James Taylor You've Got a Friend Lyrics

James Taylor and Carole King

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This article is about the solo musician. For other persons with the same name, see James Taylor (disambiguation).

James Taylor

James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.[2] He is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold more than 100 million records worldwide.[3]

Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the No. 3 single "Fire and Rain" and had his first No. 1 hit the following year with "You've Got a Friend", a recording of Carole King's classic song. His 1976 Greatest Hits album was certified Diamond and has sold 12 million US copies. Following his 1977 album, JT, he has retained a large audience over the decades. Every album that he released from 1977 to 2007 sold over a million copies. His chart performance had a resurgence during the late 1990s and 2000s, when he recorded some of his most-awarded work (including Hourglass, October Road, and Covers). He achieved his first number one album in the US in 2015 with his recording Before This World.[4]

"You've Got a Friend" is a 1971 song written by Carole King. It was first recorded by King, and included in her album Tapestry. Another well-known version is by James Taylor from his album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon. His was released as a single in 1971 reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 4 on the UK Singles Chart. The two versions were recorded simultaneously in 1971 with shared musicians.

"You've Got a Friend" won Grammy Awards both for Taylor (Best Male Pop Vocal Performance) and King (Song of the Year). Dozens of other artists have recorded the song over the years, including Dusty Springfield, Michael Jackson, Anne Murray and Donny Hathaway.

James Taylor and Carole King at the 2010 Troubadour Reunion Tour

"You've Got a Friend" was written by Carole King during the January 1971 recording sessions for her own album Tapestry, and James Taylor's album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon. King has stated that "the song was as close to pure inspiration as I've ever experienced. The song wrote itself. It was written by something outside myself, through me."[1] According to Taylor, King told him that the song was a response to a line in Taylor's earlier song "Fire and Rain": "I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend."[2][3] King's album was recorded in an overlap with Taylor's, and King, Danny Kortchmar, and Joni Mitchell perform on both. The song is included on both albums; King said in a 1972 interview that she "didn't write it with James or anybody really specifically in mind. But when James heard it he really liked it and wanted to record it".[4]

Taylor's version was released as a single, and reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 4 on the UK Singles Chart. The James Taylor version also spent one week at the top of the Easy Listening charts.[5] Billboard ranked it as the No. 17 song for 1971.

During the recording process, Taylor also offered to his Apple Records labelmate Mary Hopkin a chance to record the song, which she turned down, a decision she later said she strongly regretted.[6][dubious – discuss]

James Taylor and Carole King performed "You've Got a Friend" together in 2010 during their Troubadour Reunion Tour. In 2015, Taylor performed an acoustic rendition of the song at Hôtel de Ville, Paris at the invitation of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo in tribute to the victims of the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks.[7]

James Taylor – You've Got A Friend Lyrics

When you're down and troubled

And you need a helping hand

And nothing, whoa nothing is going right

Close your eyes and think of me

And soon I will be there

To brighten up even your darkest nights

You just call out my name

And you know wherever I am

I'll come running, oh yeah baby

To see you again

Winter, spring, summer, or fall

All you have to do is call

And I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah

You've got a friend

If the sky above you

Should turn dark and full of clouds

And that old north wind should begin to blow

Keep your head together and call my name out loud

And soon I will be knocking upon your door

You just call out my name and you know where ever I am

I'll come running to see you again

Winter, spring, summer or fall

All you got to do is call

And I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah

Hey, ain't it good to know that you've got a friend?

People can be so cold

They'll hurt you and desert you

Well they'll take your soul if you let them

Oh yeah, but don't you let them

You just call out my name and you know wherever I am

I'll come running to see you again

Oh babe, don't you know that

Winter spring summer or fall

Hey now, all you've got to do is call

Lord, I'll be there, yes I will

You've got a friend

Ain't it good to know you've got a friend

You've got a friend

Songwriters: KING, CAROLE