England, recording his first album.[5][6] In that same account, Taylor said he had been in a deep depression after the failure of his new band the Flying Machine to coalesce (the lyric "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). Taylor completed writing the song while in rehab.[7]
In 2005, during an interview on NPR, Taylor explained to host Scott Simon that the song was written in three parts:[8]
- The first part was 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 might distract Taylor from his big break, kept the tragic news from him, and he found out six months later.
- 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.
Carole King played piano on the song.[9] Drummer Russ Kunkel used brushes rather than sticks on his drum kit,[10] and Bobby West played double bass[11] in place of a bass guitar to "underscore the melancholy on the song".[12]
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Record World said that the release of Taylor's version as a single after several cover versions had been released "was bound to come along. With so many versions out there is no reason the excellent original will not be THE one."[13] Cash Box similarly referred to Taylor releasing it as a single, saying: "Now, the fourth or fifth to release his own 'Fire & Rain,' Taylor may have found his sought after single hit the hard way. The 'original' comes in the wake of R. B. Greaves' sales and Johnny Rivers' current treatment (not to mention BS&T's album track getting further notice)."[14] Billboard described it as a "poignant ballad."[15]
Broadcast Music, Inc. ranked "Fire and Rain" at number 82 on its "Top 100 Songs of the Century" list,[16] while voters for the National Endowment for the Arts and Recording Industry Association of America's Songs of the Century list, which comprises 365 songs of "historical significance" recorded from 1900 to 2000,[17] placed "Fire and Rain" at number 85.[18] In April 2011, the song was named at number 227 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 greatest songs of all time.[19] In September 2021, Rolling Stone updated their ranking of the 500 greatest songs of all time, moving the song up to number 146.[20]
In 1998, the 1970 recording of "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor on Warner Bros. Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[21]
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Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Other versions
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[40] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
R. B. Greaves and Johnny Rivers first released singles of "Fire and Rain" in 1970. Warner Brothers released Taylor's original as a single later that year, in August 1970.[41] Greaves' and Rivers' versions peaked at numbers 82 and 94 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.[35][42]
Billboard predicted that Greaves' version would be a hit and said that "The James Taylor song is a natural and the production matches the song in merit."[43] Record World also predicted it to be a hit and said that Taylor and Greaves "are perfect together."[44]
Record World called Rivers' version "top quality stuff."[45] Cash Box said of Rivers' version that "the tang of country pop and a top forty arrangement make this the most commercial single yet on 'Fire & Rain.'"[46]
American singer-songwriter Tim Hardin (cited by James Taylor as a songwriting influence[47][48]) included a "heartwrenchingly moving"[49] rendition of "Fire and Rain" on his 1973 album Nine.
Marcia Hines covered "Fire and Rain" on her 1975 debut LP, Marcia Shines. Her version reached No. 17 in Australia.[37] At the 1975 Australian Record Awards, the song won Hines Female Vocal Single of the Year.[50]
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Taylor references the song in another of his compositions, "That's Why I'm Here", title track from his 1985 album, in which he writes, "Fortune and fame's such a curious game. Perfect strangers can call you by name. Pay good money to hear 'Fire and Rain' again and again and again."
He also refers to the song in another composition, "Money Machine" (a cynical take on the financial aspects of the recording industry): "When I began the game, see me singing 'bout Fire and Rain; Lemme just sing it again – I've seen fives and I've seen tens."
Carole King has stated that her song "You've Got a Friend", which Taylor recorded, was a response to the line in the refrain, "I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend."[51][52]
Joni Mitchell's song "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire", from the 1972 album For the Roses, picks up the theme of Fire and Rain and chronicles Taylor's descent into heroin addiction (the sweet fire) at the expense of his songwriting (the cold blue steel).
The NFL Films highlight film for Super Bowl XIX features narrator Brad Crandall reference the "sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground" lyric during a segment showing the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers sacking Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino.
In a live performance in New York City Madison Square Garden, Taylor Swift tells of her love for "Fire and Rain", relays how she found out that she was named after James Taylor and sings it with him on stage.
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Taylor performs "Fire and Rain" on The Simpsons in the episode "Deep Space Homer". While singing the song for the crew of a Space Shuttle (including Homer Simpson and Buzz Aldrin), he changes the line "Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground" to "Sweet dreams and flying machines, flying safely through the air" when he realizes that the original lyrics might upset the astronauts, who are in danger of crashing their shuttle.[53]
In 2015, Taylor appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he sang a version including numerous references to post-1970 popular culture.[54]
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