James Taylor’s fifth album, “Walking Man,” garnered poor reviews and low album sales at the time of its release in 1974. However, one would be remiss to ignore the album’s third track, “Let It All Fall Down.” Despite being Taylor’s first of few political anthems, Stephen Holden from Rolling Stone described the soft pop tune as “one of the most cogent and sobering musical expressions of thwarted political idealism to come out of the Nixon era.”
According to Timothy White’s biography, “James Taylor: Long Ago and Far Away,” Taylor indeed wrote the song as a dig at Richard Nixon specifically, whom he disliked following Watergate and the Vietnam War. “The country was feeling how petty and small-minded the whole thing seemed,” Taylor said, “that the main job of power was to hold on to power through dirty tricks.” The song was poised to be a timely takedown until Nixon resigned but one day following its release, dooming it to futility.
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Regardless, the musician’s lyrics are some of his most cutting. Taylor not only criticizes Nixon but also a country that would vote him into power, singing, “He seems to tell us lies / And still we believe him / Then together he will lead us / Into darkness, my friends.” It’s a cynical lament that still delivers an infectiously catchy hook, showcasing Taylor’s range as a songwriter.
