James Taylor
Never Die Young

1987: James Taylor is 39 years old, having resolved (um, almost resolved!?!) the drug addiction problems that have plagued him for two decades, releases this album with an all-too-explicit title, "Never Die Young".

Incredible, the gigantic (both physically—1.95m—and musically) American singer-songwriter, has been through all sorts in the past twenty years and still exudes the aura of the nice guy, now the nice American man, from whom you would never expect a blemish. Even his vocal clarity, unchanged over the years, does not reveal any of what he experienced, and creates an almost perfect oxymoron with what his life has been over the last twenty years. The album begins with the title track "Never Die Young", like almost all the songs on this album it will be somewhat forgotten, personally, it drives me crazy, it has splendid guitar riffs, and is without a doubt one of my favorite songs from the entire vast Taylorian discography.

None of the ten songs on the album disappoint, none would be undeserving of a note in this review, but there are some very high peaks, pieces that rank among my absolute favorites. I am especially talking about that wonder that blooms delicately, softly, and fragilely in the exact middle of the album: "Valentine's Day", the best dark-love song my ears have ever heard... Undoubtedly the Taylor song that most moves and stirs me, among all his many splendid ones. The piece is inspired by the St. Valentine's Day Massacre that occurred in Chicago by Al Capone's gang, and with a velvety voice accompanied by splendid piano notes, it draws a parallel considering what normally happens on Valentine's Day, resulting in the observation that in reality love is similar to war, there are often winners and losers and there are those who are stronger and those who are weaker... good old James seems to come out of the comparison rather beaten up: 'I lost my teeth, I lost my hair I lost my mind, You don't care Love is War, all is fair On Valentine's Day.'

Also particularly noteworthy are the wonderful: "Baby Boom Baby", about a woman loved long, long ago who returns to town... will she at least remember my name? should I call her? will she want to see me again?; the very rhythmic, full of percussion and almost gospel-like choirs "Sun On The Moon" about the solar eclipse; still "Runaway Boy" with a country and vaguely western rhythm; and finally the concluding "First Day Of May" sunny and floral, a fantastic soundtrack on the rebirth of nature in spring, it doesn't sound like a Taylor song but it's beautiful all the same. It is said that everyone in this world has a weakness, perhaps unexplained, strange, irrational, bizarre, something they can't resist at any moment, something they would never refuse.
Well, besides strawberries, I also add this album, I can't tell you why, but it has struck me in a really special way and to quote "Valentine's Day" again, since I heard it... I've got 'through the heart, Cupid's Dart'...

"Never Die Young" immediately appealed to me, it has never bored me and I would never stop listening to it. I therefore recommend this album to all Taylor enthusiasts, perhaps someone else might experience the same revelation...