Carole King Analysis

Being the most successful female songwriter of the latter half of the 20th century, Carole King was one of the greatest and most successful songwriters the music world has seen. King wrote an astounding twenty-five solo albums over her career and wrote and co-wrote a phenomenal 118 pop hits that made the Billboard Hot 100. Her contribution to music was enormous and has been recognised globally with an extensive list of awards and achievements to her name. Carole’s writing is honest and her song writing is reflective of the events she went through in her life and the raw feelings she felt, making it so relatable for her listeners. Aside from the limelight, her own personal life which she hid as much as possible, is as interesting as her songs.

The song was written and released the same year as the oral contraceptive pill and is one a few songs to have captured the ambivalent time of the cultural revolution that is caused. The song reflects the views of a sexually liberated woman and their thoughts after “the night” as the lyrics reflect and perfectly represent the insecurities of the new found sexual freedom in women. Although the song has a major tonality, the piano is contemplative and mellow underneath the confessional phrases and lyrics which is the emphasis in the song. Although the Shirelles version was first released and initially known to the world, King’s version released on Tapestry in 1971 was wiser and significantly truer to the lyric and obvious songwriter intention. King’s personal connection to the song also gleams. Another song that defines King and her life and work was the hit of “Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel).” Co-wrote with Goffin and producer Jerry Wexler, who has writing credit for creating the name “natural woman”. This song went to be one of King’s most known songs with Aretha Franklin’s version and historic performances soaring through the charts. “The song has the gospel exhortation of a woman who’s found something to believe in and is going to witness as long as her strength and lungs-hold

The story follows the events depicting King’s life and the events that made her write the songs we all know and love. The characters represent real people from King’s history such as Gerry Goffin and Don Kirshner. Some of the quieter and less known moments in her life are highlighted, such as being scared to record “Natural Woman” at A&M Studios in Los Angeles as King was scared of the Gerry related feelings it may bring up. As New York Times writer Ben Brantley puts it, the musical shows the “real, conflicted person within the reluctant star.” Beautiful is currently playing in West End, Broadway and opening in Sydney with an Australian cast in September