1971 Soft Rock Hit, First Recorded by Another Music Icon, Became a No. 1 Friendship Anthem
Carole King made way as one of the biggest singers after starting a solo career in the 1970s, which led to a hit track on her second album. That same year, the hit track topped the charts thanks toJames Taylor and became known as a top friendship anthem.
While working on tracks for her album Tapestry, King developed the song "You've Got a Friend." At the time, King and Taylor had been friends for years and even toured together when they were both working on their new albums. While King was working on her second album, Taylor was working on his album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon.
According to Taylor, when he appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, he heard King playing the tune for the track and thought he had heard it before because of how "classic" it was. It led him to develop his own version of Carole's song when finishing up his album, but the problem was that King was planning to include "You've Got a Friend" on her record.
Instead of telling Taylor "no" to releasing the track, King told her friend to release it and was "supportive." It was later revealed by King that she had written the track as a response to Taylor's "Fire and Rain" song, which talked about needing a friend. King spoke about the track having been a moment of pure inspiration, and initially never had Taylor in mind for it.
Related: 1976 Soft Rock Hit, Inspired by a Young Love Affair, Ranked Among ‘Best Rock Songs of All Time'
She once explained 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". As a result, the hit track was released by both singers in 1971.
Taylor's version would go on to land at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, his only to do so, and ranked as one of the best tracks of that year. Ironically, his album was only kept off the charts due to King's Tapestry becoming a No.1 hit, thanks to other chart-topping tracks that were released. Taylor is even heard playing the guitar in King's version of the song.
"You've Got a Friend" became a staple as a friendship anthem that won Taylor a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. King also won a Grammy for the track for Song of the Year. Both versions of the track were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 9:21 AM.