Showing posts with label Will You Love Me Tomorrow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Will You Love Me Tomorrow. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Jeff Tweedy's book World Within a Song

Jeff Tweedy:

World Within a Song

Here’s the description on Amazon of this book by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, full title World Within a Song: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music: “An exciting and heartening mix of memories, music, and inspiration from Wilco front man and New York Times bestselling author Jeff Tweedy, sharing fifty songs that changed his life, the real-life experiences behind each one, as well as what he’s learned about how music and life intertwine and enhance each other.”

“What makes us fall in love with a song? What makes us want to write our own songs? Do songs help? Do songs help us live better lives? And do the lives we live help us write better songs?”

I’ve provided the list here of the 50 songs Tweedy writes about. They are not ranked or listed in chronological order. They are simply listed in the order in which they appear in the book. It should also be noted that these are not necessarily songs Tweedy loves. For example, he despites “I Will Always Love You” and “Wanted Dead or Alive.”

Click here to see other lists from critics and individuals and here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations.

Spotify Playlist:

You can listen to all these songs via the Spotify playlist World Within a Song.

  1. Deep Purple “Smoke on the Water” (1973)
  2. Leo Sayer “Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)” (1974)
  3. Bachman-Turner Overdrive “Takin’ Care of Business” (1974)
  4. Bob Dylan “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” (1963)
  5. Paul McCartney & Wings “Mull of Kintyre” (1977)
  6. Aphrodite’s Child “Loud, Loud, Loud” (1972)
  7. Joni Mitchell “Both Sides Now” (1968)
  8. Lene Lovich “Lucky Number” (1978)
  9. Patti Smith “Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)” (1976)
  10. Slovenly “As if It Always Happens” (1987)

  11. Over the Rainbow” (1939)
  12. The Clash “Death or Glory” (1979)
  13. The Knack “My Sharona” (1979)
  14. Randy Newman “In Germany Before the War” (1977)
  15. Abba “Dancing Queen” (1976)
  16. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five “The Message” (1982)
  17. Volcano Suns “Balancing Act” (1985)
  18. Suicide “Frankie Tearrdrop” (1977)
  19. 10cc “I’m Not in Love” (1975)
  20. The Rolling Stones “Connection” (1967)

  21. The Undertones “Forever Paradise” (1981)
  22. Uncle Tupelo “Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down” (1975)
  23. The Replacements “God Damn Job”
  24. The Allman Brothers Band “Ramblin’ Man” (1973)
  25. The Minutemen “History Lesson Part 2” (1984)
  26. Television “Little Johnny Jewel” (1975)
  27. John Cage “4:33” (1952)
  28. Michelle Shocked “Anchorage” (1988)
  29. Otis Redding “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” (1968)
  30. Jimmie Davis “You Are My Sunshine” (1940)

  31. Dolly Parton “I Will Always Love You” (1974)
  32. Bon Jovi “Wanted Dead or Alive” (1986)
  33. Souled American “Before Tonight” (1996)
  34. Junior Walker & the All Stars “Shotgun” (1965)
  35. The Band “The Weight” (1968)
  36. The Shirelles “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (1960)
  37. Lynyrd Skynrd “Free Bird” (1973)
  38. Francis Scott Key (words), John Stafford Smith (music) “The Star-Spangled Banner” (1814)
  39. R.E.M. “Radio Free Europe” (1981)
  40. Ramones “I’m Against It” (1978)

  41. Rosalía “Bizcochito” (2022)
  42. The Beatles (no particular song noted)
  43. Arthur Russell “Close My Eyes” (2008)
  44. Patty S. Hill & Mildred J. Hill (songwriters) “Happy Birthday to You” (1893)
  45. Diane Izzo “Love Like a Wire” (2014?)
  46. Billie Eilish “I Love You” (2019)
  47. Velvet Underground “Who Loves the Sun” (1970)
  48. Herman’s Hermits “I’m into Something Good” (1964)
  49. Duke Ellington “I’m Beginning to See the Light” (1944)
  50. The Staple Singers “I’ll Take You There” (1972)

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First posted 1/22/2024.

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Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Girl Groups: Top 100 Songs

Girl Groups:

Top 100 Songs

Girl groups emerged in the early days of rock and roll. They were typically vocal groups with three or more singers and could be viewed as the female version of doo-wop. However, while the term “girl groups” is typically associated with the ‘50s and ‘60s, this list reflects how such music is not restricted to those decades. This list was created by aggregating over 20 lists and then taking all those songs appearing on 2 or more lists and ranking them based on overall DMDB points.

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

  1. Martha & the Vandellas “Dancing in the Street” (1964)
  2. The Ronettes “Be My Baby” (1963)
  3. Spice Girls “Wannabe” (1996)
  4. Sister Sledge “We Are Family” (1979)
  5. The Supremes “Baby Love” (1964)
  6. The Supremes “Stop! In the Name of Love” (1965)
  7. The Shirelles “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (1960)
  8. The Supremes “Where Did Our Love Go” (1964)
  9. The Supremes “You Can’t Hurry Love” (1966)
  10. The Andrews Sisters “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’ (1941)

  11. The Marvelettes “Please Mr. Postman” (1961)
  12. TLC “Waterfalls” (1994)
  13. The Emotions “Best of My Love” (1977)
  14. Martha & the Vandellas “Heat Wave” (1963)
  15. The Chordettes “Mr. Sandman” (1954)
  16. TLC “No Scrubs” (1999)
  17. The Bangles “Walk Like an Egyptian” (1986)
  18. The Dixie Cups “Chapel of Love” (1964)
  19. The Chiffons “He’s So Fine” (1963)
  20. Destiny’s Child “Independent Women” (2000)

  21. The Shangri-La’s “Leader of the Pack” (1964)
  22. The Supremes “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” (1966)
  23. The Crystals “Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)” (1963)
  24. The Crystals “He’s a Rebel” (1962)
  25. Destiny’s Child “Say My Name” (1999)
  26. Martha & the Vandellas “Nowhere to Run” (1965)
  27. The Shirelles “Soldier Boy” (1962)
  28. The Supremes “Love Child” (1968)
  29. The Supremes “Someday We’ll Be Together” (1969)
  30. The Chiffons “One Fine Day” (1963)

  31. The Pussycat Dolls with Busta Rhymes “Don’t Cha” (2005)
  32. The Bangles “Eternal Flame” (1988)
  33. The Chantels “Maybe” (1958)
  34. LaBelle “Lady Marmalade” (1974)
  35. The Angels “My Boyfriend’s Back” (1963)
  36. The Supremes “Come See About Me” (1964)
  37. The Shangri-La’s “Remember Walking in the Sand” (1964)
  38. The Shirelles “Dedicated to the One I Love” (1959)
  39. The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat” (1982)
  40. The Crystals “Then He Kissed Me” (1963)

  41. The Weather Girls “It’s Raining Men” (1982)
  42. The Supremes “I Hear a Symphony” (1965)
  43. The Bobbettes “Mr. Lee” (1957)
  44. Martha & the Reeves “Jimmy Mack” (1967)
  45. The Supremes “Back in My Arms Again” (1965)
  46. The Toys “A Lover’s Concerto” (1965)
  47. The Go-Go’s “Our Lips Are Sealed” (1981)
  48. The Pointer Sisters “I’m So Excited” (1982)
  49. En Vogue “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” (1992)
  50. The Supremes “Reflections” (1967)

  51. The Chordettes “Lollipop” (1958)
  52. The Pointer Sisters “Slow Hand” (1981)
  53. Fifth Harmony with Ty Dolla $ign “Work from Home” (2016)
  54. Wilson Phillips “Hold On” (1990)
  55. The Exciters “Tell Him” (1962)
  56. Sisters with Voices (SWV) “Weak” (1993)
  57. Destiny’s Child “Survivor” (2001)
  58. The Supremes “Love Is Here and Now You’re Gone” (1967)
  59. The Jaynetts “Sally Go ‘Round the Roses” (1963)
  60. The Shirelles “Baby It’s You” (1961)

  61. En Vogue “Hold On” (1990)
  62. Destiny’s Child “Bootylicious” (2001)
  63. Paris Sisters “I Love How You Love Me” (1961)
  64. The Pointer Sisters “Fire” (1978)
  65. The Ad Libs “Boy from New York City” (1965)
  66. The Poni-Tails “Born Too Late” (1958)
  67. All Saints “Never Ever” (1997)
  68. The Essex “Easier Said Than Done” (1963)
  69. Bananarama “Venus” (1986)
  70. The Dixie Cups “Iko Iko” (1965)

  71. Silver Convention “Get Up and Boogie (That’s Right)” (1976)
  72. TLC “Creep” (1994)
  73. Wilson Phillips “Release Me” (1990)
  74. The Ronettes “Baby I Love You” (1963)
  75. The Murmaids “Popsicles and Icicles” (1963)
  76. The Crystals “There’s No Other Like My Baby” (1961)
  77. The Supremes “When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes” (1963)
  78. The Shirelles “Mama Said” (1961)
  79. The Crystals “He’s Sure the Boy I Love” (1962)
  80. Bananarama “Cruel Summer” (1983)

  81. The Ronettes “Do I Love You?” (1964)
  82. The Supremes “Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart” (1966)
  83. Jade “Don’t Walk Away” (1992)
  84. The Supremes “The Happening” (1967)
  85. Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue “Whatta Man” (1993)
  86. TLC “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg” (1992)
  87. The Cookies “Chains” (1962)
  88. Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” (1963)
  89. TLC “What About Your Friends” (1992)
  90. The Pointer Sisters “Automatic” (1984)

  91. Spice Girls “Say You’ll Be There” (1997)
  92. The Shirelles “Tonight’s the Night” (1960)
  93. Salt-N-Pepa “Shoop” (1993)
  94. Sugababes “Freak Like Me” (2002)
  95. The Chiffons “Sweet Talkin’ Guy” (1966)
  96. En Vogue “Don’t Let Go (Love)” (1996)
  97. The Crystals “Uptown” (1962)
  98. The Supremes “My World Is Empty without You” (1965)
  99. En Vogue “Free Your Mind” (1992)
  100. The Ronettes “Walking in the Rain” (1964)
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First posted 4/14/2020; last updated 5/11/2021.

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Saturday, December 7, 2019

Carole King: Top 50 Songs

First posted 12/4/2019; updated 2/1/2020

Carole King

Singer/songwriter and pianist born Carole Joan Klein on 2/9/1942 in Manhattan, NY. Married lyricist Gerry Goffin in 1958; they wrote a number of hits together as part of the famous Brill Building team. Divorced in 1968. She recorded her first solo album in 1970 and became a Grammy darling the next year with four awards. Her album, Tapestry, is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Albums of All Time.

Awards:

Top 50 Songs

Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. Songs which hit #1 on various charts are noted. (Click for codes to singles charts.)

DMDB Top 1%:

1. It’s Too Late (King, 1971) #1 US, CB, HR, CN
2. The Loco-Motion (Little Eva, 1962) #1 US, CB, HR, RB, CN
3. Will You Love Me Tomorrow (The Shirelles, 1960) #1 US, CB
4. You’ve Got a Friend (James Taylor, 1971) #1 US, CB

DMDB Top 5%:

5. You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman (Aretha Franklin, 1967)
6. Up on the Roof (The Drifters, 1962)
7. Take Good Care of My Baby (Bobby Vee, 1961) #1 US, CB, HR, CN
8. I Feel the Earth Move (King, 1971) #1 US, HR
9. One Fine Day (The Chiffons, 1963)
10. Go Away, Little Girl (Steve Lawrence, 1962) #1 US, CB, HR
11. The Loco-Motion (Grand Funk Railroad, 1974) #1 US, CB, HR, RR, CN

DMDB Top 10%:

12. Pleasant Valley Sunday (The Monkees, 1967) #1 CN
13. Go Away, Little Girl (Donny Osmond, 1971) #1 US, CB, CN
14. The Loco-Motion (Kylie Minogue, 1987) #1 AU
15. I’m into Something Good (Herman’s Hermits, 1964) #1 UK
16. You’ve Got a Friend (King, 1971)
17. So Far Away (King, 1971)
18. It Might As Well Rain Until September (King, 1962)

DMDB Top 20%:

19. Jazzman (King, 1974) #1 CB, HR
20. Up on the Roof (James Taylor, 1979)

21. Don’t Bring Me Down (The Animals, 1966)
22. Just Once in My Life (The Righteous Brothers, 1965)
23. Porpoise Song (The Monkees, 1968)
24. Nightingale (King, 1974) #1 AC
25. Sweet Seasons (King, 1971)
26. Only Love Is Real (King, 1975) #1 AC
27. Hey Girl (Donny Osmond, 1971)
28. Crying in the Rain (The Everly Brothers, 1962)
29. Been to Canaan (King, 1972) #1 AC
30. You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman (King, 1971)

31. Hi-De-Ho (Blood, Sweat & Tears; 1970)
32. One Fine Day (King, 1980)
33. Every Breath I Take (Gene Pitney, 1961)

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

34. Corazón (King, 1973)
35. Believe in Humanity (King, 1973)
36. Crying in the Rain (aha, 1990)
37. Goin’ Back (The Byrds, 1967)
38. I Feel the Earth Move (Martika, 1989)
39. I Can’t Hear You No More (Helen Reddy, 1976) #1 AC
40. He’s a Bad Boy (King, 1963)

41. Hard Rock Café (King, 1977)
42. You Light Up My Life (King, 1973)
43. Will You Love Me Tomorrow (King, 1971)
44. Will You Love Me Tomorrow (Dave Mason, 1978)
45. Some Kind of Wonderful (The Drifters, 1961)
46. When My Little Girl Is Smiling (The Drifters, 1962)
47. It’s Going to Take Some Time (Carpenters, 1972)
48. Keep Your Hands Off My Baby (Little Eva, 1962)
49. Her Royal Majesty (James Darren, 1962)
50. Halfway to Paradise (Billy Fury, 1961)

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Gerry Goffin: Top 50 Songs

First posted 12/7/2019; updated 2/1/2020.

Gerry Goffin

Image from Rhino.com

Pop songwriter born 2/11/1939 in Brooklyn, NY. Died 6/9/2014. Married singer/songwriter Carole King in 1958. Wrote a number of hit songs together as one of the famous Brill Buiding teams. Divorced in 1968.

Awards:

Top 50 Songs

Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. Songs which hit #1 on various charts are noted. (Click for codes to singles charts.)

DMDB Top 1%:

1. The Loco-Motion (Little Eva, 1962) #1 US, CB, HR, RB, CN
2. Will You Love Me Tomorrow (The Shirelles, 1960) #1 US, CB

DMDB Top 5%:

3. You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman (Aretha Franklin, 1967)
4. Up on the Roof (The Drifters, 1962)
5. Take Good Care of My Baby (Bobby Vee, 1961) #1 US, CB, HR, CN
6. Saving All My Love for You (Whitney Houston, 1985) #1 US, #1 AC, #1 RB, #1 UK
7. Do You Know Where I’m Going To (Theme from “Mahogany”) (Diana Ross, 1975) #1 US, #1 CB, #1 HR, #1 AC
8. One Fine Day (The Chiffons, 1963)
9. Go Away, Little Girl (Steve Lawrence, 1962) #1 US, CB, HR
10. The Loco-Motion (Grand Funk Railroad, 1974) #1 US, CB, HR, RR, CN

DMDB Top 10%:

11. The Loco-Motion (Kylie Minogue, 1987) #1 AU
12. Pleasant Valley Sunday (The Monkees, 1967) #1 CN
13. Go Away, Little Girl (Donny Osmond, 1971) #1 US, CB, CN
14. Tonight I Celebrate My Love for You (Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack, 1983)
15. I’m into Something Good (Herman’s Hermits, 1964) #1 UK

DMDB Top 20%:

16. Someone That I Used to Love (Natalie Cole, 1980)
17. Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love for You (Glenn Medeiros, 1987)
18. Up on the Roof (James Taylor, 1979)
19. Don’t Bring Me Down (The Animals, 1966)
20. Who Put the Bomp in the Bomp Bomp Bomp (Barry Mann, 1961)

21. Just Once in My Life (The Righteous Brothers, 1965)
22. Miss You Like Crazy (Natalie Cole, 1989)
23. Porpoise Song (The Monkees, 1968)
24. I’ve Got to Use My Imagination (Gladys Knight & the Pips, 1973)
25. Hey Girl (Donny Osmond, 1971)
26. One Fine Day (King, 1980)
27. So Sad the Song (Gladys Knight & the Pips, 1976)
28. You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman (King, 1971)
29. Hi-De-Ho (Blood, Sweat & Tears; 1970)
30. Every Breath I Take (Gene Pitney, 1961)

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

31. Goin’ Back (The Byrds, 1967)
32. I Can’t Hear You No More (Helen Reddy, 1976) #1 AC
33. Will You Love Me Tomorrow (Carole King, 1971)
34. Will You Love Me Tomorrow (Dave Mason, 1978)
35. Some Kind of Wonderful (The Drifters, 1961)
36. When My Little Girl Is Smiling (The Drifters, 1962)
37. Keep Your Hands Off My Baby (Little Eva, 1962)
38. Her Royal Majesty (James Darren, 1962)
39. Halfway to Paradise (Billy Fury, 1961)
40. I Can’t Stay Mad at You (Skeeter Davis, 1963)

41. Oh No, Not My Baby (Maxine Brown, 1964)
42. Will You Love Me Tomorrow (Bryan Ferry, 1993)
43. Up on the Roof (Carole King, 1970)
44. Is This What I Get for Loving You (The Ronettes, 1965)
45. Chains (The Cookies, 1962)
46. Will You Love Me Tomorrow (The Four Seasons, 1968)
47. Sharing You (Bobby Vee, 1962)
48. How Many Tears (Bobby Vee, 1961)
49. Will You Love Me Tomorrow (Linda Ronstadt, 1970)
50. Run to Him (Bobby Vee, 1961)

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Sunday, January 30, 2011

50 years ago: The Shirelles hit #1 with “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”

Will You Love Me Tomorrow

The Shirelles

Writer(s): Gerry Goffin/Carole King (see lyrics here)

First Charted: November 21, 1960

Peak: 12 US, 12 CB, 11 GR, 2 HR, 2 RB, 4 UK, 2 CN, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.)

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 55.0 video, 76.46 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

Carole King started as a performer, turned to songwriting, and then returned to performing. Her songwriting success was marked by her pairing with Gerry Goffin, who aspired to Broadway while she was more interested in rock music. As she said, “I wrote music for his play, which never went anywhere, and he wrote lyrics for my rock & roll songs, which did go somewhere!” TC

The two married and both worked day jobs while writing on the side for Don Kirshner’s Aldon music. She had worked up a melody one day and when he came home from work, he added lyrics. As King said, “It was as if he’d been thinking of the lyric all day at work.” TC When Kirshner heard “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” he gave them a $10,000 advance and their career took off. Goffin and King secured an office in the famous Brill Building. They “represented a new, young generation of Tin Pan Alley writers with an intuitive feel for the newly established teen market.” LW They “became the most popular songwriting team of the decade.” TC

The song focused on “female teenage sexuality, a subject difficult to put into song without pandering and almost impossible to render with this much pathos.” MA A song about virginity was risqué in 1960. Not only is it implied that the man might not have feelings for her, but that by the end of the song the girl is going to say yes. HL Author Alan Lewens asserts that it was “the first popular song to deal with emotional issues from a female perspective.” LW

It was also the first #1 for a girl group RS500 and a black group at that. It succeeds thanks to “the catchiest of melodies, a sympathetic arrangement and a sensitive lead vocal” HL from lead singer Shirley Owens, who brings a “full, woman-like sensuality” TC to the song. She initially considered the song “too countryish” RS500 but the song’s production and “gospel-based call-and-response harmonies gave the sound an exciting quality.” HL The record is “a masterpiece of early sixties New York studio craft” MA and “perhaps the most lush of all the girl group classics.” MA

Resources:

First posted 4/16/2020; last updated 11/23/2022.

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Saturday, June 19, 1971

Carole King's Tapestry hit #1 for first of 15 weeks

Tapestry

Carole King

Released: February 10, 1971

Charted: April 10, 1971

Peak: 115 US, 4 UK, 18 CN, 3 AU, 13 DF

Sales (in millions): 13.0 US, 0.6 UK, 25 world (includes US and UK)

Genre: adult contemporary/pop

Tracks:

Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts.

  1. I Feel the Earth Move * (Carole King) [3:00] (4/16/71, 1 BB, 1 HR, 1 CL, 7 DF)
  2. So Far Away (Carole King) [3:55] (8/20/71, 14 BB, 10 CB, 12 GR, 5 HR, 3 AC, 5 CL, 8 DF)
  3. It’s Too Late (Carole King/Toni Stern) * [3:54] (4/16/71, 1 BB, 1 CB, 1 GR, 1 HR, 1 AC, 1 CL, 6 UK, 1 CN, 6 AU, 6 DF)
  4. Home Again (Carole King) [2:29] (18 CL)
  5. Beautiful (Carole King) [3:08] (31 DF)
  6. Way Over Yonder (Carole King) [4:49]
  7. You’ve Got a Friend (Carole King) [5:09] (7 CL, 6 DF)
  8. Where You Lead (Carole King/Toni Stern) [3:20] (23 DF)
  9. Will You Love Me Tomorrow (Gerry Goffin/Carole King) [4:13] (17 CL, 14 DF)
  10. Smackwater Jack (Gerry Goffin/Carole King) [3:42] (38 DF)
  11. Tapestry (Carole King) [3:15] (38 DF)
  12. You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman (Gerry Goffin/Carole King/Jerry Wexler) [3:59] (32 CL, 7 DF)
* released as a double A-sided single

Total Running Time: 44:31

Rating:

4.541 out of 5.00 (average of 29 ratings)

Quotable:

Brought “the fledgling singer/songwriter phenomenon to the masses” – AllMusic.com

Awards:

(Click on award to learn more).

The Songwriter

“Carole King could’ve already tossed her piano into the ring for ‘Greatest Songwriter in the Universe’ after penning an endless string of era-defining hits in the ‘60s” PM with “her Brill Building lyric-writing husband Gerry Goffin.” TM The pair composed more than a hundred top 40 hits, including the Shirelles (“Will You Love Me Tomorrow?,” #1 in 1960), Bobby Vee (“Take Good Care of My Baby,” #1 in 1961), Little Eva (“The Loco-Motion,” #1 in 1962), Steve Lawrence (“Go Away Little Girl,” #1 in 1962), the Drifters (“Up on the Roof,” #5 in 1962), the Chiffons (“One Fine Day,” #5 in 1963), Herman’s Hermits (“I’m into Something Good,” #13 in 1964), the Righteous Brothers (“Just Once in My Life,” #9 in 1965), the Animals (“Don’t Bring Me Down,” #12 in 1966), the Monkees (“Pleasant Valley Sunday,” #3 in 1967), Aretha Franklin (“You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman,” #8 in 1967), and Blood, Sweat & Tears (“Hi-De-Ho,” #14 in 1970). (See a list of the top 50 songs written and/or performed by King here).

The Singer

However, by the late ‘60s “Bob Dylan and the Beatles created the era of the singer-songwriter and Tin Pan Alley was closing. To stay in the game, Carole King needed to reinvent herself.” CM “After her divorce from Goffin in 1968, King fell into a new crowd that included James Taylor and his guitarist pal Danny ‘Kootch’ Kortchmar. She moved to Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles where Joni Mitchell and all the other singer-songwriters congregated.” CM

With Taylor’s encouragement, she released her first solo album, 1970’s Writer. It only sold 6000 copies, but its follow-up, Tapestry, was a monster success. TB The “stripped-back, piano-based album…sounded like her demos for other artists” TB and “revealed that King could unlock another layer of magic in her songs through her own voice and performance.” PM She reached “even greater heights as a performer.” AM Her “voice has limits, range chief among them, and that’s a critical part of Tapestry’s charm.” TLKing “insists on being heard as she is – not raunchy and hot-to-trot or sweet and be-yoo-ti-ful, just human, with all the cracks and imperfections that implies.” RC She “is casual, intimate, and tough; she covers all the emotional ground of the post-liberated woman with ease.” AZ It is “an intensely emotional record” AM delivered with “disarming simplicity, and humane, undisguised sincerity.” GS Taylor said the album was comprised of “very personal, very accessible statements, built from the ground up with a simple, elegant architecture.” BN

“The music is loose, earthy, L.A. session-pop” AZ and while this is “Pacific rock…[it is delivered] with a sharpness worthy of a Brooklyn girl.” RC Tapestry “is not over-produced, which makes up a big part of the album’s homespun charm.” DV It “is a light and airy work on its surface, occasionally skirting the boundaries of jazz.” AM It relies “on pianos and gentle drumming” AM “with a few sonic flourishes and some saxophone and guitar here and there.” DV

Its Legacy

“Joni Mitchell, Janis Ian, Laura Nyro, and others had preceded her and blazed a trail, but none had achieved the kind of sales figures and chart accomplishments that King would with this album.” TB She “became the ‘70s’ first lady of pop when she released Tapestry.” RV

The album was “the East Coast’s best answer to all the singer-songwriter strumming California was exporting at the time.” TM “Most of the singer-songwriters of the time came from a folk music background. King’s songs drew from the harmonic structure of jazz, Motown and soul.” CM

King “created the archetype of the female singer-songwriter.” TL Any one of these songs individually “would make a normal tunesmith’s year. So many…qualifies Tapestry as one of the most extravagant bundles ever dropped.” TM It “is arguably the definitive singer-songwriter album of the early ‘70s and worthy of its own chapter in any update of the Great American Songbook.” PM The album “paved the way for every Tori Amos, Alanis Morissette, and Avril Lavigne to follow in its wake.” TB

The Songs

“King weaves an heirloom drapery of perfect songcraft and raw, soulful emotion that welcomes the listener to step inside.” PM “These are delicate, sophisticated , and effortlessly beautiful pop odes.” TM They “were intimate, accessible works about love and friendship that resonated with sincerity.” RV “Songs like ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,’ ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ and ‘So Far Away’ have almost been worn thin by ubiquitous radio play and countless covers. Their classic status, however, seems impossible to diminish.” RV

Here’s insights into individual songs.

“You’ve Got a Friend”
King was working on Tapestry at the same time Taylor was recording his Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon album. They both recorded You’ve Got a Friend, her “promise of life-long loyalty,” TB which she wrote, using the same players. It came out first on her album, but his version became the chart-topping single. Both versions won Grammys – hers for Song of the Year and his for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

“Will You Love Me Tomorrow” and “Natural Woman”
King also tapped into her songwriting catalog for a couple of the album’s recordings. While they may “have been worn thin by time and uninspired covers by every lounge singer in the world,” BN they “take on added resonance when delivered in her own warm, compelling voice.” AM When “heard in the voice of the original songwriter, they still sound astonishingly fresh.” BN “Her take on ‘Natural Woman’ feels more vulnerable than Franklin’s.” TL

“Her slowed down Will You Love Me Tomorrow? more poignant than the Shirelles” TL by adding “adult nuance.” AZ “The girl-group version had seemed fraught with all the insecurities and double standards of the traditional boy-girl relationships of that earlier era, whereas King’s own version comes across as a mature, clear-headed appraisal of the uncertainties of any relationship in any era.” TB It also featured backing vocals from James Taylor and Joni Mitchell.

“I Feel the Earth Move”
The new hits “rank solidly with past glories.” AM Their “white-soul realism and maturity put pop hits to shame.” AZ I Feel the Earth Move “actually rocks.” GS In 1989, Martika took a dance-pop version of the song to #25 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“It’s Too Late”
“If there’s a truer song about breaking up…the world (or at least AM radio) isn’t ready for it.” RC The song shows a “determination to survive and move on from a failed relationship.” TB It is one of two songs on the album co-written by Toni Stern. The double-sided single of “I Feel the Earth Move” and It’s Too Late went to #1 for 5 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. Gloria Estefan revived the song in 1994 with her version that hit #31 on the adult contemporary chart.

“So Far Away”
That song might be rivaled by So Far Away. “With its universally recognized ‘doesn’t anybody stay in one place any more’ line, [it] is among the best ballads ever written” GS and “perfectly captures the restlessness of the era.” CM It was a top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. For Tapestry’s 25th anniversary, an album was released with various artists covering all the album’s songs. Rod Stewart took his version of “So Far Away” to #2 on the adult contemporary chart.

“Where You Lead”
“You’ve Got a Friend” wasn’t the only song from Tapestry to get a remake and have chart success from another artist while the album was at its peak. Barbra Streisand had a top 40 hit with “the jolly upbeat country rock of Where You Lead” GS on two occasions. Her initial 1971 recording hit #40 and then a year later a live medley of the song with “Sweet Inspiration” bested it by a few notches with a #37 peak. In 2000, King reworked the song with her daughter, Louise Goffin, for the theme song to television’s The Gilmore Girls.

“Beautiful”
“Beautiful may not be the best song in existence, but it's certainly one of the most optimistic ones.” GS Along with “Where You Lead,” Barbra Streisand also recorded this song on her 1971 album Barbra Joan Streisand. The song also served as the title for the 2014 Broadway musical about Carole King’s early life and career.

“Smackwater Jack”
“That oh-so-Seventies outlaw tale is completely and absolutely out of touch with the rest, but it’s good clean fun anyway.” GS This was, yet again, another example of a song which was covered by another artist even as Tapestry was still riding the charts. Quincy Jones not only covered the song, but used it as the name of the album he released in late 1971.

“Tapestry” and “Home Alone”
“The title song and Home Alone tackle the human condition with warmth and maturity.” RV

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First posted 6/19/2012; last updated 8/9/2024.

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