Created by Matthew J. Goldberg, tipofthegoldberg.com
Carole King has been such a prolific and terrific songwriter for over fifty years that it is very hard to choose the ten best songs that she has penned— let alone rank those ten. I will attempt to do just that below. But first, just a little more about Carole.
Born Carol Klein (she would add the “e” and also the stage name King) in 1942 in Manhattan, the Hall of Fame singer-songwriter grew up in Brooklyn. She attended Queens College where she would meet three talented Jewish songwriters and musicians named Neil Sedaka, Paul Simon and Gerry Goffin. Carole married Goffin, and while their marriage did not last long (they do have two daughters, both in the music business, together), they co-wrote many pop/rock songs that have stood the test of time and various musical eras.
King co-wrote her first No. 1 hit (with Goffin) at age 18; Will You Love Me Tomorrow reached the top for The Shirelles in 1961. That award gave only a hint of her incredible longevity; in 2000, King was honored by Billboard Magazine for writing or co-writing 115 Top 100 hits between 1955 and 1999. She still writes and performs: her 2010 Troubador Reunion Tour with fellow 70’s icon and friend James Taylor was one of the hottest tickets of that year.
As a performer, King’s greatest success was realized with her album (remember albums?) Tapestry, which was released to almost unprecedented critical acclaim and success in 1971. Tapestry topped the album charts for 15 weeks and remained on the charts for almost six years. It was the top-selling solo album of all-time until somebody named Michael Jackson released Thriller in 1982.
King, a winner of numerous Grammy Awards, is a member of various Halls of Fame, including the Rock and Roll, the Songwriters and—not to be forgotten—the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.
Many of her songs were written for other artists; the name of the other artist is shown if that was the first, or most prominent, recoding of that hit song. King’s other songwriting partner was Toni Stern. Follow the hyperlinks to watch the videos.
10 (tie). CHAINS – THE BEATLES (1963)
Enjoy this rare 1963 BBC studio version of one of Carole and Gerry’s classics.
10 (tie). TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY BABY – BOBBY VEE (1961)
It may sound a little sappy by today’s standards, and I can’t believe I have a tie between Bobby Vee (his only No. 1 song) and The Beatles (about 53,842 of them), but this is almost a textbook chart-topping song of that era.
9. ONE FINE DAY – THE CHIFFONS (1963)
Okay, I dare you not to sing along with this.
8. LOCO-MOTION – LITTLE EVA (1962)
As legend (and wikipedia) has it, Little Eva (Eva Narcissus Boyd) was actually Carole and Gerry’s housekeeper. They wrote this song for her when they noticed how she sang and bopped around while doing her work. It became a huge hit, which has subsequently been covered by other artists.
7. UP ON THE ROOF – THE DRIFTERS (1962)
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
Have a listen to The Drifters’ version.
6. I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE – (Carole) 1971
One of many hits from Tapestry, this video captures much of Carole’s infectious spirit and love of music.
5. SO FAR AWAY – (Carole) 1971
This beautiful ballad was actually considered the “B” side to Smackwater Jack, not a bad song in its own right.
4. YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND – JAMES TAYLOR (1971)
Here is a vintage video of Carole King on piano, backing the ultra-smooth James Taylor on guitars and vocal. Music didn’t get a whole lot better than that—then, or now.
3. (YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE A) NATURAL WOMAN
ARETHA FRANKLIN – 1967
Combine Carole’s songwriting with the force of nature that was/is Aretha Franklin, and you get a monster hit.
2. WILL YOU LOVE ME TOMORROW – THE SHIRELLES (1961)
Tonight you’re mine completely
You give you love so sweetly
Tonight the light of love is in your eyes
But will you love me tomorrow?
Is this a lasting treasure
Or just a moment’s pleasure?
Can I believe the magic of your sighs?
Will you still love me tomorrow?
Simple. Earnest. Classic. Check it out.
1. IT’S TOO LATE – (Carole) 1971
It was hard to pick the quintessential Carole King song, but this one has it all: lyrics, melody, hooks, piano artistry and a terrific vocal. Enjoy one last video.
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That concludes my list of the Top 10 songs penned by the wonderful Carole King. If you have any observations or suggestions for this column or future lists, please comment below or send me an email.
Matthew J. (call him Matt) Goldberg will be presenting a Jewish-style Top Ten list every Thursday on this site.
For information about Matt’s books, sports columns, speaking events and requests for appearances and custom writing, please visit www.tipofthegoldberg.com, or contact him via email. His new Facebook Fan Page (“to like, to like, l’chayim”) can be found here.
