The Secret O' Life

The secret of life
Is enjoying the passage of time.
Any fool can do it,
There ain't nothing to it.
Nobody knows how we got
To the top of the hill.
But since we're on our way down,
We might as well enjoy the ride.

James Taylor did not include Secret O' Life in his setlist tonight at Bethel Woods.  And that is one of only two disappointments for me at an otherwise wonderful concert.   James was being James.  Despite an 11-piece orchestra backing him, he was still modest James Taylor, sitting on his stool, amusing the crowd with his commentary, and thanking the crowd's applause with that grin that only he can deliver.  It was classic JT, and even he commented on the list of songs for the second set:  "Why, it's just one hit after another!"  Just what the crowd wanted.

And why is that?  What is it about James and his songs that has us grinning back at him, one hit after another?  Certainly, many music artists and bands from that era remain popular and can draw a crowd.  But there's something more to Sweet Baby James and Carolina on My Mind and You've Got a Friend that promotes a serenity and joy in those who listen.  Not to ever take away from the sweet sound of James' voice (and he sounds as good as he did back in 1971), I think the sweetness of his lyrics lull us into a memory of a time that was kinder and gentler.  Of course, that's not true at all; James was singing to us while a war was raging in a foreign land and our country was fractured by opposing ideologies.  (Some things never change.)  But memory has that ability to refocus our lives through a different lens.

Now the thing about time
Is that time isn't really real.
It's just your point of view,
How does it feel for you?

So tonight, James let us escape for awhile to a time and a place that we think we remember as happy.  And we were so very willing to take part in the delusion.

Try not to try too hard,
It's just a lovely ride.

Oh, and in case you're wondering what the other thing that disappointed me was, it's this:  James did not drop the F-bomb during his impassioned performance of Steamroller Blues.  Darn.

But I am in love with all the rest of it.