"Shower the People" is the opening track on James Taylor's 1976 album In the Pocket.[1][2]

"Shower the People"
Single by James Taylor
from the album In the Pocket
B-side"I Can Dream of You"
ReleasedJune 1976
GenreSoft rock, folk rock, pop rock
Length4:32
LabelWarner Bros. Records
Songwriter(s)James Taylor
Producer(s)Russ Titelman & Lenny Waronker
James Taylor singles chronology
"Mexico"
(1975)
"Shower the People"
(1976)
"Everybody Has the Blues"
(1976)
Official audio
"Shower the People" on YouTube

Reception

edit

Cash Box said that the song is "a meaningful ballad that will pick up a lot of FM airplay" and said that it has "a way with melody and phrasing" similar to other Taylor songs.[3] Record World said that "This midtempo offering is bolstered by a great singalong chorus."[4]

Personnel

edit

Chart performance

edit

"Shower the People" reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. that fall, remaining in the Top 40 for eight weeks. It also topped the Easy Listening chart for one week, Taylor's third song to do so, following 1971's "You've Got a Friend" and 1975's "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)".[5]

In Canada, the song fell short of the Pop Top 40; however, it did reach number one on the Adult Contemporary chart.[6]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Shower the People - James Taylor | Song Info | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-12-21
  2. ^ Ribowsky, Mark (2016-06-01). Sweet Dreams and Flying Machines: The Life and Music of James Taylor. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-61373-379-0.
  3. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. June 5, 1976. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  4. ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. June 12, 1976. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
  6. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1976-09-11. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
edit