In the Key of Pisces: James Taylor
James Taylor’s soft, reedy baritone is so sweet and his melody-weaving so certain, his lyrics so perfectly distilled and his phrasing so effortless — he truly was blessed by the gods of music and song. Indeed, his first album, which included classics like Carolina in My Mind and Rainy Day Man was cut when he was just 20 in 1968: his most recent, just last year. But like Orpheus, Taylor had to pay a price for his talent.
Data from Astrodatabank
Taylor had real demons to contend with including wobbly mental health as a teenager (he committed himself several times) and subsequently years of heroin addiction. Making music probably saved him; once his father literally saved him. You can see this story in the Aries Moon-Neptune opposition (addiction) relieved by an aspect from the intense, driven, hard-working (and paternal) stellium in the performer’s sign Leo. Aries Moon has a tendency to experience emotion head on. He can’t read about it in a novel; he has to feel it himself.
He only has one planet in Pisces, the Sun, in the seventh house of relationships and indeed his delivery is remarkably intimate. It feels like he’s singing right to you. I think the Aries Moon helps with that emotional directness.
Taylor’s songwriting has really stood the test of time. He’s a meticulous craftsman (Virgo Rising) and a dexterous, intelligent musician — notice the beautiful mutual reception between clear, clever Mercury in Aquarius and Uranus in storytelling Gemini — and they trine each other! The hands and mind are working together effortlessly. Although his mental health issues may be written here too. He is a magician on the guitar.
That’s beautiful. I’m loving this series, thank you Christina.
He’s got a Chiron, Sun, Mars trine. Ouch, and maybe the courage to commit himself, and drive to channel that pain.
There’s that weaving, drifting repetitive thread in his guitar too.