Love and Theft #2: Carole King

This is a new Breaker’s Point series and the first one was posted last month, so it is okay if you forgot the premise. For your reference, I will link to the introduction and explanation of the series and my first post about George Harrison right below.

Introduction to Love and Theft

Love and Theft #1: George Harrison

I remember the three major points in my life that made me fall in love with Carole King. Growing up, I knew “It’s Too Late” and “I Feel The Earth Move”, but they did not necessarily resonate with me because, in middle school and early high school, I was more into the electric guitar-driven rock music that came out around the era in which Carole King was most prolific. I thought that “soft rock” and “mellow rock” were lame, and to be honest, I still do in many respects. As I was actively discovering music when I was younger, I lumped Carole King in with artists I am not so fond of like Fleetwood Mac, Chicago, The Eagles, James Taylor, and Christopher Cross. It did not take me very long to realize that Carole King was different and more influential within the grand scope of popular music over the last 50 years than all of those artists combined. I knew that Carole King had written many hit songs in the 60s, but I did not really care to explore her catalog. That was until I figured out that she wrote “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” as the Aretha Franklin version is such a critical piece of 60s soul music and Aretha’s legacy.

The first major point where I started to “get” Carole King was on the bus home from high school when I was 16 and I listened to Carole’s version of “Natural Woman.” I liked Aretha’s version, but I never felt it so deeply which I think is because I never found it relatable. It is a great recording, but it was being sung by this powerhouse of a voice from a female icon backed by a gorgeous orchestra and I could not help but think that it was not made for me. Boy, did hearing Carole’s version change that. Hearing the song stripped down to just Carole playing the piano and singing made me realize that this was one of the greatest songs of all time. I related to her voice, nice in timbre but merely a vehicle for her writing, her piano playing, simple enough that I could play it, and her passionate lyrics that make it a love song detailing a human experience that feels so personal yet so universal at the same time. I have covered it a few times myself.

Even though I found myself more interested in Carole King’s songwriting and became aware of how prolific she was in the 60s and 70s, I still did not do myself the service of diving into her music. In the fall of my sophomore year in college, I did my first photo shoot to promote my upcoming album, Need a Vacation. My classmate Quinn Blackburn took photos of me and was playing music during the shoot. The song “Way Over Yonder” came on and it moved me. I heard confidence and conviction in her vocal delivery. Bonus points for the bluesy saxophone solo. The simplicity of it all has stuck with me and it has changed the way I think about making music. That was the second point in my life. A few days later, I was locked up for 14 days in a hotel room at Syracuse University because my two roommates had COVID. I did not see the light of day for two weeks straight. Nevertheless, I took the opportunity to listen and I mean really listen to Carole King’s beloved 1971 classic album, Tapestry. It sounds dumb because of how objectively amazing that album is considered to be, but part of me rejected it and luckily, that part of me was gone. This was the third and final point. This was a songcraftswoman with a devout dedication to her writing. She makes songwriting seem so easy and the album sounds as earnest as someone sitting across the room from you playing you a song. It literally sounds like that. I also love the cover of the album with Carole and her cat sitting in the dark on her window sill with light shining through and illuminating half of her face. That is exactly what the record sounds like. It was also at this time that I found out she wrote “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”. I have never met someone who does not like that song.

Here is where the theft comes in. As I mentioned, “Way Over Yonder” really stuck with me so much to the point where I felt like I wanted to make my own version. Not a cover song, but an original song in tribute to that song. I loved the lyrics. They beautifully illustrate a desire to run away to a simpler place where all your worries leave you and pleasure and peace fill your soul and lift your spirit. I loved that the place she wanted to go was nothing but a utopia that she created in her mind—somewhere that did not really exist but wherever it was, it was far away. Everyone relates to that sentiment at some point in their lives. I also loved the feel of the downtempo 6/8 time signature and the acoustic instrumentation. There is just piano, bass, drums, and some guitar. It is very subtle. So I wrote “Over Yonder, in the Woods” off of my most recent album, For Peace. I took the elements of “Way Over Yonder” and made it my own. I kept the slow 6/8 time signature. My lyrics took the same overall theme as Carole’s which was longing for a place far away where life could be simpler. The phrase “way over yonder” makes me think of nature. I feel that nature is peaceful, simple, and full of life in a healing way, so I guess I defined my destination. The woods. The instrumentation of “Over Yonder, in the Woods” is not so different from “Way Over Yonder.” No snazzy sax solo though, instead there is a rather chaotic and eclectic electric guitar solo which might be my favorite guitar solo that I have ever recorded. I took a page out of Neil Young’s book (there is bound to be one of these articles on Neil in the future.) But thanks Carole, for all of your songs. I love your work very much. Special thank you for writing “Way Over Yonder” so I could write “Over Yonder, in the Woods”.