Tapestry (Carole King album)

For the Don McLean album of the same name, see Tapestry (Don McLean album)

Untitled

Tapestry is a ground-breaking pop album by singer-songwriter Carole King, released in 1971. It features minimal production by Lou Adler. It has earned a spot as one of the quintessential recordings of the rock era. Tapestry was ranked US number 1 for 15 weeks and remained in the charts for over six years. The album also garnered four Grammy Awards including Album of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Record of the Year ("It's Too Late"); and Song of the Year ("You've Got a Friend").

Tapestry's enduring value stems not so much from its huge sales but from its new vision of the role of the female voice in popular music. As critic Robert Christgau says in "Christgau's Record Guide": "King has done for the female voice what countless singer-composers achieved years ago for the male: liberated it from technical decorum. She insists on being heard as she is – not raunchy and hot-to-trot or sweeet and be-yoo-ti-ful, just human, with all the cracks and imperfections that implies." (1981)

King wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on the album, several of which had already been hits for other artists such as Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and The Shirelles' "Will You Love Me Tomorrow". Three songs were co-written with King's ex-husband Gerry Goffin. James Taylor, who encouraged King to sing her own songs, and who also played on Tapestry, would have a #1 hit with "You've Got a Friend."

In 2003, the album was ranked number 36 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2001, the VH1 TV network named Tapestry the 39th greatest album ever. In 2003, it was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.

Various artists combined to re-record all the original tracks for more than one tribute album; the first, released in 1995, entitled Tapestry Revisited: A Tribute to Carole King, and the second, released in 2003, entitled A New Tapestry — Carole King Tribute.

Track listing

All songs by Carole King except where noted.

Original vinyl release

1. "I Feel the Earth Move" – 2:58
2. "So Far Away" – 3:55
3. "It's Too Late" (lyrics by Toni Stern) – 3:53
4. "Home Again" – 2:29
5. "Beautiful" – 3:08
6. "Way Over Yonder" – 4:44
7. "You've Got a Friend" – 5:09
8. "Where You Lead" (lyrics by Stern) – 3:20
9. "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" (Gerry Goffin, King) – 4:12
10. "Smackwater Jack" (Goffin, King) – 3:41
11. "Tapestry" – 3:13
12. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (Goffin, King, Jerry Wexler) – 3:49

1980 Half-Speed Audiophile release

Released on the CBS Mastersound label, cut at half-speed and pressed on virgin vinyl; the track listing was identical to that of the original release. Epic 82308

CD reissue

The album was reissued in 1999 onto CD, with two previously unreleased bonus tracks.

1. "I Feel the Earth Move" – 2:58
2. "So Far Away" – 3:55
3. "It's Too Late" – 3:53
4. "Home Again" – 2:29
5. "Beautiful" – 3:08
6. "Way Over Yonder" – 4:44
7. "You've Got a Friend" – 5:09
8. "Where You Lead" – 3:20
9. "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" – 4:12
10. "Smackwater Jack" – 3:41
11. "Tapestry" – 3:13
12. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" – 3:49
13. "Out in the Cold" (bonus track) – 2:44
14. "Smackwater Jack" (Live) (bonus track) – 3:21

Note

Certain copies of the original CD issue list track 12 as "(You Make Me Feel) Like A Natural Woman" with the parentheses putting a different emphasis on the title. However, the inside liner notes of these CDs still use the standard form of the track title as listed above.

Legacy Edition

On April 22, 2008, Sony/BMG, Epic, and Ode released the 2-disc Legacy Edition of Tapestry, featuring the original album fully remastered, and a bonus disc of live vocal/piano renditions of 11 of the 12 songs on the album recorded between 1973 (in Boston, Massachusetts; Columbia, Maryland; and Central Park, New York City, New York) and in 1976 (at the San Francisco Opera House, San Francisco, California). This deluxe edition also comes with an expansive booklet featuring extended liner notes and photos.

Bonus disc track listing

1. "I Feel the Earth Move" (Live) - 3:07
2. "So Far Away" (Live) - 3:34
3. "It's Too Late" (Live) - 3:56
4. "Home Again" (Live) - 2:23
5. "Beautiful" (Live) - 2:29
6. "Way Over Yonder" (Live) - 4:25
7. "You've Got a Friend" (Live) - 4:50
8. "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" (Live) - 3:21
9. "Smackwater Jack" (Live) - 3:08
10. "Tapestry" (Live) - 3:03
11. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (Live) - 4:01

Personnel

• Carole King – Piano, Keyboards, vocals, background vocals
• Curtis Amy – flute, baritone saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, string quartet
• Steve Barzyk – drums
• David Campbell – cello, viola
• Merry Clayton – vocals, background vocals
• Terry King – cello, tenor saxophone, string quartet
• Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar – guitar, conga, electric guitar, vocals
• Russ Kunkel – drums
• Charles Larkey – bass, electric bass, string bass, string quartet
• Joni Mitchell – background vocals
• Joel O'Brien – drums
• Michael Pultand
• Ralph Schuckett – electric piano
• Barry Socher – violin, tenor saxophone, viola, string quartet
• Perry Steinberg – bass, violin, tenor saxophone, string bass
• "The Mitchell/Taylor Boy and Girl Choir" (Joni Mitchell and James Taylor) – background vocals
• James Taylor – acoustic guitar, granfalloon
• Julia Tillman – vocals, background vocals

Production

• Producer: Lou Adler
• Engineers: Vic Anesini, Hank Cicalo, Bob Irwin, Carole King
• A&R: Steven Berkowitz
• Mixing: Bob Irwin
• Mastering: Vic Anesini, Steve Hall
• Surround mix: Paul Klingberg
• Product manager: Jessica Sowin
• Project manager: Jessica Sowin
• Project director: Howard Frank
• Preparation: Bob Irwin
• Art direction: Roland Young
• Design: Chuck Beeson
• Reissue design: Smay Vision
• Photography: Jim McCrary
• Liner notes: James Taylor

Charts

Album - Billboard (U.S.)
Year	Chart	Position
1971	Pop Albums	1
2000	Top Internet Albums	13

Singles - Billboard (U.S.)
Year	Single	Chart	Position
1971	"I Feel the Earth Move"	Pop Singles	1
1971	"It's Too Late"	Adult Contemporary	1
1971	"It's Too Late"	Pop Singles	1
1971	"Smackwater Jack"	Pop Singles	14
1971	"So Far Away"	Adult Contemporary	3
1971	"So Far Away"	Pop Singles	14

Awards

Grammy Awards
Year	Winner	Category
1971	"It's Too Late"	Record Of The Year
1971	Tapestry	Album Of The Year
1971	Tapestry	Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
1971	"You've Got a Friend"	Song Of The Year

Song uses in popular culture

• "Where You Lead" became the title song of TV show Gilmore Girls. The version played on the show featured King and her daughter Louise Goffin sharing the vocals.

References

"Tapestry" - Information from the actual album description on the "Tapestry" album itself

Links

• Carole King Official Website
• Billboard