Last week I played a James Taylor song, Fire and Rain, and friend Larry aka justdrivewillyou, mentioned that his favourite by James Taylor is Shower the People.  Well, I aim to please and fully intended to play it a day or two later, but then Little Richard died and I felt it would be wrong not to do a brief tribute to the man and his music.  And then, I fell somewhat under the weather and haven’t done a music post since that one on May 10th, nearly a week.

Released in June 1976, this is not one of Taylor’s most popular songs, reaching only #22 in the U.S., not even making the top 40 in Canada, and as far as I can tell it didn’t chart anywhere else.  I suppose it is for that reason that I cannot find much in the way of background information about the song and its origins.  I did learn something that I, the cultural throwback, did not know … James Taylor was married to Carly Simon, who did the backing vocals for the recorded version of this song, from 1972 – 1983!  Who knew?  Okay, yeah, probably everyone in the world but me.  🙄

It may not have been wildly popular, but I like the song, like the message …

Shower The People
James Taylor

You can play the game and you can act out the part,
Even though you know it wasn’t written for you.
Tell me, how can you stand there with
Your broken heart ashamed of playing the fool?
One thing can lead to another; it doesn’t take any sacrifice.
Oh, father and mother,
Sister and brother, if it feels nice, don’t think twice,
Just shower the people you love with
Love, show them the way that you feel.
Things are gonna work out fine if you only will do as I say, just
Shower the people you love with love, show them the way you feel.
Things are gonna be much better if you only will.

You can run but you cannot hide, this is widely known.
Tell me, what you plan to do with your
Foolish pride when you’re all by yourself, alone.
Once you tell somebody the way that you
Feel, you can feel it beginning to ease.
I think it’s true what they say about
The squeaky wheel always getting the grease.
Better to shower the people you love
With love, show them the way that you feel.
Things are gonna be just fine if you
Only will what I’d like to do to you.
Shower the people you love with love, show them the way that you feel.
Things are gonna be much better if you only will.

Shower the people you love with love, show them the way that you feel.
You’ll feel better right away.
Don’t take much to do, sell you pride.
They say in every life,
They say the rain must fall, just like pouring rain, make it rain.
Make it rain, love, love, love is sunshine, oh yes,
Make it rain, love, love, love is sunshine. Everybody, everybody.

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Taylor James V
Shower The People lyrics © Country Road Music, Country Road Music Inc