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Mexico (James Taylor song)

"Mexico"
Mexico single label.jpg
Single by James Taylor
from the album Gorilla
B-side "Gorilla"
Released 1975
Format 7"
Genre Folk rock, soft rock
Length 2:57
Label Warner Bros.
Writer(s) James Taylor
Producer(s) Russ Titelman, Lenny Waronker
James Taylor singles chronology
"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)"
(1975)
"Mexico"
(1975)
"Shower the People"
(1976)

"Mexico" is a song written by James Taylor that first appeared as the opening track of his 1975 album Gorilla. It was released as a single, with the album's title track as the b-side, and reached #49 on the Billboard Hot 100, but performed much better on the Adult Contemporary chart, reaching #5. "Mexico" has appeared on many of Taylor's live and compilation albums. It has been covered by Jimmy Buffett, Alex de Grassi and Lauren Laverne

The lyrics of "Mexico" describe a dream of enjoying a night in a Mexican border town. It is one of several songs on Gorilla that uses a stream of consciousness technique to describe the singer's fantasy, others including "Music" and "You Make It Easy." It is a happy song that contrasts Taylor's sad, sensitive image. "Mexico" has a "buoyant" rhythm. Its music incorporates features of country rock music.Graham Nash and David Crosby sing backup vocals on the song. Critic Doung Pringle describes Nash's harmony vocals as "lovely."

"Mexico" peaked at only #49 on the Billboard Hot 100 but achieved substantial radio play and reached #5 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. Its performance in Canada was similar. It only reached #83 on the singles chart but made it to #8 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Rolling Stone Magazine critic Bud Scoppa describes the song as "delightful." Music critic Robert Christgau rates "Mexico" and its b-side "Gorilla" as the two songs on Gorilla that he likes. Music critic Martin Smith regarded "Mexico" as his favorite song from Gorilla. Author Martin Charles Strong describes it as "demonstrating what Taylor was capable of when he decided to step up a gear."Rolling Stone Album Guide critic Mark Coleman appreciates the song's sense of humor. In 2003, Allmusic critic Thom Jurek wrote that the song hasn't aged, and that it still seems "as immediate and relevant in the 21st century as [it] did in the 1970s."


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