I apologize in advance because for the rest of the day and surely for several days afterward your head will be full of the songs of Gerry Goffin and Carole King b. Goffin and King were Jewish kids from Brooklyn who met and came together as students at Queens College.
King who has perfect pitch had been musical since early childhood; Goffin who previously attended the U. Naval Academy had written lyrics since boyhood for his own amusement. They were a natural artistic pair as well as a romantic one. Not long after uniting they made Louise Goffin b. Louise went on to a great music career in her own right.
Nepo baby? But nearly everyone gets ahead with the help of contacts and connections. What goes around comes around! Sedaka hooked them up with producer Don Kirshner , who put them under contract. Goffin and King were instant successes as Brill Building songwriters, becoming one of the most successful songwriting teams in show business history.
In addition to being catchy as hell, many of these songs, while undoubtedly sounding wide eyed and innocent to contemporary listeners, explored grown-up themes that were ground-breaking for their time. The pair also wrote several songs with Phil Spector.
During the last phase of their partnership Goffin and King tacked in the direction of the counterculture. Thanks to the Kirshner connection several of their songs graced Monkees records. The couple broke up in Goffin had gotten deep into psychedelic drugs, which would effect his mental health for years to come.
