Carole King, It's Too Late By Carol King

Carole King’s early experiences as a product of an unhealthy relationship and in her own relationship with Gerry were difficult, and as she began a songwriting career, she started to find it challenging to balance conforming with society’s ideals for women and having to work hard to be considered a strong talent in the business. Women had not been a large part of the songwriting scene before Carole’s time, so in addition to struggling within her marriage, she had to blaze her own trail as a working mother. For example, “Carole went back to writing songs with Gerry almost immediately after giving birth” (Weller 48). Her ability to flourish in an environment that was not welcoming or accommodating to women, much less mothers, proved that women

She also began to write about topics that were once taboo to discuss, like women being agents of their own sexuality or about relationships that have fallen apart causing a woman to leave a man. For example, “Earth Move” is an expression of affection and arousal (King) while “It’s Too Late” describes falling out of love with someone (King & Stern). In finding herself, Carole was able to share her emotions as a performer, not just a writer, and her hardships earlier in life had finally paid off both in terms of writing about how her relationships had hurt her and in gaining respect and fame not as “Goffin & King” but as Carole King. Had she not been through these difficulties, she may not have had the material to write such passionate music, but it was in escaping the traditionalism of her relationship with Gerry and forging her own path as a woman in the

Coupled with its relatability during the rise of feminist movements in the 1970s was Simon’s ability to share feelings harbored from past relationships with men. Simon’s new work was “playful, vulnerable, and romantic,” and her commitment to independence helped her to finally be seen as a meaningful voice within the industry. Her ability to put her career before romantic relationships and above conforming to traditionalist views of women “set her apart from her closest female peers” (Weller 168). Later songs like “You’re So Vain” continued to show that Carly was a force to be reckoned with as an artist who was unafraid to share negative feelings about men (Weller 343). Like King, Simon’s struggles surrounding society’s dictations of her role in her relationships with men and that allowed for her mistreatment by music industry professionals held her back in the short term, but when she was able to come into her own as an artist, these same struggles served as source material for her hit