The Hall Way

 So, if it's a popularity contest, why wasn't Carole King inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame way back when it opened? Her album Tapestry is the eighty-first best selling album of all time. And yes, I understand that this seems like an obscure fact, a number that could be plucked out of the air to substantiate a claim. Or maybe a vote from Rolling Stone magazine to rank it number twenty-five one their list of the top five hundred albums of all time. 

And even if this was the one-hit-wonder that ushered Ms. King into the pantheon of rock's greatest artists, wouldn't that be enough? 

How about songwriting credits?

The first two singles, "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman" and "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" were already huge hits for Aretha Franklin and The Shirelles, respectively. Ms. Franklin and The Shirelles have had a home in the Hall for decades. Yes, you read that right. Aretha was inducted in 1987, and rightfully so. The same can be said of The Shirelles' entrance in 1995. So, what about the songwriter? It's not as if Carole King had this one great burst of creativity and was fortunate enough to have that lightning caught in a bottle. Her good friend, James Taylor, plucked "You've Got A Friend" up off the stack of amazing songs from that one record to have his own hit.

Way back in 1960, Carole and her husband Gerry Goffin started churning out hits for others like "Chains," recorded by The Beatles, and "The Loco-Motion" sung by Little Eva. You want more? How about "Up On The Roof" for the Drifters, "One Fine Day" performed by The Chiffons, and "Pleasant Valley Sunday" for a little group called The Monkees? All of those and others before 1968. She was not done. 

Did I mention the animated musical of Shel Silverstein songs "Really Rosie?" A favorite of mine. Not a million seller, but I already knew all the words.

And the same can be said of so many of her songs. So much so that a Broadway musical was produced featuring her music: Beautiful. 

In 1987, Carole King was quite rightfully inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, and now more than thirty years later, the folks at The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame have seen fit do follow suit. She had my vote. And it's about time.