James Taylor Sings 'You Can Close Your Eyes' With His Family at Home
James Taylor gave a very sweet performance on The Tonight Show Thursday night, singing “You Can Close Your Eyes” with his wife Kim and his son Henry from their home in Montana.
Taylor played guitar and sang lead vocals on the comforting song, while his family accompanied him with beautiful vocal harmonies. “This old world must still be spinnin’ around/And I still love you,” they sing. “So close your eyes/You can close your eyes, it’s all right.” The lullaby, originally released Taylor’s 1971 album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon, is a fitting tune of solace during this uncertain time, with the pandemic raging on and many around the world still in lockdown.
Last month, Taylor announced that he’ll be appearing on the 18th season of the music competition series The Voice as the show’s Mega Mentor, joining judges Blake Shelton, Nick Jonas, John Legend and Kelly Clarkson. The season premiered on April 13th. Taylor has chosen to postpone his summer tour with Jackson Browne due to the ongoing pandemic, and he donated $1 million to Massachusetts General Hospital for relief efforts.
In February, Taylor released a new album of standards. “In terms of how they were performed and recorded before, we paid attention to the chords and melody,” he said of the compilation. “But we were interested in doing something new, and in bringing something new to it, we’ve reinterpreted the songs, that’s what makes it worth doing.”