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Tag: Carole King

  • Remembering Gerry Goffin…

    Remembering Gerry Goffin…

    The world lost a great lyricist yesterday. Today, I’m remembering Gerry Goffin.

    Carole King is one of my favorite singer-songwriters. Since I was a small child, I’ve loved her very personal music which is often accompanied by meaningful lyrics. Because I’m such a Carole King fan, I follow her on Facebook. Yesterday, she posted that her ex husband, the father of her two daughters, and former song writing partner, Gerry Goffin, died of natural causes. He was 75 years old.

    During his lifetime, Gerry Goffin wrote the lyrics for seven Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers and a total of 59 Top 40 hits. Though Goffin was best known for writing hits with Carole King, he also worked with some other big names in the music business, including: Russ Titleman, Barry Mann, Carole Bayer Sager, and Michael Masser. Goffin was also one of the first people to recognize Kelly Clarkson’s talent as a singer. He hired her to sing demos in 1995, years before she became famous for being the world’s first American Idol.

    I don’t want to write too much about his personal life, because honestly, I don’t know much about his personal life. What I know about are his songs, which could serve as a wonderful soundtrack for people who came of age in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. In fact, I have an interesting anecdote related to Carole King and somewhat loosely to her first husband, Gerry Goffin.

    Back in April 2010, my husband Bill and I were on our very first cruise on SeaDream I, a small luxury mega yacht. It was a five night cruise in the Caribbean and, though we are definitely not financially well off people, it was populated by some folks who have ties to show business. One night, they had karaoke. It was very poorly attended. I think maybe six people showed up, most of whom didn’t want to sing. Since I love singing, I was game. I sang “I Feel The Earth Move”, which is a song that was written by Carole King alone.

    When I was finished singing, a lady approached me, along with a couple that she introduced as her parents. She complimented me on my voice and asked if I was in the music business. I said I was a housewife. We ended up hanging out for awhile and she told me that her husband works with Joan Jett. I later met her husband and was left with the impression that maybe he was in Joan Jett’s band. Her husband was wearing a USO baseball cap and told me he appreciated Bill’s service in the Army. Later, they had a brief conversation and the guy gave Bill his card. When we got home, I looked them up on the Internet and it turned out that the couple were Joan Jett’s managers and they were pretty much responsible for helping her to launch her career.

    Ever since then, anytime I listen to a song by Carole King– and so many of her best songs were co-written by Gerry Goffin– I think of meeting my friend Meryl and her husband, Kenny. In fact, when I shared Carole King’s status update about Goffin, Meryl shared in the sadness with me.

    One of my favorite songs penned by Gerry Goffin and Carole King is “Up On The Roof”. It was originally recorded by The Drifters. My favorite version is, of course, the one James Taylor recorded in 1979. I think it was the first song I ever heard by JT and it made me fall in love with his music. Who hasn’t fantasized about getting away from it all, even if it’s only for a little while, up on the roof?


    Gerry Goffin’s lyrics are so relatable in this song about escaping it all and gazing at the stars with someone special.

    Gerry Goffin and Carole King wrote “Take Good Care of My Baby”, a song that was a hit for Bobby Vee and was later used in lots of commercials… especially for baby products.


    Catchy, isn’t it?

    He also helped write a huge hit for the late Whitney Houston…


    Whitney Houston singing Goffin’s lyrics at the 1986 Grammys… I have always loved “Saving All My Love For You”.

    And one for Glenn Medeiros, popular when I was in high school…


    I confess, I didn’t know Gerry Goffin helped write this song until this morning…

    Another one of my favorite songs by Gerry Goffin is another one he wrote with Carole King… It’s been covered by so many people, myself included.


    Carole King sings “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”, her breakthrough hit with her ex husband, Gerry Goffin…

    The Shirrelles made “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” famous, but I love the way Carole King does it, especially when she’s backed up by James Taylor and Joni Mitchell. And I love the words, which captures the feelings of any young woman unsure of her paramour’s love for her. Obviously, the song resonated with a lot of people besides me.

    Today happens to be my birthday and it hasn’t gotten off to the best start. It’s a little sad to be listening to these great songs by Gerry Goffin and knowing that there won’t be any more from him, now that his work on Earth is done.

  • Carole King honored as MusiCare’s Person of the Year!

    Carole King honored as MusiCare’s Person of the Year!

    Carole King to be honored as MusiCare’s Person of the Year 2014

    Carole King’s music has been around for decades and she, along with her ex-husband Gerry Goffin, wrote some of the biggest hits of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Artists as diverse as Aretha Franklin to Amy Winehouse have covered her music. Now, MusiCares, an organization that provides critical resources for musical people in need, is going to honor King as its 2014 Person of the Year.

    King’s friend, James Taylor, who won the MusiCares Person of the Year award in 2006, had huge hits with King’s songs, “You’ve Got A Friend” and “Up On The Roof”. Taylor will be performing on Friday, January 24, 2014, when King receives her award. Other artists scheduled to perform in King’s honor include Lady Gaga, the Dixie Chicks, Bette Midler, Jason Mraz, and Steven Tyler.

    Since my very youngest years, I have loved Carole King’s music. One of the first songs I remember hearing and loving by her was the song “One Fine Day”. “One Fine Day” has been done by a number of artists, from The Carpenters to The Chiffons to Natalie Merchant. But the rendition I remember best was the one Carole King did herself back in 1980. By the time she recorded it, it had already been covered by many people and I have to admit, when I listen to King’s version today, it sounds very 1980. But I still like her rendition the best because she wrote the song and it really was the first time I heard her name, even though I had heard her songs long before she performed “One Fine Day”.

    I love watching Carole King play this.

    Carole King’s hit “It’s Too Late” has such wise lyrics set to a melody that really captures the mood of a woman who has a “come to Jesus” talk with her lover, letting him know that it’s time for them to part ways.

    Carole King performing “It’s Too Late” with Danny Kortchmar in 1971.

    Carole King and James Taylor perform “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”, her very first hit written when she was just 18 years old.

    Carole King is being presented MusiCares Person of the Year award in recognition of her outstanding creative accomplishments and generous charity work. King has been involved with many philanthropies, particularly those supporting wilderness conservation. She has also supported a range of political causes. I know I’m not the only one who believes Carole King deserves this great honor. Carole King’s Facebook page has been alive with posts about the award, as well as all the amazing covers of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” that have been done by other artists over the years.

    Here Carole King performs “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman” with Aretha Franklin, Shania Twain, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and Gloria Estefan in 1998. I have to admit it’s funny to watch Aretha and Celine try to outdo each other at 3:08. Carole, of course, stays very classy.

    Congratulations to Carole King for winning MusiCares Person of the Year award in 2014!

  • The Eagle Has Landed…

    The Eagle Has Landed…

    After over a week of being in transit, the eagle has landed in Converse, Texas…

    Hi folks. I am finally in a house again after having vacated our home in North Carolina last month. My husband Bill and I set off for the San Antonio area last Saturday. Silly me, I had been looking forward to the road trip, not realizing how exhausting and exasperating it can be to drive on America’s interstates. I am now sitting at my desk, which we wisely decided to bring with us instead of having the movers pack it. Unfortunately, we unwisely did not decide to pack other things for our immediate use, like a small table and chairs, trash cans, or margarita glasses.

    Incidentally, this move has been by far the worst yet in terms of irritations and mishaps. I won’t go into detail about that in this post, since if you know me on Facebook or have read my other blogs, you may have already been exposed to my bitching about all that. One thing that did come from this long ass road trip was exposure to music. I listened to my iPod the whole way and it’s fairly bursting with over 11,000 songs from a wide variety of genres. Though I thought I would have made a point to listen to some of the epic road tunes I blogged about last time, my playlist was surprisingly lacking in those big songs. Maybe if I hadn’t been driving, I might have made a point of playing classic road anthems like “Born To Run” and “On The Road Again”. But as it was, I was too busy trying to prevent people from flipping me off and running me off the road to select much music.

    Here are a few songs I did listen to as I made my way from North Carolina to Texas.

    Friend of the Devil by Rice, Rice, Hillman, and Pederson

    This is a great bluegrass version of a classic song by The Grateful Dead. The video is not mine; so no one needs to worry that I was filming while driving. Still, this turned out to be a great driving tune.

    Diamonds by Rihanna

    I don’t usually listen to Rihanna’s music, but I became acquainted with this very cool song during my big road trip. It’s definitely not bluegrass. I could become a fan.

    1973 by James Blunt

    I actually really like this song by James Blunt. It reminds me of living in Germany. It was popular when we moved there in 2007 and has always stuck in my head as a great pop song. It’s aging well, too, even though it’s six years old now.

    You Can’t Please Everybody by Rose Royce

    Here’s a little old school funk from 1977. I love Rose Royce. I was introduced by their brand of funkiness by my older sister, Sarah, who owned their album In Full Bloom on vinyl. This song is spunky, sassy, and sure to make you want to press on through the worst traffic jam… even if someone does shoot the bird at you (like a biker did to me in Alabama).

    Watch Your Step by Carlos Santana

    Here’s another blast from the past. A little Santana never hurt any long drive and my big road trip is no exception to that rule. It’s fun cruising through Louisiana bayous to this song.

    You’ve Got A Friend by Carole King and James Taylor

    I am aware that Carole King and James Taylor released a great live album a few years ago called Live At The Troubadour. I included the above clip because it’s from 1971 and I happen to own a great Carole King live album called The Carnegie Hall Concert- June 18, 1971. On that album, she invites James Taylor to join her on “You’ve Got A Friend”. That was the version that played as I made my way through Alabama. But the Troubadour version is also very special and would also fit right in on this list.

    Someday Sarah and Crazyboutya by Dave Barnes

    I discovered the ultra smooth stylings of Dave Barnes by watching Army Wives on iTunes when I lived in Germany. I liked his music so much that I went on a mass downloading spree; consequently, his songs pop up a lot when I drive. Luckily, I think he’s awesome and his music is fun to drive to.

    If You’re Gonna Play in Texas, You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band by Alabama

    Yes, sometimes I do listen to mainstream country music, though my preferences are really for more classic stuff. And since Alabama was biggest in the 80s, maybe they qualify as an oldies act now? This song happened to come on as I crossed the Texas border.

    Baby I’m Burnin’ by Dolly Parton

    Another classic country hit, this time from Dolly Parton. Since it’s been over 100 degrees here, I think this song is an especially appropriate road tune for Texas in late July.

    So there you have it. The eagle has landed and hopefully won’t be flying anywhere new anytime soon… unless it’s to a home of our very own. Until next time, keep on truckin’.