Taylor (the Latte Boy)

Finally, a love song for the barista! Today I received in the mail my copy of Broadway singer Christiane Noll’s jazz CD Live at the West Bank Cafe. Having wanted this album for a while, I played it immediately and was delighted to discover that the second track is a fun little song about a woman hitting on her morning barista. Written by Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich, it features some clever lyrics about love in the age of Starbucks:

And today at 8:11, Taylor told me he was playing

With a band down in the village in the basement of a bar.

As he smoothly flipped the lever to prepare my double latte,

But for me he made it triple! (And he didn’t think I knew)

But I saw him flip the lever, and for me he made it triple,

And I knew the triple latte meant that Taylor loved me too!

I said, “What time are you playing? And thank you for the extra skim…”

He said, “Keep the $3.55,” because this triple latte was on him.

I can’t help quoting this rhyme, too:

I used to be the kind of girl

Who’d run when love rushed toward her.

Till finally a voice whispered, “Love can be yours,

If you step up to the counter and order.

Finding an online recording is tricky, but luckily the Gay Christian Network points the way. (It came up on Google, I promise. Though I suspect many would be less surprised if I were gay than if I were Christian. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) A recording of Kristen Chenoweth singing “Taylor” is available here. Click the stream labeled 30:14 and scroll over to about seventeen minutes into the clip.

More Christiane Noll is available here; advice for hitting on your favorite barista here.