There's no question that Carole King is one of the most successful songwriters of all time: She started writing hit tunes when she was just a teenager. Back then, of course, most of those songs were for other people, like "Up on the Roof" for the Drifters and "Pleasant Valley Sunday" for the Monkees. By 1968, however, King was ready to step into the spotlight.
The young mother split from her husband and songwriting partner, Gerry Goffin, and ditched NYC for Los Angeles, according to American Songwriter. Her first solo album, Writer, was a modest success...but her second album, 1971's Tapestry, was one of the most iconic albums of the decade. (In the years since its release, it's been included on countless "Greatest Albums of All Time" lists; Rolling Stone ranked it #25 on their 2020 roundup).
The lead single from Tapestry, "I Feel the Earth Move," went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June of 1971 and stayed there for five weeks; the tune's flip side, "It's Too Late," also went to the very top of the charts, with the pair becoming two of the biggest mainstream pop hits of the year.
Interestingly enough, Tapestry was released a day after the San Fernando earthquake hit L.A., making the song's title unexpectedly timely.
“To suggest an earthquake, I concluded with a continuous cluster of notes on the piano cascading rapidly downward in pitch until the band, and I ended the run together on a final C bass note,” King wrote in her autobiography, A Natural Woman.In his review of the Tapestry album for Rolling Stone, Jon Landau paid special attention to the track, writing, "On the opening cut, 'I Feel the Earth Move' (one of six songs she wrote entirely on her own), she begins on a raunchy note and works herself into a very bluesy mood. Then, when the song reaches the chorus, the melody blossoms into a pretty pop line as Carole's tone goes from harsh to soothing and she sings."
Joni Mitchell, Carole KingPhoto by Jim McCrary on Getty Images
Not only was "I Feel the Earth Move" a major milestone for King as a solo artist, the song (and the entire Tapestry album) helped to usher in a new era for singer-songwriters. (While King was recording Tapestry in studio B at A&M Studios, Joni Mitchell was next door in studio C recording the iconic album Blue, per Ultimate Classic Rock.)
Unsurprisingly, King went on to win four Grammys in 1972, making her the biggest winner that year.
Related: 1974 No. 1 Soft Rock Hit, Originally Considered a Throwaway, Ranked One of the 'Greatest Songs of All Time'
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