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Songfacts:  You can leave comments about the song at the bottom of the page.

This song is about being there for others and being a friend for someone in need. (thanks, ashley - kingdton, Canada)

King first recorded this with one of her early bands, The City. It is on their only album Now That Everything's Been Said, which is now a collector's item.

This was included on King's breakthrough album Tapestry. The song was never a hit for her, although the album was a smash, going all the way to #1 in the US and #4 in the UK. To this day, many singer-songwriters cite Tapestry as an influence.

This was a big hit for King's friend James Taylor in 1971, going to #1 in the US for him. Taylor played guitar on several of King's albums.

Roberta Flack and Donnie Hathaway recorded the song as a duet and released it around the same time as Taylor. Their version hit #29 in the US, and started a successful partnership between Flack and Hathaway, who teamed up for an album of duets in 1972 that included the hit "Where Is The Love?" Other artists to cover the song include Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Anne Murray, Tom Jones, and Al Green.

This won the Grammy for 1971 Song of the Year.

In 2005, British Pop band McFly released this as the flip side of their #1 UK single "All About You." Proceeds from the single went to charity through Comic Relief.

Comments:

This song was inspired by and written in regards to a Guru resided in North America. Upon him knowing that one day soon he would die, he said that only his body was leaving this earth, not him, so if you she ever needed a friend she should just call out his name and he would be there for her.
- Michelel, Staten Islnad, NY

Zach in Memphis, Tennessee, I posted a correction to the lyrics of this song, so there shouldn't be any errors! What you thought was an error was because you were actually reading the lyrics of the version as recorded and performed by James Taylor.
- Annabelle, Eugene, OR

Barbara in Horn Lake, I posted a correction to the lyrics of this song, so they're shouldn't be any errors when the changes are posted in the next update. What you thought was an error is because you were actually reading the lyrics of the version as recorded and performed by James Taylor.
- Annabelle, Eugene, OR

I assume that James Taylor changed "some loving care" to "a helping hand" to make the lyric more masculine. "Knocking upon your door" for "knocking at your door" was obviously a musical decision (to maintain rhythm). Whether or not these make the lyrics erroneous is up to the individual. Carole King herself had no problem with Taylor's interpretaion.
- Gary, Columbus, OH

I just read the lyrics to this song, and I don't see any errors in the lyrics! The only error I see is that someone wrote Carole King below the lyrics. These lyrics that I just read are the lyrics of the version as recorded and performed by James Taylor.
- Annabelle, Eugene, OR

A parody of this song was performed on Saturday Night Live in the seventies. I belive it featured Lorraine Newman at the piano trying to finish writing this song and Steve Martin knocking at her door looking for a friend. It was hilarious. Look for it on old SNL reruns.
- John, El Paso, TX

"You've got a friend" is a great song to sing when your friend is feeling down. I like singing this song, expecially in our music class.
- Alischa, Lewistown, PA

There are some errors in the posted lyrics. I have the Tapestry album which I bought when it came out. On the back are all of the lyrics. "When you're down and troubled and you need some loving care." This rhymes with the line about "..soon I will be there." There is only one "darkest night" - it is not plural. "If the sky above you grows dark and full of clouds and that old north wind begins to blow, Keep your head together and call my name out loud, Soon you'll hear me knocking at your door." She says, "Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend, when people can be so cold. They'll hurt you and desert you and take your soul if you let them. Oh, but don't you let them." There is confusion over the lyrics because James Taylor recorded it differently, but Carole King wrote the song and it is correct on her album cover. Tapestry is a perfect album. If you don't have it, consider getting a copy for yourself.
- Zach, Memphis, TN

Sorry - I accidentally posted a comment in my son Zach's name. I am Barbara. My son is not old enough to have bought Carole King's Tapestry when it was first released!
- Barbara, Horn Lake, MS