One Man Parade

Taylor said he had written "One Man Parade" during the year preceding the album release and he had begun playing it live in concert as early as the Fall of 1971.{{cite news|title=The Rolling Stone Interview: Carly Simon & James Taylor|author=Werbin, S.|pages=32–42|newspaper=Rolling Stone|date=January 4, 1973}}{{cite news|title=Talent in Action|author=Tiegel, E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ywgEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22one+man+parade%22+taylor&pg=PA46|date=October 9, 1971|page=46|newspaper=Billboard}} Like "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," "One Man Parade" was recorded on a portable recording console at Taylor's home with his new bride Carly Simon in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Simon, Carole King and Abigale Haness provided harmony vocals, as do Taylor's siblings Alex, Kate and Hugh. Musicologist James Perone hears several Latin music elements in the song, including the instrumentation including congas, güiro and timbales.{{cite book|title=The Words and Music of James Taylor|author=Perone, James E.|pages=25–26|year=2018|publisher=Praeger|isbn=9781440852688}} Russ Kunkel plays the congas on the song, in a performance Taylor biographer Mark Robowsky describes as "trippy." Perone also finds Latin dance music influences in the way the song uses harmonic and bass ostinato, and finds the coda section to be similar to a montuno section of certain Latin music pieces that use a canto-montuno structure.

"One Man Parade" was originally intended to be the title track of the album, but Taylor changed the album title "for no particular reason" to One Man Dog, in reference to his shepherd dog who is mentioned in the song.{{cite news|title=A Portrait of the Artist|author=White, T.|newspaper=Billboard|page=18|date=December 5, 1988|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LgoEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22summer%27s+here%22+%22james+taylor%22&pg=PA18|access-date=2014-07-02}} To Robowsky, "One Man Parade" provides the theme for the album, calling it "a wistful desire to waste time on the simplest pleasures, walking a dog, pouring rain, checking out an occasional garbage can."{{cite book|title=Sweet Dreams and Flying Machines: The Life and Music of James Taylor|author=Robowsky, M.|year=2016|publisher=Chicago Review Press|asin= B01FE6R7J6}} Berwyn Life critic Steve Sparacio similarly stated that the song "sets the tone for the individualist theme of the LP."{{cite news|via=newspapers.com|accessdate=2023-03-24|newspaper=Berwyn Life|author=Sparacio, Steve|title=Newlyweds record hits|date=January 17, 1973|page=12|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121539661/berwyn-life/}}

Although Robowsky calls the song "upbeat" and Taylor's "most carefree yet: he notes that Taylor undercuts that mood with the line "I'm right good at holding on, holding on, holding on." Perone also notes that the lyrics are more "upbeat" than most Taylor songs of this era, with the singer announcing his readiness to "step out on the town." Donald Langis of L'Evangeline praised the word play of the lines "All I want is a little dog to be walking at my right hand / talking 'bout a one man dog / Nobody's friend but mine."{{cite news|title=James Taylor a la croisee des chemins|author=Langis, D.|newspaper=L'Evangeline|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1138&dat=19721222&id=UnVTAAAAIBAJ&pg=3605,7074178|date=December 22, 1972|page=14|access-date=2014-07-02}} Langis interpreted the dog as a metaphor for the type of friend Taylor is seeking.

Billboard rated "One Man Parade" as one of Taylor's best songs ever, saying that it is "full of melodic surprises" and "lyrical weirdness." It also noted that although the song is "rollicking" it fits within Taylor's brand of gentle pop music. Cash Box said that the "soft outing creates quite a mood that [radio] programmers will love," predicting that it would make the Top 10.{{cite news|title=CashBox Record Reviews|date=February 17, 1973|page=18|accessdate=2021-12-11|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1973/Cash-Box-1973-02-17.pdf|newspaper=Cash Box}} Record World said that the "Following up his recent 'Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight' hit, Mr. Mellow comes up with another easy-going tune [that] should add one more to his parade of hits."{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=February 17, 1973|accessdate=2023-03-24|title=Hits of the Week|page=1|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/73/RW-1973-02-17.pdf}} Rolling Stone critic Jon Landau praised how the song "starts right in and never lets up," and also praises Taylor's vocal performance for sounding like he was "standing while singing for the very first time.{{cite web|title=One Man Dog|author=Landau, J.|author-link=Jon Landau|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/one-man-dog-19730118|date=January 18, 1973|access-date=2014-07-02|publisher=Rolling Stone}} Langis believed it had potential to be a hit. Calgary Herald critic Jim Rennie said that although many of the songs on One Man Dog are "bits and pieces", "One Man Parade" is a "substantial enough composition" that has "the same soft, fluid, country flavor that almost all of Taylor's songs contain."{{cite news|via=newspapers.com|accessdate=2023-03-24|newspaper=Calgary Herald|author=Rennie, Jim|title=Records|date=January 12, 1973|page=5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121544805/calgary-herald/}} Several reviewers praised Taylor's live performances of the song in the early 1970s.{{cite news|title=Crowd Claps Its Approval for Taylor|author=Rousseau, R.|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19711016&id=xZAzAAAAIBAJ&pg=7028,5824709|newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World|date=October 16, 1971|page=3|access-date=2014-07-02}}

"One Man Parade" was included on the 2003 compilation album Best of James Taylor.{{cite web|title=Best of James Taylor|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/best-of-james-taylor-falcone-mw0001083177|publisher=Allmusic|access-date=2014-07-02}}

• James Taylor – lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica
• Danny Kortchmar – electric guitar, timbales
• Russ Kunkel – congas
• Peter Asher – guiro
• Abigale Haness – backing vocals
• Carole King – backing vocals
• Carly Simon – backing vocals
• Alex Taylor – backing vocals
• Hugh Taylor – backing vocals
• Kate Taylor – backing vocals

{{Reflist}}

{{James Taylor}}

Category:James Taylor songs

Category:Songs written by James Taylor

Category:1971 songs

Category:1973 singles

Category:Warner Records singles

Category:Song recordings produced by Peter Asher