How Sweet it is!

James Taylor is a classic, with tons of well known and well loved songs.

His words, such as "How sweet it is to be loved by you", "Whenever I see your smiling face", "Shower the people you love with love" are quoted all the time.

His songs are played and performed endlessly.

As a matter of fact, I have a particularly entertaining and apropos story that goes along with mile for mile with some of the words to JT's song Sweet Baby James.

My long time bud, who is always game to do things with me, and makes everything fun, invited me to a concert last summer, to see none other than James Taylor!

We met and hit the road, heading straight into Boston.  I couldn't for the life of me picture where we were headed for an outdoor concert in the middle of a heavily paved section of Beantown... But we found the street, parked, lugged our stuff to the address he had, and were faced with the bad news...

Not only was the concert not in Boston, but it was in on the other side of the state, at Tanglewood - way out in Lenox, MA, near the NY State line. The night's concert also started rather soon...

Of course we decided to make the best of it, hopped in the car, and drove literally from Boston to Stockbridge. We couldn't help but think of these lyrics to Sweet Baby James...

So was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston

The Berkshires seemed dream-like on account of that frosting

With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go.

We felt like we had ten thousand miles to go to get to the concert!

Finally we made it to the concert, set out our blanket on the grass, opened the wine, which promptly spilled all over my pants, heard two songs, and then the concert ended!

We packed up, trecked back to the car, and hit the long road home, listening to JT cd's all the way, and laughing at this night that will have a legacy of foolishness that you can only share with a good, long time friend, 


What a good story to tell! And much to my bud's dismay, I have told it often!

So, this year we got tickets again - but we are older and wiser. We know where we are going, we are going to get there early, and we are going to stay over in the area so we can explore the next day.
Although it will be a blast, I have the feeling we will never be able to top our first trip to Tanglewood to see the Great James Taylor!


Check out James Taylor back in the day, performing "How Sweet it is", and I dedicate the lyrics to not only of my best buds, but all of you:

I needed the shelter of someone's arms and there you were
I needed someone to understand my ups and downs and there you were
With sweet love and devotion
Deeply touching my emotions
I want to stop and thank you baby
I want to stop and thank you baby
How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

I close my eyes at night
And wonder what would I be without you in my life
Everything was just a bore
All the things I did seems I'd done'em before
But you brighten up for me all of my days
With a love so sweet in so many ways
I want to stop and thank you baby
I want to stop and thank you baby
How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

You were better to me than I've been to myself
For me, there's you and nobody else
I want to stop and thank you baby
I want to stop and thank you baby
How sweet it is to be loved by you

I am a Putnamaniac because I know how sweet it is to be loved by you - all of you!