James Taylor - Sweet Baby James

"Sweet Baby James" is James Taylor at his absolute best. Mysteriously this title track off his 1970 breakthrough album was never released as a single, but it's still - understandably - one of his best known and most revered songs. It's a deliberate cross between a lullaby and a cowboy song, describing his trip to meet his newborn nephew James, son of his older brother Alex, for the first time. Taylor has later claimed he spent considerable time writing the lyrics to this one, whose verses used the most intricate rhyming pattern of his career. It's simply a stunning song in every aspect, as beautiful as they come.

Watch and listen