Her Town Too

James Taylor

About Her Town Too

"Her Town Too" is a song written by James Taylor, J. D. Souther, and Waddy Wachtel, first released as a duet between Taylor and Souther on Taylor's 1981 album Dad Loves His Work. It was also released as a single in 1981, peaking at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song had entered the Hot 100 chart at #38, making it one of the few songs to enter the chart in the Top 40 but not reach the Top 10. As of 2014, it is Taylor's last single to reach the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. "Her Town Too" also reached #5 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and #21 on the Mainstream Rock chart. The subject of "Her Town Too" is the aftermath of a breakup of a long term relationship. Taylor has called it "a tender, well-meaning song about how difficult it was to be friends" with both parties after the breakup. Since Taylor's marriage to Carly Simon was breaking up at the time, there was speculation that the song was about their relationship. However, Taylor has stated that the song was about "the ex-wife of a mutual friend." Author Sheila Weller has written that the subject was Betsy Asher, who had recently divorced from Taylor's longtime manager and producer Peter Asher. Taylor has said of the song that it "showed a maturity in song structure that had been developing since I wrote 'Your Smiling Face' for JT." "Your Smiling Face and JT had been issued four years earlier, in 1977. Taylor also claimed that the song had "a relentless bolero quality." The Rolling Stone Album Guide called it a "gently incisive divorce song" that was "among [Taylor's] finest pieces of writing." Rolling Stone critic Don Shewey notes that despite the song's worthy ambitions, the narrative never quite reaches a resolution, and thus the song "comes across as merely a catchy, mindless ditty." Montreal Gazette critic John Griffin praised the song's "mellifluous melody" and the way lyrics such as "she always figured that they were her friends but maybe they can live without her" resonates with people who have had friendships with one or the other partner disintegrate after a relationship ends."Her Town Too" was later released on the 2000 compilation album Greatest Hits Volume 2. 


Year:
2014
4:56
83 

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She's been afraid to go out
She's afraid of the knock on her door
There's always a shade of a doubt
She can never be sure
Who comes to call
Maybe the friend of a friend of a friend
Anyone at all
Anything but nothing again

It used to be her town
It used to be her town, too
It used to be her town
It used to be her town, too

Seems like even her old girlfriends
Might be talking her down
She's got her name on the grapevine
Running up and down
The telephone line
Talking 'bout
Someone said, someone said
Something 'bout, something else
Someone might have said about her
She always figured that they were her friends
But maybe they can live without her

It used to be her town
It used to be her town, too
It used to be her town
It used to be her town, too

Well, people got used to seeing them both together
But now he's gone and life goes on
Nothing lasts forever, oh no
She gets the house and the garden
He gets the boys in the band
Some of them his friends
Some of them her friends
Some of them understand
Lord knows that this is just a small town city
Yes, and everyone can see you fall
It's got nothing to do with pity
I just wanted to give you a call

It used to be your town
It used to be my town, too
You never know 'till it all falls down
Somebody loves you
Somebody loves you
Darling, somebody still loves you
I can still remember
When it used to be her town, too
It used to be your town
It used to be my town, too

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James Taylor

James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. more »

11 fans

Written by: John David Souther, James Vernon Taylor, Waddy Wachtell

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

BILLBOARD PERFORMANCE
Released in 1981, "Her Town Too" by James Taylor and J.D. Souther reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking its significance in American popular music of the time.
ARTIST COLLABORATION
The song is a collaboration between Taylor and J.D. Souther, with Souther providing additional vocals apart from Taylor. This marked a significant partnership in both artists' careers.
GENRE AND STYLE
"Her Town Too" is classified in the soft rock and folk rock genre, which are both James Taylor's main musical styles.
TRACK LOCATION
The song is the first track on Taylor's album "Dad Loves His Work," indicating its importance within the album’s lineup.
LYRICAL THEMES
The lyrics of "Her Town Too" tell the story of a woman coping with social isolation following the breakup of a relationship, highlighting Taylor's talent for emotional lyrical themes.
AWARDS RECOGNITION
In 1982, "Her Town Too" received a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, demonstrating the industry's recognition of the song's quality and performance.
SONGWRITERS
The song's lyrics were written by James Taylor, J.D. Souther, and Waddy Wachtel, a testament to a successful multi-writer collaboration.
MUSIC VIDEO
Directed by D.W. Young, the music video for "Her Town Too" received significant airplay on MTV, capitalizing on the then-new trend of music videos to promote songs.
CHART PERFORMANCE
Apart from its success in the U.S., "Her Town Too" also reached #21 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart and #31 on the UK Singles Chart.
MUSICAL ARRANGEMENT
The song is known for its complex arrangement, with Taylor's signature acoustic guitar complemented by synthesizers—a sound that was becoming increasingly popular in the early 1980s.

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    Her Town Too

    4,414
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    Top Hot 100 Songs 1981

    Billboard #11


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