Tapestry (Carole King album)

Template:Use mdy dates {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |{{#if: Template:Start date | Template:Short description}}}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Writer1970Music1971studioTapestryCarole King - Tapestry.jpgA woman seated and holding a tapestry with a cat in front of herCarole KingTemplate:Start dateJanuary 1971A&M, HollywoodTemplate:HlistTemplate:DurationTemplate:HlistLou Adlerx|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}} Tapestry is the second studio album by the American singer-songwriter Carole King. Produced by Lou Adler, it was released on February 10, 1971, by Ode Records.<ref>Mike Segretto, 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute: A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999 (Backbeat Books, 2022) p.591</ref> The album's lead single, "It's Too Late" / "I Feel the Earth Move", spent five weeks at number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The album has received critical acclaim since its release and is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time. It won four Grammy Awards at the 14th Annual Grammys in 1972, including Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year. Tapestry has been certified 14× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),<ref name="riaa" /> making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. In 2000, it ranked 74th in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums,<ref name="Larkin">Template:Cite book</ref> and in 2020, it ranked 25th on Rolling StoneTemplate:'s list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".<ref name="RS1">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1998, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Production

Carole King wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on the album. Two songs were co-written with Toni Stern: "It's Too Late" and "Where You Lead"; King wrote the music and Stern the lyrics. King's ex-husband Gerry Goffin co-wrote the lyrics for three of the songs, two of which had already been hits for other artists: Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (in 1967), and The Shirelles' "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (in 1960).

James Taylor, who encouraged King to sing her own songs and who also played on Tapestry, had a number one hit with "You've Got a Friend" later in 1971.

The album was recorded at A&M Recording Studios' Studio B in January 1971 with the support of Taylor, Joni Mitchell, and various experienced session musicians. Several of the musicians worked simultaneously on Taylor's album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon.

A&M staff photographer Jim McCrary took the cover photograph in the living room of King's home at 8815 Appian Way, Laurel Canyon, California.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It shows her sitting barefoot on a cushion on a bench beside a window, holding a tapestry that she hand-stitched herself, with her cat Telemachus, named after the mythological son of Odysseus, near her foot.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Critical reception

The album was met with widespread critical acclaim;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Village Voice critic Robert Christgau felt that her voice, free of "technical decorum", would liberate female singers;<ref name="CG">Template:Cite book</ref> Jon Landau of Rolling Stone wrote that King was one of the most creative pop music figures and had created an album of "surpassing personal-intimacy and musical accomplishment".<ref name=RS2>Template:Cite news</ref>

Awards

Along with being selected Album of the Year, Tapestry received Grammys for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Record of the Year ("It's Too Late"), and Song of the Year ("You've Got a Friend") at the 14th Annual Grammy Awards, making King the first solo female artist to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and the first woman to win the Grammy Award for Song of the Year.

The album remained on the Billboard charts for 313 weeks (second only to Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon's 724 weeks).<ref>Menconi, David. "Carole King's all-Star Greatest-Hits Dream Album." News & Observer: 0. July 17, 2005. Web.</ref>

Grammy Awards nominations for Tapestry

Year	Winner	Category
1972	Tapestry	Album of the Year
	"It's Too Late"	Record of the Year
	"You've Got a Friend"	Song of the Year
	Tapestry	Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female

Commercial performance

Template:Quote box Tapestry was a huge commercial success. It spent 15 consecutive weeks at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It still holds the record for most consecutive weeks at number one by a female solo artist.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The album also spent more than six years on the Billboard 200 chart (318 weeks), including 302 consecutive weeks. For more than 40 years, it held the record for the longest-charting album by a female solo artist in the U.S., until Adele's 21 broke the record in 2017.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="bill">Template:Cite magazine</ref> As of 2021, Tapestry was certified 14 times platinum in the U.S.<ref name="riaa" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and had sold around 25 million copies worldwide.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In Canada, Tapestry spent nine weeks at number one beginning July 3, 1971.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was on the Top 100 chart from April 14, 1971, to January 20, 1973, and again from September 22, 1973, to February 16, 1974.Template:Citation needed In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number 32 on UK Albums Chart and eventually rose to number four, spending 136 weeks in the Top 100.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Cultural impact

Template:Quote box King had been writing hit songs for a decade, but Tapestry was her first project to win her international acclaim as a singer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Several songs from the album were recorded by other artists and became hits while the album was still on the charts: James Taylor's 1971 recording of "You've Got a Friend" from Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon hit number one in the U.S.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and number four in the U.K.,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Barbra Streisand's 1971 studio recording of "Where You Lead" from her album Barbra Joan Streisand reached number 40,<ref name="Streisand">Template:Cite book</ref> while a live recording of a medley in which Streisand paired the song with the Sweet Inspirations hit "Sweet Inspiration" from her album Live Concert at the Forum reached number 37 the following year.<ref name="Streisand" />

Various artists have combined to rerecord more than one tribute album. The first, released in 1995 and titled Tapestry Revisited: A Tribute to Carole King, was certified gold. The second, in 2003, was titled A New Tapestry – Carole King Tribute. In 2010, Australian recording artist Marcia Hines recorded a tribute album, Marcia Sings Tapestry.

"My mum loved Carole King's Tapestry. That was always in the house." —Amy Winehouse<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

"Her songs are like stories or sonic movies", Tori Amos said. "You want to walk into them. With 'I Feel the Earth Move' or 'It's Too Late', you're right there."<ref>Mojo, date unknown</ref>

Tapestry has appeared on critics' lists of the best albums. In 2003, it ranked 36th on [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|Rolling StoneTemplate:'s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]],<ref name="RS500">Template:Cite book</ref> maintaining that rating in a 2012 revised list<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and moving up to 25th in a 2020 revision.<ref name="RS1"/> The album was also listed 39th by VH1 on its list of 100 Greatest Albums,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and was one of 50 recordings chosen to be added to the National Recording Registry.<ref name=LOC>The National Recording Registry 2003 National Recording Board of the Library of Congress</ref> Recordings added to the National Recording Registry are picked to be preserved in the Library of Congress, as they are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important."<ref name=LOC />

In 2015, for its sixth and final season, American TV series Glee paid tribute to this album, alongside Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, in its episode "Jagged Little Tapestry". Five songs from Tapestry are performed by various artists. Two of them, "It's Too Late" and "So Far Away", are performed on their own, while the other three are used in a mashup with a song from Jagged Little Pill. "I Feel the Earth Move" is mashed up with "Hand in My Pocket", "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" with "Head Over Feet", and "You've Got a Friend" with "You Learn". The episode was watched by 1.98 million viewers and received a 0.7/2 in the adult 18-49 demographic.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In March 2016, it was announced that King would perform the album live in its entirety for the first time at the British Summer Time Festival in Hyde Park, London, on July 3, 2016.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The performance was released the following year as Tapestry: Live at Hyde Park.<ref name="legacy-lahp">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Track listing

All songs written by Carole King except where noted.

2008 "Legacy Edition"

In 2008, Sony/BMG, Epic, and Ode released a two-disc "Legacy Edition". One disc is the original album remastered; the second is live performances of 11 of the 12 songs, recorded in 1973 in Boston; Columbia, Maryland; and Central Park, New York; and in 1976 at the San Francisco Opera House ("Where You Lead" is the song not included on the live disc).

Personnel

• Carole King – lead and backing vocals (1-12), piano and keyboards (1-12)
• Ralph Schuckett – electric piano (3,8,10)
• Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar – acoustic and electric guitars (1,3,6,8-10), congas (3,5,7)
• James Taylor – acoustic guitar (2,4,6,7,9), backing vocals (9)
• Charles Larkey – electric bass (1-3,5,6,8,10), string bass (4,7,9,12)
• Joel O'Brien – drums (1,3,5,6,10)
• Russ Kunkel – drums (2,4,8,9)
• Curtis Amy – flute (2), soprano saxophone (3), tenor saxophone (6), baritone saxophone (10)
• Barry Socher – violin (6,7)
• David Campbell – viola (6,7)
• Terry King – cello (6,7)
• Perry Steinberg – string bass (6)
• Merry Clayton – backing vocals (6,8,10)
• Julia Tillman – backing vocals (8,10)
• Joni Mitchell – backing vocals (9)

Technical

• Lou Adler – producer
• Hank Cicalo – engineering
• Vic Anesini – mastering
• Roland Young – art direction
• Chuck Beeson – design<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Jim McCrary – photography
• Michael Putland – photograph on CD tray of 1999 re-release
• Bob Irwin – production for 1999 re-release
• Jessica Killorin – product manager for 1999 re-release
• Smay Vision – design for 1999 re-release

Charts

Weekly charts

Original release

Chart (1971)	Position
Australian Kent Music Report<ref name="auchart">Template:Cite book</ref>	3
Canadian RPM Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1
Japanese Oricon LPs Chart<ref name="Jachart1">Template:Cite book</ref>	1
Norwegian Albums Chart<ref name="nochart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	8
Spanish Albums Chart<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	1
UK Albums Chart<ref name="ukchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	4
U.S. Billboard Top LPs<ref name="USchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1971)	Position
Australian Albums Chart<ref name="auchart" />	10
UK Albums Chart<ref name="UKYearend">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	7
U.S. Billboard 200<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2
Chart (1972)	Position
U.S. Billboard 200<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2
Chart (1973)	Position
U.S. Billboard 200<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	22
Chart (2018)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	95

All-time charts

All-time chart performance for Tapestry

Chart	Position
U.S. Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	10
U.S. Billboard 200 (Women)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	4

See also

• List of best-selling albums
• List of best-selling albums by women

External links

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