Today Diane and I and Diane’s sister Carol are going to Shea’s Performing Arts Center to see Beautiful a musical based on the life and music of Carole King. Diane and I have been huge Carole King fans since the 1960s when she and her husband, Gerry Goffin, wrote hit after hit. Take a look at the songs in this musical to get a sense of some of the hits this dynamic team wrote. Later, King and Goffin broke up and Carole King launched a solo career with her iconic album, Tapasty. Katie saw Beautiful on Broadway and loved it. The reviews of this touring version have been very positive. What’s your favorite Carole King song?
Musical numbers:
All songs written by Goffin and King except as noted
Act 1
“Overture” – Orchestra
“So Far Away” – Carole King
“Oh! Carol” – Neil Sedaka
(music and lyrics by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield)†
“1650 Broadway Medley” – Ensemble
(arranged by Douglas McGrath, music and lyrics by various artists)
“It Might as Well Rain Until September” – Carole
“Be-Bop-A-Lula” (music and lyrics by Tex Davis and Gene Vincent) – Ensemble†
“Some Kind of Wonderful” – Carole, Gerry Goffin and The Drifters
“Happy Days Are Here Again” – Cynthia Weil
(music by Milton Ager; lyrics by Jack Yellen)
“Take Good Care of My Baby” – Gerry and Carole
“Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)” – Barry Mann
(music and lyrics by Mann and Goffin)†
“Will You Love Me Tomorrow” – Carole
“He’s Sure the Boy I Love” – Cynthia and Barry
(music and lyrics by Mann and Weil)
“Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (Reprise) – The Shirelles
“Up on the Roof” – Gerry and The Drifters
“On Broadway” – The Drifters
(music and lyrics by Mann, Weil, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller)
“The Locomotion” – Little Eva and Ensemble
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” – The Righteous Brothers
(music and lyrics by Mann, Weil and Phil Spector)
“One Fine Day” – Janelle, Carole, and Ensemble
Act 2
“Chains” – Carole and Ensemble
“Walking in the Rain” – Barry and Cynthia
(music and lyrics by Mann, Weil and Spector)
“Pleasant Valley Sunday” – Marilyn Wald, Gerry, Carole and Ensemble
“We Gotta Get Out of This Place” – Barry
(music and lyrics by Mann and Weil)
“Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (Reprise) – Carole†
“Uptown” (music and lyrics by Mann and Weil) – Ensemble
“It’s Too Late” (music by King; lyrics by Toni Stern) – Carole
“You’ve Got a Friend” – Carole, Barry, Cynthia and Don
(music and lyrics by King)
“(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” – Carole and Ensemble
(music and lyrics by Goffin, King and Gerald Wexler)
“Beautiful” (music and lyrics by King) – Carole
“I Feel the Earth Move” – Carole King and Ensemble
(music and lyrics by King)
I heard her interviewed on NPR–If the musical captures anything of her personality, you’ve got a real treat in store–let us know.
Dan, I’m really looking forward to BEAUTIFUL. Diane and I saw Carole King in concert at the Fallsview Casino in Canada about five years ago. She was great!
Sounds like a great show. I’ve always loved Carole’s music, but my respect for her as a person grew even stronger after I read Sheila Weller’s GIRLS LIKE US. You have to admire a woman who is working on cello arrangements for a song while helping one child with homework and nursing another! Talk about multitasking!
I love so many of Carole’s songs, but my favorites are “I Feel the Earth Move” and “Natural Woman” (especially Aretha’s version, but Carole does a good version too).
Classic, Bill.
“Up on the Roof” has always been one of my favorites. In fact we once went to see a jukebox musical in London because that was the title.
Jackie really wants to see this and we might get tickets for later this year, now that she is better able to get around and sit in those cramped Broadway seats. We saw Carole and James Taylor in the round in Madison Square Garden in 2010.
And Carole is yet another illustrious alumnus of James Madison High School, along with Chuck Schumer, Bernie Sanders, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Judge Judy.
Jeff, I love The Drifters version of “Up On the Roof.” It never gets old. And I can’t sit still when I hear Little Eva’s version of “Locomotion,” either!
Deb, I’m a big fan of Carole King’s music especially those hits from the Sixties. She and Gerry Goffin produced wonderful music for years. When they went their separate ways, both King and Goffin continued to produce great music. One of my favorite songs of their’s is “Don’t Bring Me Down” which the Animals turned into a hit.
Oh! Carol
I am but a fool
Darling, I love you
Though you treat me crool.
Bill, I plan to leave Sheas humming Carole King songs!
Enjoyed the doc recently on PBS. She is amazing.
Patti, I’m glad Carole King finally got into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!
That should be an amazing show. I also saw the PBS special on King. I had no idea Little Eva used to babysit for her. She has too many good songs for me to pick my favorite, but I do prefer “fast” songs to “slow” ones as a rule
Maggie, I liked the actress who played Little Eva in BEAUTIFUL. Her rendition of “Locomotion” was FAST!
Jackie’s favorite is “One Fine Day” along with “Natural Woman. “
Jeff, both “One Fine Day” and “Natural Women” were well done in BEAUTIFUL.
Tapestry is one of my favourite albums. I remember being really surprised when I first read about the Brill Building and all the people working there, Carol and the others and of course crazy Phil Spector …
I wouldn’t have thought that a group of young Jews in NYC wrote and produced much of what I heard on AFN (American Forces Nework) in Germany – German radio stations didn’t too much of that kind of music.
I feel the earth move also might be my favourite piece from Carol.
Wolf, the Brill Building generated dozens of hits. The only competition was Motown Records.
Note how you spelled Tapestry!
My favorite, among many, is Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?!
Bob, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” plays a key part in BEAUTIFUL. And, it’s a great song, too!