Fire and Rain (song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Canley (talk | contribs) at 06:55, 10 August 2006 (→‎Origin of the song: another ref to Schnerr). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Jump to navigation Jump to search
Fire and Rain is also a TV movie about the crash of Delta Air Lines Flight 191.

"Fire and Rain" was the breakout single released in February 1970 by singer-songwriter James Taylor. The signature single on his second album, Sweet Baby James, the song brought Taylor wide-spread 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 the top five on the Billboard magazine charts.

Moody, introspective, and laying bare an emotional sensitivity not usually associated with male performers, "Fire and Rain" became something of a prototype for the singer-songwriter genre which 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.

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.

The song was originally written several years before its release and was refined over time; it appears probable that all the elements referenced by Taylor over time went into the final version.

Rumors about the origin

According to some sources, 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.

Cover versions

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

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fire_and_Rain_(song)&oldid=68773032"