This song was a single from James’ 7th record “In the Pocket,” although he doesn’t seem to play it in a lot of early concerts. It seems to have become more popular as his career has gone one, where it seems to be a staple in all his more recent concerts. It’s another very mellow fingerpicking song that has also mellowed out in instrumentation on live performances. The original record has a faster drum and bass section driving it, whereas more recent performances have favored a haltime feel for most of the song and
more emphasis on the vocals to bring a lighter feel to the song.
Shower the People is a favorite James Taylor song of mine. The fingerpicking is pretty intricate and definitely takes a little bit of time to adjust to, but it’s immensely satisfying and calming when you nail it.
Composite Tab (One version of the song assembled with licks from the studio record and a few live performances)
Variations score – Select different instruments to see a different path through the song