Carole King has had a better than average career. As a songwriter, she penned hit after hit for many artists with her writing partner and former husband, Gerry Goffin. Most of those songs are now staples on “oldies” FM radio stations like the lucky go happy “One Fine Day,” originally performed by the all-girl Chiffons, and the classic “I’m Into Something Good,” that has been whored out to so many movies and commercials that it should be sleeping with a governor.
King, who along with Goffin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has four Grammy’s to her name and can play the piano like nobody’s business. These are all impressive accomplishments, no doubt, but to most of the world she will always be remembered as the creative force behind Tapestry, an album that Rolling Stone Magazine places at thirty-six in its book The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
On April 22, 2008, Tapestry will be re-released by Sony Legacy as a two disc set that features not only the original version of Tapestry but a second disc containing live versions of all the songs with only King and her piano. These versions really show how talented King is as you can hear she has the song’s entire arrangements mapped out in her head.
As for the original version of the album, I like to think of it as the female answer to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon because it stayed in the charts for over six years. Also like Dark Side of the Moon, Tapestry challenged conventional boundaries with its lyrics.
The album may well be among the most important works of the feminist movement of the era because songs like “It’s To Late” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” brought out the true emotions of women in contrast to the smile and wave, sex object mentality of girl groups in the 1960s and 70s that were singing songs mainly penned by men in the Brill building.
If nothing else Tapestry’s re-release is appropriate for a year that might just see the first woman president.
Article comments
1 - Paul
Uh, you spelled Carole King's name wrong.
2 - Douglas Mays
I feel the earth move!!
DM