A Bite of Carole King 🍪
The history-making singer-songwriter whose music you didn't know you know
Monday Bites are bite-sized musician spotlights & playlists by Grace Lilly.
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She’s everywhere
Even if you think you’ve never heard a Carole King song, I’m willing to bet you’ve heard a Carole King song. Her music was near-ubiquitous in the latter half of the 20th century.
She had a prolific ability to write music that people wanted to hear. Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” The Chiffons’ “One Fine Day,” Herman’s Hermits’ “I’m Into Something Good.” She wrote hit after hit.
The songs she wrote for other musicians are undeniable. But I love her as a solo artist the most.
Her voice is life-is-good warm, the sonic embodiment of a soothing cup of tea. (Cozy-enthusiasts will recognize her classic “Where You Lead” as the theme song to Rory and Lorelai’s Gilmore Girls.)
Fair warning: there’s something about Carole King’s voice that may give you the urge to drop everything, curl up and just be. She made history and I bet she’ll make you smile.
Carole King
The basics
🤝 American singer-songwriter
🤝 b. 1942 (Manhattan, New York City)
🤝 Groundbreaking artist, her album held the record for most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist for more than 20 years
Why you should know her: One of the most influential songwriters in American music history, wrote & co-wrote 118 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100
If you like
✨ Maggie Rogers
✨ Steely Dan
✨ James Taylor
✨ Nora Jones
Known for
🏆 Major songwriting success, wrote her first #1 hit as a teen (“Will You Love Me Tomorrow” for the Shirelles), inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame
🏆 For over 20 years, her solo album Tapestry (1971) remained the best-selling album by a female artist
🏆 Associated with the Laurel Canyon music scene (‘65-’71), collaborated with Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, David Crosby, Graham Nash
🏆 25 solo albums, 4 platinum, 8 gold, sold over 75 million copies
🏆 4 Grammy Awards, inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (as a performer & songwriter)
🏆 1st woman to receive the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song; honored at the Kennedy Center Honors for her lifetime contribution to American culture through the performing arts
Bite-sized facts
🍪 Born Carol Klein, started learning piano at age 3; at age 4 her parents discovered she had perfect pitch
🍪 Had a natural aptitude for math, formed a band called the Co-Sines as a teen
🍪 Made demo records with friend Paul Simon in high school for $25/session; changed her name to Carole King
🍪 Started her career writing hits for other artists in the 60s, like “Chains” (The Beatles) and “Pleasant Valley Sunday” (The Monkees)
🍪 Moved to LA, formed a music trio called The City; produced one album Now That Everything's Been Said (1968)
🍪 Friend & collaborator James Taylor encouraged her to pursue a solo career
🍪 Her album, Tapestry, appeared at #36 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list; her #1 single “It's Too Late” was ranked #469 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
🍪 Has lived on an Idaho ranch since the early 1980s and is actively involved with environmental organizations in support of wilderness preservation
Songs & dates
♫ 1960 Her first hit "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" for the Shirelles becomes the 1st song by a girl group to reach #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100
♫ 1971 Breaks through as a solo artist with her 2nd (and most successful) album Tapestry, featuring singles “It’s Too Late” and “I Feel the Earth Move”
♫ 1971 “Sweet Seasons” hits #9, her certified platinum 3rd album, Music, stays on the Billboard pop charts for 44 weeks
♫ 1972 “Been to Canaan” reaches No. 2 on the charts, from her gold certified album Rhymes and Reason
♫ 1973 “Believe in Humanity” and “Corazon” reach No. 28 and No. 37 on the US charts, from her certified gold album Fantasy
♫ 1974 Wrap Around Joy becomes King's third album to reach #1; creates 2 singles, "Jazzman" (No. 2 on the charts) and "Nightingale” (No. 9 on the charts)
♫ 1992 “Now and Forever” is in the opening credits to the film A League of Their Own and is nominated for a Grammy
She said
⭐ “I just sort of try to be a good person; try to write music that lifts people and makes me feel good to sing.”
My Carole King Playlist
I gathered my fav Carole songs, from me to you with love. Like & save on Spotify and listen all week 💗
Where to start
BBC In Concert
Performing live on February 10, 1971
〰️
Carole in the 80s
Talking and performing on Letterman (August 26, 1982)
Down the rabbit hole
If you wanna dive even deeper:
Carole King: Natural Woman
A celebration of the legendary singer-songwriter's life and career from 1960s New York to the music mecca of 70s LA to the present. Carole King joins collaborators and family in new interviews, while rare home movies, performances and photos complete the tapestry.
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It was impossible not to smile
My cheeks actually started hurting. I was watching The Point, a 1971 animated film from the mind of music legend Harry Nilsson about a relentlessly sweet boy named Oblio finding his way in the world.
It’s warm and thoughtful and just plain lovely. I found myself totally mesmerized by the watercolor-soaked hand-drawn, imperfect lines paired with Nilsson’s why-do-I-suddenly-feel-calm voice…
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Carol King is an absolutely TOWERING figure in popular music. She almost has no peers. She's the standard by which others should be mentioned. I think you have to look at Paul McCartney and Irving Berlin when you're talking about 20th Century songwriters who are in her league.