The artist Carole King said “carried the torch” for songwriting
Music is one big, long lineage where newer and newer artists keep being added to the line. Inspired by those that came before them, who were inspired by those who came before them; it’s a never-ending chain, and Carole King knows that.
King’s spot in that lineage is a vital one. It was there long before the world knew her name as a singer in her own right, before Tapestry was released in 1971, making her a star. Really, she always was one as she’d spent years honing her talent and offering it to others.
Years before releasing her music under her own name with her own voice, she was writing hits for other people. In the 1960s, she and her first husband, Gerry Goffin, were two of the most powerful songwriters around, truly helping to define the sound of the era.
She’s behind songs like ‘Chains’, which features on The Beatles’ debut and was recorded by the Everly Brothers. She wrote for names like The Monkees, Bobby Vee, The Drifters. She’s the person behind many timeless anthems, like Aretha Franklin’s ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’ and several tracks sung by Dusty Springfield.
Overall, King has a writing credit on 118 tracks that have charted on the Billboard Hot 100, making her one of the most successful female songwriters in history, and an influential songwriter in history, full stop.
That’s not even beginning to touch on the solo career she finally launched in the 1970s when she seemed to suddenly get the courage to put her own voice out there. Encouraged by her new friends in the Laurel Canyon folk scene, she finally let her own voice sing her songs and eventually released her best-selling record, Tapestry, which is new considered one of the best albums ever made thanks to King’s powerful and emotional songwriting.
The tracks on that album became anthems too, adding to the pile. But in particular, it would be tough to find an artist working in King’s folk and country inspired pop world, or in the world of confessional songwriting, that wasn’t inspired by songs like ‘It’s Too Late’ or ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’.
All of that is why in 2021, she was inducted into the 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and why, during her acceptance speech, King herself decided to honour someone else – Taylor Swift.
Before thanking anyone else, King started by thanking Swift. Part of that is simply because the modern pop leader had just sung one of King’s songs and had introduced her. But the reason for the gratitude was bigger than that as King addressed her and said, “Thank you for carrying the torch forward.”
Honouring Swift’s obvious position in the lineage of incredibly powerful songwriters, King declared, “You’re like my professional grandaughter” as Swift watched on, utterly overcome with emotion as one of her heroes shouted her out.
Having previously declared King “the greatest songwriter of all time,” Swift spoke in her introductory speech about the impact King’s music had on her. Honouring her work, Swift added, “The purity to the music she creates exists between two worlds — the mysterious magical inspiration and decades of hard-earned and hard-learned craftsmanship. Just because Carole King makes what she has accomplished look so effortless doesn’t mean it has been.”
People are quick to shit on Swift off the back of pop singles like ‘Shake It Off’, choosing to ignore the incredible depth of tracks like ‘All Too Well’ or ‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived’. But much like King, Swift’s own work balances sparking inspiration and obvious skill and practice. Now 11 albums in and established as arguably the most powerful force in music, she’s not only in the lineage King sits in, but has certainly earned herself a spot in the looming god-tier of history’s most impactful songwriters.
Seeing Swift as someone carrying her torch forward, King clearly respects Swift as another artist balancing feeling and skill, talent and practice, and working in the same world of hyper-relatable artistry that makes its listeners feel held and seen.
