Carole King

Carole King (born Carol Joan Klein 9 February 1942) is an American composer and singer-songwriter.

Quotes

I'm a songwriter first, have always been, and probably always will be. Making the demo is a natural product of writing a song; after that, I'm happy to hear other people do it in other ways.
- As quoted in "Will you still love me tomorrow?" by Rachel Louis Snyder in Salon (19 June 1999)

The song is the center; the song is the key. If you don't have a good song you don't have anything by my value.
- As quoted in "The King is Still Alive" in The Birmingham Post [England] (6 November 2001)

Song lyrics

All songs written by Carole King, except as noted.

Singles

Tonight you're mine completely,
You give your love so sweetly
Tonight the light of love is in your eyes,
But will you love me tomorrow?
- Will You Love Me Tomorrow (1960), Co-written with Gerry Goffin, first recorded by The Shirelles, later by Carole King

I'd like to know that your love
Is love I can be sure of,
So tell me now and I won't ask again,
Will you still love me tomorrow?
- Will You Love Me Tomorrow (1960), Co-written with Gerry Goffin

All you have to do is touch my hand
To show me you understand
And something happens to me.
That's some kind of wonderful.
- Some Kind of Wonderful (1961), Co-written with Gerry Goffin, first recorded by The Drifters

I want to be your lover
But your friend is all I've stayed.
I'm only halfway to paradise,
So near, yet so far away.
- Halfway to Paradise (1961), co-written with Gerry Goffin, first recorded by Tony Orlando, later by Billy Fury

My tears are fallin'
'Cause you've taken her away.
And though it really hurts me so,
There's something that I've gotta say.
Take good care of my baby.
Please don't ever make her blue.
Just tell her that you love her.
Make sure you're thinking of her
In everything you say and do.
- Take Good Care of My Baby (1961), co-written with Gerry Goffin, first performed by Bobby Vee

Everybody's doin' a brand new dance now.
Come on baby, do the locomotion.
I know you'll get to like it if you give it a chance now.
Come on baby, do the locomotion.
My little baby sister can do it with ease;
It's easier than learning your ABC's.
So come on, come on do the locomotion with me.
- The Loco-Motion (1962), Co-written with Gerry Goffin, recorded by Little Eva, Grand Funk Railroad, and Kylie Minogue

Chains, my baby's got me locked up in chains
And they ain't the kind that you can see
Woh these chains of love got a hold on me yeah.
- Chains (1962), Co-written with Gerry Goffin, first performed by The Cookies

I'll never let you see
The way my broken heart is hurting me.
I've got my pride and I know how to hide
All my sorrow and pain.
I'll do my crying in the rain.
- Crying in the Rain (1962), Co-written with Howard Greenfield, first recorded by The Everly Brothers

What should I write?
What can I say?
How can I tell you how much I miss you?
The weather here has been as nice as it can be,
Although it doesn't really matter much to me.
For all the fun I'll have while you're so far away,
It might as well rain until September.
- It Might as Well Rain Until September (1962), co-written with Gerry Goffin, recorded by King and Bobby Vee

When this old world starts getting me down
And people are just too much for me to face,
I climb way up to the top of the stairs
And all my cares just drift right into space.
On the roof, it's peaceful as can be
And there the world below can't bother me.
Let me tell you now.
- Up on the Roof (1962), co-written with Gerry Goffin, performed by The Drifters

One fine day, you'll look at me
And you will know our love was, meant to be.
One fine day, you're gonna want me for your girl.
- One Fine Day (1963), Co-written with Gerry Goffin, recorded by The Chiffons

Hey girl I want you to know
I'm gonna miss you so much if you go.
And hey girl I tell you no lie,
Something deep inside of me's going to die
If you say so long, if this is goodbye.
- Hey Girl (1963), Co-written with Freddie Scott and Gerry Goffin, recorded by Freddie Scott and Donny Osmond

He gets up each morning and he goes downtown
Where everyone's his boss,
And he's lost in an angry land.
He's a little man.
But then he comes uptown
Each evening to my tenement.
Uptown where folks don't have to pay much rent.
And when he's there with me.
He can see that he's everything.
The man is tall, he don't crawl. He's a king.
- Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby) (1963), co-written with Gerry Goffin, recorded by The Cookies

When my friends told me you had someone new
I didn't believe a single word was true.
I showed them all I had a faith in you
I just kept on saying
Oh, no, not my baby
Oh, no, not my sweet baby
You're not like those other guys
Who lead you on and tell you lies.
- Oh No Not My Baby (1964), Co-written with Gerry Goffin

There's alot of things I want, a lot of things that I'd like to be.
But girl, I don't foresee a rags-to-riches story for me.
There's just one little dream I've got to come true;
There's just one round I've gotta win,
I can't be a loser with you.
Baby, baby, once in my life, let me get what I want,
Girl, don't let me down!
Just once in my life, let me hold on to one good thing I found!
- Just Once in My Life (1965), co-written with Gerry Goffin and Phil Spector, first recorded by The Righteous Brothers

I think I'm going back
To the things I learned so well
In my youth.
I think I'm returning to
The days when I was young enough
To know the truth.
- Goin' Back (1966), Co-written with Gerry Goffin

In the midst of all my darkness, baby
You came along to guide me.
You took pity on a lonely man
When you said you'd stand beside me.
I'll never forget you
Or what you've done.
I'll never turn my back on you for anyone.
I've got so much love to give you.
Baby, I've got so much love to give you.
Girl, there's more than enough to last a whole life through,
And it's all for you.
- So Much Love (1966), co-written with Gerry Goffin, first recorded by Ben E. King

Looking out on the morning rain,
I used to feel so uninspired.
And when I knew I had to face another day,
Lord, it made me feel so tired.
Before the day I met you, life was so unkind.
Your love was the key to my peace of mind.
'Cause you make me feel.
You make me feel,
You make me feel like
A natural woman (woman).
- (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (1967), Co-written with Gerry Goffin and Jerry Wexler

When my soul was in the lost and found,
You came along to claim it.
I didn't know just what was wrong with me
Till your kiss helped me name it.
Now I'm no longer doubtful of what I'm living for,
Cause if I make you happy I don't need to do more.
- (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (1967), Co-written with Gerry Goffin and Jerry Wexler, first recorded by Aretha Franklin

The local rock group down the street
Is trying hard to learn their song.
They serenade the weekend squire
Who just came out to mow his lawn.
Another pleasant valley Sunday.
Charcoal burning everywhere.
Rows of houses that are all the same.
And no one seems to care.
- Pleasant Valley Sunday (1967), co-written with Gerry Goffin, recorded by The Monkees

Gotta make you love me the way you used to do
Gotta get back the feeling and put wind in my sails
And chart a course that gets me back to you, back to you.
Oh, the lonely days, the lonely nights lookin' back in time.
Time, don't run out on me.
- Time Don't Run Out on Me (1985), co-written with Gerry Goffin, performed by Anne Murray

Tapestry (1971)

I feel the earth move under my feet
I feel the sky tumbling down — tumbling down
I feel my heart start to trembling
Whenever you're around.
- I Feel the Earth Move · performance on YouTube

So far away
Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?
It would be so fine to see your face at my door.
Doesn't help to know you're so far away.
- So Far Away

You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face
And show the world all the love in your heart
The people gonna treat you better,
You're gonna find, yes you will,
That you're beautiful as you feel.
- Beautiful

If there's any answer, maybe love can end the madness
Maybe not, oh, but we can only try.
- Beautiful

Way over yonder is a place I have seen
In a garden of wisdom from some long ago dream.
- Way Over Yonder

Way over yonder, that's where I'm bound.
- Way Over Yonder

When you're down and troubled
And you need some loving care
And nothing, nothing is going right.
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest nights.
- You've Got a Friend · performance with James Taylor · performance by James Taylor (1971) · performance with Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan & Shania Twain · Boston Strong performance with James Taylor (30 May 2013)

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again.
Winter, spring, summer, or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You've got a friend.
- You've Got a Friend

Now ain't it good to know
That you've got a friend
When People can be so cold.
They'll hurt you, kiss and desert you.
And take your soul if you let them.
Oh, but don't you let them.
- You've Got a Friend

If you're out on the road,
Feeling lonely, and so cold,
All you have to do is call my name
And I'll be there on the next train.
Where you lead, I will follow
Anywhere that you tell me to.
If you need, you need me to be with you,
I will follow where you lead.
- Where You Lead, co-written with Toni Stern

You can't talk to a man, with a shotgun in his hand.
- Smackwater Jack, co-written with Gerry Goffin

My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue
An everlasting vision of the everchanging view
A wondrous woven magic in bits of blue and gold
A tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold.
- Tapestry · 1981 performance

He moved with some uncertainty, as if he didn't know
Just what he was there for, or where he ought to go
Once he reached for something golden hanging from a tree
And his hand come down empty...
- Tapestry

It seemed that he had fallen into someone's wicked spell
And I wept to see him suffer, though I didn't know him well.
- Tapestry

Music (1971)

It's going to take some time this time
To get myself in shape.
I really fell out of line this time,
I really missed the gate.
The birds on the telephone line, (next time)
Are cryin' out to me, (next time)
And I won't be so blind next time
And I'll find some harmony.
- It's Going to Take Some Time, co-written with Toni Stern

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose,
And sometimes the blues just get a hold of you.
Just when you thought you had made it,
All around the block people will talk.
But I want to give it all that I've got.
I just don't want, I don't want to waste it.
- Sweet Seasons, co-written with Toni Stern

Rhymes & Reasons (1972)

Green fields and rolling hills,
Room enough to do what we will.
Sweet dreams of yestertime
Are running though my mind
Of a place I left behind.
Been so long, I can't remember when,
I've been to Canaan and I wanna go back again.
- Been to Canaan

Thoroughbred (1976)

Only love is real.
Everything else illusion
Adding to the confusion of the way we connive
At being alive.
Tracing a line till we can define
The thing that allows us to feel.
Only love is real.
- Only Love Is Real

Soundtrack to A League of Their Own (1992)

Now and forever, you are a part of me
And the memory cuts like a knife.
Didn't we find the ecstasy, didn't we share the daylight
When you walked into my life?
Now and forever, I'll remember
All the promises still unbroken.
And think about all the words between us
That never needed to be spoken.
- Now and Forever

Misattributed

And it's too late, baby, now it's too late
Though we really did try to make it
Somethin' inside has died and I can't hide
And I just can't fake it.
- Though King wrote the music for "It's Too Late", the lyrics were entirely written by Toni Stern.

External links

Wikipedia

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Carole King

Commons

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Carole King

National Public Radio reports