James Taylor & Carole King - You've Got A Friend

When you’re down and troubled and you need some loving care

And nothing, oh, nothing is going right

Close your eyes and think of me

And soon I will be there to brighten up

Oh, even your darkest nights.

You just call out my name and you know wherever I am

I’ll come running to see you again

Winter, spring, summer or fall all you got to do is call

And I will be there, yeah, yes, I’ll be there

You’ve got a friend.

If the sky above you should grow dark and full of clouds

And that old north wind should begin to blow

Keep your head together now and call my name out loud, you know

Soon I’ll be knocking on your door.

Oh, ain’t it good to know that you’ve got a friend

When people can be so cold

They’ll hurt you, yes, and desert you

They’ll take your soul if you let them

But don’t you let them.

You’ve got a friend

Ain’t it good to know that you’ve got a friend

Ain’t it good to know, yeah, yeah, yeah

You’ve got a friend.

      According to James, Carole King told him that this song was a response to his 1970 hit "Fire and Rain," where Taylor sings, "I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend." King's musical response was: "you've got a friend right here."

      In the original, Joni Mitchell sang background harmonies on this song with Taylor. He told "Joni's singing a parallel fifth harmony that kinda makes the chord into a major ninth. It feels like it frames the music in an interesting way to have her coming off at such an unusual note. Her voice is so pure and so perfectly in tune and confident, that it works immediately no matter what she does."