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Carole King Quotes

Carole King is an American singer-songwriter who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at the Brill Building and later as a solo artist. She is the most successful female songwriter of the latter half of the 20th century in the US, having written or co-written 118 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100. King also wrote 61 hits that charted in the UK, making her the most successful female songwriter on the UK singles charts between 1952 and 2005.King's major success began in the 1960s when she and her first husband, Gerry Goffin, wrote more than two dozen chart hits, many of which have become standards, for numerous artists. She has continued writing for other artists since then. King's success as a performer in her own right did not come until the 1970s, when she sang her own songs, accompanying herself on the piano, in a series of albums and concerts. After experiencing commercial disappointment with her debut album Writer, King scored her breakthrough with the album Tapestry, which topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks in 1971 and remained on the charts for more than six years.King has made 25 solo albums, the most successful being Tapestry, which held the record for most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist for more than 20 years. Her record sales were estimated at more than 75 million copies worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for her songwriting. She is the recipient of the 2013 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the first woman to be so honored. She is also a 2015 Kennedy Center Honoree. Wikipedia  

✵ 9. February 1942
Carole King photo

Works

A Natural Woman
A Natural Woman
Carole King
Carole King: 43   quotes 1   like

Famous Carole King Quotes

“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.”

Carole King

Halfway to Paradise (1961), co-written with Gerry Goffin, first recorded by Tony Orlando, later by Billy Fury
Song lyrics, Singles

“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.”

Carole King

You've Got a Friend
Song lyrics, Tapestry (1971)

“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…”

Carole King

Tapestry
Song lyrics, Tapestry (1971)

“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.”

Carole King

So Much Love (1966), co-written with Gerry Goffin, first recorded by Ben E. King
Song lyrics, Singles

“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!”

Carole King

Just Once in My Life (1965), co-written with Gerry Goffin and Phil Spector, first recorded by The Righteous Brothers
Song lyrics, Singles

“Way over yonder, that's where I'm bound.”

Carole King

Way Over Yonder
Song lyrics, Tapestry (1971)

Carole King Quotes about love

“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.”

Carole King

One Fine Day (1963), Co-written with Gerry Goffin, recorded by The Chiffons
Song lyrics, Singles

“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.”

Carole King

Chains (1962), Co-written with Gerry Goffin, first performed by The Cookies
Song lyrics, Singles

“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”

Carole King book A Natural Woman

woman
(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (1967), Co-written with Gerry Goffin and Jerry Wexler
Song lyrics, Singles

“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.”

Carole King

Time Don't Run Out on Me (1985), co-written with Gerry Goffin, performed by Anne Murray
Song lyrics, Singles

“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.”

Carole King

You've Got a Friend · performance with James Taylor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4mNDS5rIRU · performance by James Taylor (1971) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7RPCFfudmU · performance with Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan & Shania Twain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJPgxEi2BM8 · Boston Strong performance with James Taylor (30 May 2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZI3kLrHK80
Song lyrics, Tapestry (1971)

“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?”

Carole King

Will You Love Me Tomorrow (1960), Co-written with Gerry Goffin, first recorded by The Shirelles, later by Carole King
Song lyrics, Singles

Carole King Quotes about feelings

“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.”

Carole King

Beautiful
Song lyrics, 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.”

Carole King

I Feel the Earth Move ·  performance on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoHuxpa4h48
Song lyrics, Tapestry (1971)

“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.”

Carole King

Tapestry ·  1981 performance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiQshgKO6Co
Song lyrics, Tapestry (1971)

“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.”

Carole King

Only Love Is Real
Song lyrics, Thoroughbred (1976)

“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.”

Carole King

Where You Lead, co-written with Toni Stern
Song lyrics, Tapestry (1971)

Carole King Quotes

“I'm a songwriter first, have always been, and probably always will be.”

Carole King

As quoted in "Will you still love me tomorrow?" by Rachel Louis Snyder in Salon (19 June 1999) http://www.salon.com/people/feature/1999/06/19/king/index.html
Context: 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.

“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.”

Carole King

As quoted in "The King is Still Alive" in The Birmingham Post [England] (6 November 2001)

“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.”

Carole King

Hey Girl (1963), Co-written with Freddie Scott and Gerry Goffin, recorded by Freddie Scott and Donny Osmond
Song lyrics, Singles

Lie , Girl

“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.”

Carole King

It Might as Well Rain Until September (1962), co-written with Gerry Goffin, recorded by King and Bobby Vee
Song lyrics, Singles

Weather

“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.”

Carole King

Some Kind of Wonderful (1961), Co-written with Gerry Goffin, first recorded by The Drifters
Song lyrics, Singles

Understanding

“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.”

Carole King

Up on the Roof (1962), co-written with Gerry Goffin, performed by The Drifters
Song lyrics, Singles

People , World , Peace , Way

“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.”

Carole King

The Loco-Motion (1962), Co-written with Gerry Goffin, recorded by Little Eva, Grand Funk Railroad, and Kylie Minogue
Song lyrics, Singles

Sister , Learning , Chance , Dance

“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.”

Carole King

Crying in the Rain (1962), Co-written with Howard Greenfield, first recorded by The Everly Brothers
Song lyrics, Singles

Pain , Way , Heart , Hurt

“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.”

Carole King

Sweet Seasons, co-written with Toni Stern
Song lyrics, Music (1971)

People

“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.”

Carole King

Been to Canaan
Song lyrics, Rhymes & Reasons (1972)

Dreams

“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.”

Carole King

It's Going to Take Some Time, co-written with Toni Stern
Song lyrics, Music (1971)

Bird , Time

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

Carole King

Beautiful
Song lyrics, Tapestry (1971)

Love , Madness

“Way over yonder is a place I have seen
In a garden of wisdom from some long ago dream.”

Carole King

Way Over Yonder
Song lyrics, Tapestry (1971)

Wisdom , Dreams , Way

“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.”

Carole King

So Far Away
Song lyrics, Tapestry (1971)

Help

“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.”

Carole King

You've Got a Friend
Song lyrics, Tapestry (1971)

Spring , Winter , Summer

“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.”

Carole King

Now and Forever
Song lyrics, Soundtrack to A League of Their Own (1992)

Life , Thinking , Memory , Parting

“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.”

Carole King

Though King wrote the music for "It's Too Late", the lyrics were entirely written by Toni Stern.
Misattributed

Baby

“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.”

Carole King

Goin' Back (1966), Co-written with Gerry Goffin
Song lyrics, Singles

Truth , Youth , Thinking , Learning

“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.”

Carole King

Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby) (1963), co-written with Gerry Goffin, recorded by The Cookies
Song lyrics, Singles

“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.”

Carole King

Take Good Care of My Baby (1961), co-written with Gerry Goffin, first performed by Bobby Vee
Song lyrics, Singles

Love , Thinking , Tear , Hurt

“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.”

Carole King

Tapestry
Song lyrics, Tapestry (1971)

Suffering

“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?”

Carole King

Will You Love Me Tomorrow (1960), Co-written with Gerry Goffin
Song lyrics, Singles

Love

“You can't talk to a man, with a shotgun in his hand.”

Carole King

Smackwater Jack, co-written with Gerry Goffin
Song lyrics, Tapestry (1971)

“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.”

Carole King book A Natural Woman

(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (1967), Co-written with Gerry Goffin and Jerry Wexler, first recorded by Aretha Franklin
Song lyrics, Singles

Soul , Kiss , Help , Happiness

“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.”

Carole King

Pleasant Valley Sunday (1967), co-written with Gerry Goffin, recorded by The Monkees
Song lyrics, Singles

Learning , Housing

“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 sayingOh, 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.”

Carole King

Oh No Not My Baby (1964), Co-written with Gerry Goffin
Song lyrics, Singles

Faith , Guy , Baby

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