Peace, Love, and Taylormania
By Teresa Tope

In 1970 I was a junior in high school living in a remarkably limited southern Ohio town. Being somewhat culturally isolated, we were hesitant to pick up on some of the latest fads. But we were right on with Taylormania.

Moving out of the psychadelic rock movement, we acticipated a pleasant change in our musical tastes. Along comes James Taylor to soak our musical palates. Somewhat of a country boy, too. Music had that country flavor with that steel guitar. Even our parents were sure to like him -- we sure did. Couldn't get enough of his music.

So what made Taylor’s style special to us and the rest of the nation? Maybe the time was right. After all, we were the free-spirited generation practicing peace and love. Music was our cultural lifestyle, so we were open to new musical impressions. And we were still on a quest to find ourselves.

Taylor’s music allowed us to forget about the political conflicts of the 70’s and to converge upon a more mellow lifestyle. He sang about sunshine, the countryside, friendship, and Jesus -- topics we especially identified with. Simply put, Taylor touched us musically and spiritually.

One occasion in which I hold a strong anchor with Taylor’s music was the 1971 Peace Demonstrations in Washington DC. Even though Taylor didn't have a protest song, his music was still a part of that historical event. Our senior class ventured to the capital that spring. After a wasted morning of touring the back streets of DC (we couldn't get near the White House) we ended up at The Lincoln Memorial. We weren’t prepared for the overwhelming view of the ground jammed with thousands of people of all ages. People were sleeping, eating, lecturing, singing, and doing other unmentionables. We decided to join in and get a real education.

I recall finding a group that seemed harmless enough. One guy (a hippie as my parents would say) had a guitar and everyone was singing along with him. I joined in with “Fire and Rain.” He wasn’t into “war what is it good for,” but was singing one of Taylor’s most personal confessions. For that moment we forgot about conflict and issues and related to each other with a Taylor song. It’s no wonder Taylor, with his personal depth, touched us musically and spiritually.

He also exhibited talent. And, what talent! A voice clear, reassuring, and smooth. With lyrics that were tasteful, powerful, and profoundly personal, and a remarkable individual style on guitar. Those qualities -- combined with our scouting for new musical ideas, our idenity crisis, and the need to hear pure talent -- destined us to grab hold of Taylor's style and hold on for a “lovely ride.”

Teresa Tope is an instructor of English and commucications, a published poet, a vocalist, and enjoys performing in the theatrical arts. She is also a victim of Taylormania and proudly admits it.