🤝 About the Song
Written by Carole King in 1970 and released on her landmark album Tapestry, You’ve Got a Friend is a simple promise wrapped in melody — unconditional care in musical form.
King wrote it while her friend James Taylor was working on Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon; he heard it, loved it, and recorded his own version almost immediately — it went on to win Grammys for both of them (Song of the Year for Carole, Best Male Pop Vocal for James).
It’s that rare song that’s both utterly gentle and emotionally indestructible.
No clever tricks, no irony — just empathy set to one of the most graceful chord progressions ever written.
When you play it on uke, it loses nothing — it just gets more intimate. Like singing it from a kitchen table instead of a stage.
🎸 Ukulele Playing Tips
- Chords:C – Am7 – Dm7 – G7 – F – E7 – A7 – D7.
- Verse: C – Am7 – Dm7 – G7,
- Chorus: F – C – E7 – Am – D7 – G7 – C.
- Strumming pattern: Soft folk flow — Down–Down–Up–Up–Down-Up at ~80 bpm.
Or finger-pick lightly for maximum tenderness (thumb, index, middle rotation). - Tone: Keep your strum light, like brushing sand off your sleeve.
- Dynamics: Begin whisper-soft; lift slightly during “You just call out my name…”; then ease back for the final chorus.
- Optional flourish: Use Cmaj7 (0002) on “Winter, spring, summer, or fall…” — it’s pure emotional honey.
- Sing tip: Don’t belt it — this song works best when it feels like you’re actually talking to someone who needs to hear it.
🧠 Trivia You Can Drop Casually
- Carole King and James Taylor performed the song together hundreds of times over five decades — including their legendary Troubadour Reunion Tour in 2010.
- King said the song “wrote itself” in one sitting after hearing Taylor struggling with homesickness.
- Taylor’s version hit #1 in the U.S., while King’s version helped cement Tapestry as one of the most important albums ever made.
- Both versions feature much of the same band — they literally recorded them back-to-back in the same studio.
🌈 Final Word
Play You’ve Got a Friend like you’re giving someone a blanket and a cup of tea after a brutal day.
Keep it soft, steady, and human — this song doesn’t demand attention; it gives comfort.
If someone tears up halfway through and hugs you when you finish, that’s not awkward — that’s the point. 💛