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Spotlight on Goffin-King (he would've turned 80 on 2/11; she turned 77 on 2/9)

Written by John Simon


An amazing body of work from these two (he was the lyricist, she was the composer)!

Hey Girl - Freddie Scott (Top Ten in 1963; Billy Joel would release a version in 1997) * I'm Into Something Good - Earl-Jean (also a big hit for Herman's Hermits) Up on the Roof - The Drifters (also charted by Cryan Shames, Laura Nyro and James Taylor!) They're Jealous of Me - Connie Stevens (non-charting single from 1964) Run to Him - Bobby Vee (#2 single in 1961) Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow - Shirelles (first #1 for an all-black female group) Not Just Tomorrow, But Always - Bertell Dache (listen for Carole King singing back-up) Yours Until Tomorrow - Vivian Reed (also released by Gene Pitney, Cher and Dee Dee Warwick) * Don't Bring Me Down - Animals Goin' Back - The Byrds (Dusty Springfield hit with this one in the UK) * One Fine Day - Chiffons * The Loco-Motion - Little Eva (this #1 record would also hit #1 for Grand Funk ten years later!) Pleasant Valley Sunday - Monkees Chains - The Beatles (Carole & Gerry could've lived off the royalties from this one alone) Up On the Roof - Laura Nyro (the most prolific songwriter of 1968-69 had one charting single. Guess who didn't write it....) You've Got a Friend - James Taylor (#1 single with vocal backing from Joni Mitchell ) Take a Giant Step- Rising Sons (Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder were in a group together before either was famous. Whoa!) What Am I Gonna Do With You - Skeeter Davis (Goffin-Titelman) She Don't Deserve You - Honey Bees (Goffin-Titelman) I Never Dreamed - Cookies (Goffin-Titelman; Gerry Goffin once wrote "I had to think like a 14-15 year old girl" when writing some of these) Just Once In My Life - Righteous Brothers (written by Goffin-King-Spector, at least on the label) Is This What I Get for Loving You - Ronettes (another one where Phil Spector claimed partial credit) Up On the Roof - Ralfi Pagan (non-charting single on the Fania label, ca. 1973) Some Kind of Wonderful - The Drifters The Loco-Motion - Grand Funk (two weeks at #1 in 1974!) Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow - Dave Mason (his final Top 40 single, ca. 1978) I Feel the Earth Move - Carole King (her "Tapestry" LP spent 15 weeks at #1 and 302 months on the LP Chart!) The Loco-Motion - Kylie Minogue (two weeks at #3 in 1988!) (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman - Aretha Franklin


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