You've Got a Friend - 2019 Remaster

Written and recorded by Carole King in 1971, this song became the biggest, and most well-known hit for then 23-year-old James Taylor, and his only #1 in America. It was the first single off of his third album. Taylor was the first to record it, putting down the track at Crystal Sound studios on Vine Street in Los Angeles with his band, which included King on piano. Days later, King recorded her version at A&M studios on La Brea Avenue. King's version was released first, appearing on her Tapestry album in February 1971. The song appeared on Taylor's Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon album in April, and was released as a single around the same time, going to #1 US in July.

According to Taylor, Carole King told him that this song was a response to his 1970 hit "Fire and Rain," where Taylor sings, "I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend." King's musical response: "you've got a friend right here."

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.