Home » fun stuff » Female Mount Rushmore – Carole King

Female Mount Rushmore – Carole King

Posted on by

So, you’re going with Carole King, eh? Wonder what Marc’s going with on the men’s side over at Sorryless?

I dunno for him (not true, I do) and yes. I think she definitely deserves a spot.

I don’t really know her, to tell the truth.

No? You sure about that?

Yeah, pretty sure.

I know you like old ’60’s tunes such as:  Don’t Bring Me Down, Take Good Care Of My Baby, The Loco-Motion, Up On The Roof, One Fine Day, to name but a few?

Yes, I do! But she didn’t sing them!

No, but she and her then husband, Gerry Goffin, wrote them.  And I am sure you know You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman.

Aretha Franklin!

Yes, they wrote it for her.  And boy did she make it her own (though Carole’s version is lovely).  When I hear that song, I can’t help but think of the Murphy Brown episode where Murphy gives birth and looks in awe at her new baby boy and sings that song.  I’ve got tears in my eyes just thinking about it.

Ya big suck (wipes away tear).

(Clears throat). K, moving on… How about You’ve Got a Friend? You must know that one!

James Taylor! Ooh, I love him… Wait. Not his either?  Man…

Not his but he loved it so much, he recorded it and brought it all the way to number one.  Would you believe that, so far, she has had 100 hit singles from her more than 400 songs recorded by more than 1,000 artists?

That is nuts.  But what about songs she’s written for her own self?

You HAVE to know the album Tapestry. Quite a few hits on it and it’s won a ridiculous amount of awards, included being inducted in the Hall of Fame. It’s Too Late, So Far Away and Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, to name the ones that I particularly love.  Come to think of it, she didn’t record that many albums. But what an impact she made on the music industry.

You know?  You’re right. I DO know Carole King after all!  Have you been to see the musical of her life called Beautiful: The Carole King Musical?  I’m starting to regret that I didn’t when I had the chance, foolishly thinking I didn’t know any of her songs.

No, I missed it too and am still kicking myself.  Maybe I’ll have to make a trip to New York, with hopes it’ll still be playing on Broadway!  Carole King has received so many accolades, I could bore you with them, but won’t except to tell you that I discovered that if you played all the songs she wrote and were recorded, by herself and others, you would have a continuous five-hours of music.  How crazy is that?  I will however, leave you with this fantabulous link to Aretha’s performance when Carole received the Kennedy Center Honors 2015.  Carole’s reaction is priceless and President Obama’s tears were heartfelt.

I’ll leave you with my favourite song.

81 thoughts on “Female Mount Rushmore – Carole King”

  1. Pingback: The Rushmore Series: The King of Pop – Be Sorry . . . Less

  3. Q

    Last things first, that is my favorite Carole King song. Ever. True story to that.

    As for King, we both had Kings in the name! Mine was a moniker while yours was the last name of a woman whose voice still rambles inside my head when I think back to certain times in the seventies. Carole King was a fixture on the radio dial, when there WAS a radio dial worth tuning in to on the regular. Her voice was the kind of thing that wanted you to figure out where tomorrow was going.

    When I think of her influence in all the female music artists that would come after her, it’s really undeniable. And I guess there is no higher praise to heap on an artist than to say, that artist reminds me of . . .

    King was the of. Forever after.

    Well done Q! Love this.

    B

    Liked by 1 person

    • B,

      I believe you and it truly is mine of hers. Go figure.

      We did! How cool is that? And we didn’t even realise as we were chatting this up. I really hadn’t realised just how much I actually did like her until I did this post. Yes! That is exactly what her voice does.

      I wonder how many people realise just how much much of an influence she was/is on the women singer songwriters of today. It is high praise indeed.

      Yes she is!

      Thank you, B. I’m so glad you do!

      Q

      Liked by 1 person

      • Go figure. I mean, the woman had so many classics. Songs you could name in a few notes, seeing as how unique each one was.

        There was a rumble to her voice that I absolutely loved. And then she would hit us with a storm of words that would make you swoon.

        Joss Stone, Toby Lightman and Beth Hart come to mind right off the get. And that’s just the beginning. And I didn’t realize she wrote songs for the Beatles too. I mean, her imprint was/is everywhere.

        To the Queen!

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Dear Dale,

    Yes!!! I didn’t realize until a very few years ago how many songs that lady wrote. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!! What a talent. When I think about it I swear I feel the earth move under my feet.

    Shalom and lotsa welcome-to-my-living-room hugs,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Rochelle,

      I was blown away, to tell the truth. She is absolutely AMAZING. You and me both, Sistah!

      Shalom and lotsa musical love,

      Dale

      Like

  9. Wonderful choice! I’m so glad she made it. Tapestry is one of my favorite albums. 🙂

    I’ve been singing “You’ve Got a Friend” to my oldest grandson (the 4-year-old). Started when we were in Ohio so he’d have that a song for when I’m not there.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. We saw the musical a couple of years ago — it was an immersion into Carole King’s music, which I had heard, but never really listened to or connected to a particular individual. Some good stuff there.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. I love this one. Carole King is a phenomenal song writer, singer and all around performer. Most people have no idea how many songs she wrote. She wrote so many hits for other people. As for Aretha, what can you say…..one of the very top of the list female vocalist of all time. Good job Dale, AS ALWAYS.

    Like

  23. Pingback: The Rushmore Thing – A Surprise Result | A Dalectable Life

Comments are closed.