There are THREE heartbreaking stories behind James Taylor’s 1970 . hit “Fire & Rain.” I’ll break them down for you in lyrical order.

#1: Just yesterday morning, they let me know you were gone.

James’ childhood friend Suzanne Schnerr committed suicide while he was in London working on his first album. Friends at home, concerned that it might distract him, kept the news from him for six months.

#2: “Won’t you look down upon me, Jesus. You’ve got to help me make a stand.” This section is about his fight against clinical depression and drug addiction.

And #3: “Sweet dreams and Flying Machines in pieces on the ground.” This part references the failure of his original band, The Flying Machine.

The song reached #3 on The Hot 100…band was Grammy nominated for both Song of the Year and Record of the year.

It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. and currently sits at #146 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Songs of All Time—and that’s just a partial list of kudos!

And here’s one final note: Carole King played piano on the track, and has said that HER song “You’ve Got a Friend,” which James also recorded, was a response to the lyric: “I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend.”

“Fire and Rain” by James Taylor: deep, personal, and a “Great Song of 1970!