Carole King’s breakout hit album “Tapestry” is one I bought many years ago. Its wonderful music was a frequent accompaniment to our life. Eating a meal, sitting in front of the fireplace, enjoying some wine, it was the sound track of our existence. And “You’ve Got A Friend” is one of the memorable tracks off that Opus.
It’s hard to believe it’s been fifty years since that song was written. It is hard to fathom how seminal it was. It is interesting to read King’s personal history and to follow her song writing evolution from the New York Brill Building to becoming a hit artist herself:
King has stated that “the song was as close to pure inspiration as I’ve ever experienced. The song wrote itself. It was written by something outside myself, through me.” According to (James) Taylor, King told him that the song was a response to a line in Taylor’s earlier song “Fire and Rain” that “I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend.”
Here is a good article on “Tapestry” from the Guardian newspaper website which details its history and the comments on it from many prominent musical names of the last half century:
So, crank up the volume, dig the tune, and read the article. Yes, Winter, Spring, Summer of Fall, you DO have a friend especially on this Valentine’s Day!
And here is just a little more, in appreciation of Carole King’s iconic artistry:
