James Taylor & Carole King – You’ve Got A Friend

“You’ve Got a Friend” is a 1971 song written by American singer-songwriter Carole King. It was first recorded by King and included on her second studio album, Tapestry (1971). Another well-known version is by James Taylor from his album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon. His was released as a single in 1971, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the UK Singles Chart. The two versions were recorded simultaneously in 1971 with shared musicians.

“You’ve Got a Friend” won Grammy Awards both for Taylor (Best Male Pop Vocal Performance) and King (Song of the Year).

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James Taylor - You've Got A Friend (1971)

James Taylor & Carole King - You've Got A Friend (BBC In Concert, 11/13/71)05:04

Taylor heard this song for the first time in November 1970, when he played a week of shows at The Troubadour in Los Angeles. By this time, his album Sweet Baby James had taken off, and Taylor was drawing large crowds. He asked his good friend Carole King to be his opening act, and King grudgingly accepted – she wasn’t used to playing her own songs live and was very nervous.

King had written “You’ve Got a Friend” for her upcoming Tapestry album, and during soundchecks, she played the song while Taylor listened in the balcony.

Later, during a recording session for his Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon album, Taylor had some studio time left over after recording two songs that day. His producer, Peter Asher, suggested they take a crack at “You’ve Got a Friend,” so Taylor and his band recorded the song.

It sounded great, but Taylor didn’t want to steal King’s song out from under her, so Asher called her with the bold request to let Taylor record the song, which was clearly destined to be a hit. King graciously granted permission, and Taylor’s version was released as a single, going to #1 in the US. This worked out well for King, however, since it became a lynchpin of her Tapestry album, and while she never released her version as a single, the album sold over 10 million copies in the US.

There are some differences in the lyrics between King and Taylor’s version, mostly just slight variations. The biggest difference is in the opening lines:

King:
When you’re down in troubles
And you need some love and care

Taylor:
When you’re down and troubled
And you need a helping hand

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