Continuing a string of tunes by ’70s singer-songwriters, today’s classic song of the day is “So Far Away” by Carole King. This one is off her massive and massively influential Tapestry album; released as a single in March of 1971, “So Far Away” peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100, #13 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #3 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.
“So Far Away” is somewhat unique for that period in that Carole King wrote both the words and the music. Ms. King was a composer who typically worked with other lyricists, such as her ex-husband Gerry Goffin or Toni Stern; her forte was the music, not the words. That said, she did a pretty good job on this one, which expresses the singer’s longing for a lover who is, as the lyrics say, “so far away.”
Musically, this one is prime Carole King. The two-chord intro shifts between the IMaj9 and IVMaj7 chords (that’s DMaj9 and GMaj7, in the key of D major.) The verse starts out IMaj9 – I6 – IVMaj7 – IV6, then moves to iim7 – IV/V – IMaj7 – IV/I – IMaj7. The IV/V and IV/I are perfect “Carole King” chords, giving the feel of the dominant (V) without actually playing the dominant. The Carole King sound is all about tension and release and—during this phase of her career—using sophisticated chord substitutions and extensions to achieve that effect. Classy stuff and easily identifiable as her own.
To add to the magic of this recording, Ms. King employed her pal James Taylor on acoustic guitar, Charles Amy on flute, Charles Larkey on bass, and Russ Kunkel on drums. Lou Adler produced. (By the way, “So Far Away” was the flip side of the “Smackwater Jack” single, making that one a two-sided hit.)
And here’s today’s daily bonus video of the day, Ms. Carole King, accompanied by James Taylor and Charles Larkey, performing “So Far Away” live on the BBC on February 10, 1971. Boy, this is good stuff.
