"Night Owl" is a song written by

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

that was originally released as a single by Taylor's band the Flying Machine, which also included

Danny Kortchmar Daniel "Danny Kootch" Kortchmar (born April 6, 1946) is an American guitarist, session musician, producer and songwriter. Kortchmar's work with singer-songwriters such as Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, David Crosby, Carole King, David Cassidy, Gr ...

in 1967. Taylor later rerecorded a solo version of the song for his

Apple Records Apple Records is a record label founded by the Beatles in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Ma ...

debut album ''

'' in 1968. Subsequently, the Flying Machine version was released on the album ''

James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine ''James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine'' is an archival release of 1966 recordings of American singer-songwriter James Taylor's band The Flying Machine (not to be confused with The Flying Machine of " Smile a Little Smile for Me" fame f ...

''. It has also been covered by such artists as Alex Taylor, Carly Simon and

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray was the fir ...

James Taylor versions

"Night Owl" was inspired by the Night Owl Cafe in

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, where the Flying Machine often performed. The Flying Machine version was released as a single backed by "Brighten Your Night with My Day." Taylor and the other group members were dissatisfied with their performance on the recording, considering it "mediocre." Although it got some regional radio play in the northeast United States, the label declined to fund further recordings by the band. Author Stephen Davis described the song as "a rollicking R&B number."

Tony Orlando Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

claims to have been particularly struck by the song. Taylor later rerecorded "Night Owl," along with several other songs he wrote for the Flying Machine, such as " Knocking 'Round the Zoo," for his self-titled solo debut album on

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

critic Lindsay Planer rated it as one of the "notable inclusions" on the ''James Taylor'' album. The ''James Taylor'' album included instrumental interludes between songs, and James Taylor biographer Timothy White describes the

brass instruments A brass instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips. Brass instruments are also called labrosones or labrophones, from Latin ...

that were used for the interlude introducing "Night Owl" as "ungainly" and sounding like the overture to a

Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

. White does feel that the brass instruments were used better accompanying the song itself. In 1971, after Taylor gained popularity with the release of his second album ''

Sweet Baby James ''Sweet Baby James'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor, released on February 1, 1970, by Warner Bros. Records. The album includes two of Taylor's earliest successful singles: " Fire and Rain", and " Country ...

'', producer

Chip Taylor Chip Taylor (born James Wesley Voight; March 21, 1940) is an American songwriter and singer noted for writing " Angel of the Morning" and " Wild Thing". Early life Taylor was born on March 21, 1940, in Yonkers, New York. He is the brother of ...

issued Flying Machine demos including "Night Owl" on the album ''

''. Author Ian Halperin complains that for the CD reissue of ''James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine'' Chip Taylor remixed the song and added

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

Cover versions

James Taylor's brother Alex Taylor chose to include his own version of "Night Owl" on his 1971 debut album '' With Friends & Neighbors''. James Taylor played guitar on this version.

King Curtis Curtis Ousley (born Curtis Montgomery; February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. A bandleader, band member, and session musician ...

played

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

. White describes Alex Taylor's version as "a steady-rocking version." ''

Tuscaloosa News The '' Tuscaloosa News '' is a daily newspaper serving Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, and the surrounding area in west central Alabama. In 2012, Halifax Media Group acquired the ''Tuscaloosa News''. Prior to that, the paper's owner was Th ...

'' editor Ben Windham describes Alex Taylor's version as being very different from James Taylor's version, despite some similarity in their voices. He describes Alex Taylor's version as getting "an old-school

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

treatment."

also covered "Night Owl" in 1971 on her album '' Talk It Over in the Morning''.

critic Greg Adams describes her version as "funky." '' Billboard'' described Murray as being "at her best" on the song. Carly Simon was dating James Taylor during the recording of her 1972 album '' No Secrets''. She decided that she wanted to include one of Taylor's songs on the album. Producer

Richard Perry Richard Van Perry (born June 18, 1942) is an American record producer. He began as a performer in his adolescence while attending Poly Prep, his high school in Brooklyn. After graduating from college he rose through the late 1960s and early 1970 ...

chose "Night Owl" for her to cover, because "it was a funkier, bluesier tune than aylor'smore

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

-oriented material."

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

, Linda McCartney,

Doris Troy Doris Troy (born Doris Elaine Higginsen; January 6, 1937 – February 16, 2004) was an American R&B singer and songwriter, known to her many fans as "Mama Soul". Her biggest hit was " Just One Look", a top 10 hit in 1963. Life and career She ...

, Jimmy Ryan and

Bonnie Bramlett Bonnie Bramlett (born Bonnie Lynn O'Farrell, November 8, 1944) is an American singer and occasional actress known for performing with her husband, Delaney Bramlett, as Delaney & Bonnie. She continues to sing as a solo artist. Life and career ...

provided the backing vocals for Simon's version of the song. Long time Rolling Stones collaborator

Nicky Hopkins Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. Hopkins performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, most notably ...

played piano, Jimmy Ryan played guitar, and

Klaus Voormann Klaus Otto Wilhelm Voormann (born 29 April 1938) is a German artist, musician, and record producer. Voormann was the bassist for Manfred Mann from 1966 to 1969, and performed as a session musician on a host of recordings, including " You're So ...

and

Bobby Keys Robert Henry Keys (December 18, 1943 – December 2, 2014) was an American saxophonist who performed with other musicians as a member of several horn sections of the 1970s. He appears on albums by the Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Harry Ni ...

also played on the song. Taylor was initially not entirely happy that Simon's version of the song sounded to him like an outtake from the Rolling Stones' recent album ''

Exile on Main Street ''Exile on Main St.'' is the 10th British and 12th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 12 May 1972 by Rolling Stones Records. Recording began in 1969 in England during sessions for '' Sticky Fingers'' ...

''. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' critic Stephen Holden regarded it as the second best song on ''No Secrets'' after the #1 hit "

You're So Vain "You're So Vain" is a song written in 1971 by American singer and songwriter Carly Simon and released in November 1972. It is one of the songs with which Simon is most identified, and upon its release, reached No. 1 in the United States, Canada, ...

." '' High Fidelity'' regarded it as the best song on the album. ''

Stereo Review ''Sound & Vision'' is an American magazine, purchased by AVTech Media Ltd. (UK) in March 2018, covering home theater, audio, video and multimedia consumer products. Before 2000, it had been published for most of its history as ''Stereo Review''. ...

'' called it a "scorching good version" of the song. Author Jami Bernard described Simon's "sexy growl" when singing the line "I'm a night owl, honey" as implying that "life was more interesting in the wee hours." Critic James Hunter described Simon's "whooping growls" on the song as a "triumph." Simon later included "Night Owl" on her compilation album '' The Best of Carly Simon''.

References

{{Authority control Songs written by James Taylor James Taylor songs Carly Simon songs Anne Murray songs 1966 songs 1967 singles Song recordings produced by Peter Asher Song recordings produced by Richard Perry