Download Instrumental    Sometimes, things really are better the second time around.  “Handyman” was a million-seller for singer Jimmy Jones in 1960, but James Taylor slowed it down in ’77 and had an even bigger hit with it.

The song is about a guy who considers himself to be the ultimate  gift to all women:  “Hey girls, gather ’round/Listen to what I’m putting down/Hey baby, I’m your handy man”.  Okay…. he has something going on that makes the rest of us look like pikers – I can live with that.  The original version was fun and crazy – Jimmy Jones didn’t take himself seriously at all.  But James Taylor is another story.  His slower version, even though the lyrics are the same, seems narcissistic and totally smug.  You get the feeling that James really does think he is very much the “ladies man”. Oh, please.  However,  Taylor was married to Carly Simon when he recorded “Handy Man” so he must have been doing something right.  Unfortunately,  he took it upon himself to “comfort” all of Carly’s girlfriends who were hurting from recent breakups or just having a bad hair day.  What a guy!  What a “handy” guy!  Carly eventually dumped him.  Good call…

I soured on James Taylor when he let himself be drawn into John Kerry’s (former Secretary of State) idiotic idea to sing “You’ve Got a Friend” to the French people in 2015 after a terrorist attack.  Very awkward and just plain dumb.  Even great artists have their down days, and this was one of them for Taylor.  He was used and I’m sure he regrets it.

Nevertheless, this is a great rendition of a recognizable song that would fit well into your repertoire.  I do think, however, that this  tune would have been better served as a love song for a woman who adores her man (now there’s a quaint idea) – renaming it “You’re My Handy Man”.  That takes the pompous swagger out of the song and doesn’t make you go “Ew”.  Just sayin’…