Song Lyric Sunday

carole-kingtapestry

This week Helen Espinosa has chosen Singer/Songwriter as Song Lyric Sunday’s theme. The name that immediately came to my mind was Carole King. (Click the link to read about her life and many ground-breaking awards and honors.)

She was 18 in 1960, when she began writing songs that were hits for groups like The Shirelles, Bobby Vee, The Drifters, The Monkees, and Aretha Franklin.

Her first big success as a singer came in 1971, with her album Tapestry. My choice, “Beautiful”, is on that album. The original recording is linked in the song title. As a bonus, here’s a more recent concert video, in what sounds like a minor key — interesting, maybe punches up the message, but I prefer the original. 🙂

As yet another bonus, here’s a video of her surprise 2016 appearance with the cast of the Broadway hit show Beautiful, a tribute to Carole and her music. She’s still going strong at 74.

Beautiful

by Carole King

You’ve got to get up every morning with a smile on your face
And show the world all the love in your heart
Then people gonna treat you better
You’re gonna find, yes, you will
That you’re beautiful as you feelWaiting at the station with a workday wind a-blowing
I’ve got nothing to do but watch the passers-by
Mirrored in their faces I see frustration growing
And they don’t see it showing, why do I?You’ve got to get up every morning with a smile on your face
And show the world all the love in your heart
Then people gonna treat you better
You’re gonna find, yes, you will
That you’re beautiful as you feelI have often asked myself the reason for sadness
In a world where tears are just a lullaby
If there’s any answer, maybe love can end the madness
Maybe not, oh, but we can only try

You’ve got to get up every morning with a smile on your face
And show the world all the love in your heart
Then people gonna treat you better
You’re gonna find, yes, you will
That you’re beautiful as you feel

Lyrics from AZ Lyrics
Song Lyric Sunday

 

 

Author: Sue Ranscht

Having survived valve repair surgery and an experimental cardiac bypass at age 5, three years before it was an accepted medical procedure, Susan grew into the size of her overworked and enlarged heart. Maybe she thought she had enough to give it away -- twice. Both times, she had to retrieve the shattered pieces and puzzle them back together. She thanks her Dad for the only advice of his she ever followed to the letter: "Never get married. Learn to take care of yourself." So of course she is a writer. Susan has co-written a YA SciFi novel, and has three more novels in various stages of evolution. She's had several short stories published in other people's anthologies, some of which were contest-related. Let her tell you a story...

26 thoughts on “Song Lyric Sunday”

    1. I just realized that it probably isn’t Carole King that I will be hearing. It is a musical about her life. That never occurred to me, but I’m still excited to hear her music and learn more about her. Her music was important to me in my young adult years.

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  2. It’s great that she’s still going strong at 74. I had a quick look and found that Carole King has a pretty cool website too. She seems to have a lot going on in her career. I guess if you’re doing something you love, there’s never any real reason to stop. 🙂

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  4. Carole King is a classic. Just an FYI – your link goes to “I feel the Earth Move” and not Beautiful, but I looked up Beautiful and listened to that. I’m sure you couldn’t have gone wrong with anything by Carole King though. “If there’s any answer, maybe love can end the madness” is such a brilliant lyric. Thank you so much for sharing!

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    1. Thank you, Helen! I listened to so many Carole King songs last night I’m not surprised I used the wrong link. I’m glad you caught it! I spent hours looking for a good video of her playing and singing. I actually got to page 17 of the Google hits and found nothing I liked but the slide show that’s linked now. And in looking for that just now, I found the recent concert version I’ve added as a bonus! So thanks again for your link check! You are the perfect hostess. I bow down to you!

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    1. Lucky you! Now I have Show Envy. I was fortunate to see the Broadway touring production of Lion King last Thursday, but it was the third time I’ve seen it since it premiered 9 years ago. It was as impressive as ever, but to see a new show…!

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