lonely times when I could not find a friend." Taylor references the song in another of his compositions, "That's Why I'm Here", title track from his 1985 album, in which he writes, "Fortune and fame's such a curious game. Perfect strangers can call you by name. Pay good money to hear 'Fire and Rain' again and again and again." He also refers to the song in another composition, "Money Machine" (a cynical take on the financial aspects of the recording industry): "When I began the game, see me singing ‘bout Fire and Rain; Lemme just sing it again — I've seen fives and I’ve seen tens." Reception Broadcast Music, Inc. ranked "Fire and Rain" at number 82 on its "Top 100 Songs of the Century" list, while voters for the National Endowment for the Arts and Recording Industry Association of America's Songs of the Century list, which comprises 365 songs of "historical significance" recorded from 1900 to 2000, placed "Fire and Rain" at number 85. In April 2011, the song was named at number 227 on Rolling Stones list of 500 greatest songs of all time. Cover versions R. B. Greaves, Johnny Rivers and Georgie Fame first released singles of "Fire and Rain" in 1970, impelling Warner Brothers to release Taylor's original as a single later that year, in August 1970. Greaves' and Rivers' versions peaked at numbers 82 and 94 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. Marcia Hines covered "Fire and Rain" on her 1975 debut LP, Marcia Shines. Her version reached No. 17 in Australia. At the 1975 Australian Record Awards, the song won Hines Female Vocal Single of the Year. Parodies Taylor performs the song on The Simpsons in the episode "Deep Space Homer". While singing the song for a group of astronauts (including Homer Simpson and Buzz Aldrin), he changes the lyric "Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground" to "Sweet dreams and flying machines, flying safely through the air" when he realizes the Space Shuttle may crash. In 2015, Taylor appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he sang a version including numerous references to post-1970 popular culture. Chart performance Weekly charts Year-end charts Other versions Certifications References Bibliography External links Transcript of Kerry O'Brien interview with Taylor about "Fire and Rain" 1969 songs 1970 singles James Taylor songs 1975 singles A&M Records singles Herb Alpert songs Atco Records singles