"Something in the Way She Moves" 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 List of best-selling music artists, best-sell ...

that appeared on his 1968 debut album for

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 ...

, ''

''. It has also been covered by other artists, including

Tom Rush Thomas Walker Rush (born February 8, 1941) is an American folk music, folk and blues music, blues singer, guitarist and songwriter who helped launch the careers of other singer-songwriters in the 1960s and has continued his own singing career f ...

and

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an internati ...

. The opening line inspired

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

to write the No. 1

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

' song " Something". According to James Taylor's stage banter at The Star in Frisco 31 July 2017, this was the song he played for Paul McCartney and George Harrison as an audition before signing with Apple Records.

James Taylor version

"Something in the Way She Moves" is a romantic song. ''

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

Jon Landau Jon Landau (born May 14, 1947) is an American music critic, manager, and record producer. He has worked with Bruce Springsteen in all three capacities. He is the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and rec ...

regards the song as being about "transcendence of a sort." Taylor plays the song accompanied only by acoustic guitar.

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

critic Lindsay Planer regards "Something in the Way She Moves" as one of the "notable inclusions" on the ''James Taylor'' album. Fellow Allmusic critic David R. Adler described it as "one of Taylor's finest melodies". ''

Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'' critic Mark Coleman agrees that it is a "highlight" of ''James Taylor'', describing the song as "winsome" and predicting the path Taylor would take in future recordings. Taylor biographer Timothy White describes it as being "unquestionably Taylor's finest performance" on ''James Taylor''. White described it as "spare in presentation" and "poignant on its own elegant terms." ''

'' critic

believes that the spare performance and Taylor's "restrained delivery" add to the song's power, as Taylor "lets the melody, lyric, guitar, and voice speak for themselves." Martin Charles Strong describes it as being a "memorable original" and one that "marked Taylor out as a kind of male

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her st ...

, if not quite as adventurous." Taylor included "Something in the Way She Moves" on his 1976 ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' but, as with "

Carolina in My Mind "Carolina in My Mind" is a song originally written and performed by American singer-songwriter James Taylor. It was Taylor's second single from his 1968 self-titled debut album. Taylor wrote ''Carolina in My Mind'' while overseas recording for ...

," also from ''James Taylor'', he had to re-record the song due to rights issues. It was also included on the 2003

compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...

The Best of James Taylor ''The Best of James Taylor'' is the fourth compilation album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor released by Warner Bros. Records in 2003. The same album was released in Europe as ''You've Got a Friend: The Best of James Taylor''. The a ...

''. A live version was included on Taylor's and

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...

's live album '' Live at the Troubadour''. A solo live version leads off Taylor's album ''

One Man Band A one-man band is a musician who plays a number of instruments simultaneously using their hands, feet, limbs, and various mechanical or electronic contraptions. One-man bands also often sing while they perform. The simplest type of "one-man ban ...

''.

Inspiration for "Something"

liked "Something in the Way She Moves" so much that he used the beginning as the first line of his 1969 song " Something" from the

album ''

Abbey Road ''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It is the last album the group started recording, although '' Let It Be'' was the last album completed before the band's break-up in April 1970. It was mostly ...

'', which was also released as a single and reached No. 1. Early in the development of "Something," Harrison had expanded the opening of this song to "Something in the way she moves / Attracts me like a

pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall. The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...

," using the word "pomegranate" simply as a place-holder until better words could be found. Taylor has stated that "I never thought for a second that George intended to do that. I don't think he intentionally ripped anything off, and all music is borrowed from other music. So completely I let it pass." Taylor also acknowledged that the ending of "Something in the Way She Moves" was taken from the Beatles' song "

I Feel Fine "I Feel Fine" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released in November 1964 as the A-side of their eighth single. It was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The recording includes one o ...

" and so "what goes around comes around."

Cover versions

covered "Something in the Way She Moves" on his 1968 album '' The Circle Game''. Taylor had played the song for Rush when he visited the

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

offices for an audition in 1967. Rush's version was released as a single and become popular on New England radio stations. ''

Crawdaddy! ''Crawdaddy'' was an American rock music magazine launched in 1966. It was created by Paul Williams, a Swarthmore College student at the time, in response to the increasing sophistication and cultural influence of popular music. The magazine w ...

'' reviewed the song as being the best song on ''The Circle Game'', saying that it "flows beautifully with

Bruce Langhorne Bruce Langhorne (May 11, 1938 – April 14, 2017) was an American folk musician. He was active in the Greenwich Village folk scene in the 1960s, primarily as a session guitarist for folk albums and performances. Biography Early life Langhor ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...

stylings pushing it through," also acknowledging that "Rush's brand of vocalizing fits perfectly" because "he can never get excited about anything." Country artist

Bobbie Gentry Bobbie Gentry (born Roberta Lee Streeter; July 27, 1942) is a retired American singer-songwriter, who was one of the first female artists in America to compose and produce her own material. Gentry rose to international fame in 1967 with her Sou ...

recorded a version titled "Something In the Way He Moves" for her 1970 album

Fancy Fancy may refer to: Places * Fancy, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a settlement * Fancy River, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Music Albums * ''Fancy'' (Bobbie Gentry album), 1970 * ''Fancy'' (Idiot Flesh album), 1997 * ''Fancy'' (video ...

Iain Matthews Iain Matthews (born Ian Matthews MacDonald, 16 June 1946) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He was an original member of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention from 1967 to 1969 before leaving to form his own band, Matthew ...

and his band

Matthews' Southern Comfort Iain Matthews (born Ian Matthews MacDonald, 16 June 1946) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He was an original member of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention from 1967 to 1969 before leaving to form his own band, Matth ...

recorded a version of "Something in the Way She Moves" for his 1970 album Second Spring.

covered the song as the opening track of his 1971 album ''

The Warm Touch ''The Warm Touch'' is an album by Harry Belafonte, released by RCA Records in 1971. Allmusic entry for ''The Warm Touch''Retrieved November 2009. Track listing # "Something in the Way She Moves" (James Taylor) – 3:10 # "Circle 'Round the Sun" ( ...

''. He also released it as a single. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' regarded "Something in the Way She Moves" as one of the "standout" tracks on ''The Warm Touch''. ''Billboard'' also called the melody "beautiful" and stated that Belafonte gives the song "his own unique treatment."

Mitchel Forman Mitchel Forman (born January 24, 1956) is a jazz and fusion keyboard player. Biography and music career Mitchel Forman began studying classical piano at the age of seven. At 17 he entered the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) for three years of s ...

recorded an acoustic piano version of "Something in the Way She Moves" for the 2001 multi-artist album ''Sketches of James: Selection from the James Taylor Songbook''.

References

{{Authority control James Taylor songs Songs written by James Taylor 1968 songs Song recordings produced by Peter Asher Harry Belafonte songs Elektra Records singles RCA Victor singles 1968 singles 1971 singles