This is a list of songs co-written by Gerry Goffin. Goffin (1939–2014) was an American lyricist, who formed a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Carole King. Their first success was "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", recorded by the Shirelles and a hit in 1961. Goffin later wrote lyrics for songs with several other composers, most notably Michael Masser.
Hits, charted songs and notable album tracks by Goffin and King
| Year | Song | Original artist | Other versions, chart information (US unless otherwise stated) and album notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" | The Shirelles | 1 | 4 | Carole King (in 1971), The Four Seasons (in 1968, #24), Tony Orlando (1961), Cher, Roberta Flack, Amy Winehouse, Melanie (UK #37, 1974), Jackie DeShannon, Len Barry, Bunny Sigler, Cissy Houston, The Platters, Neil Diamond (in 1993), Bryan Ferry (UK #23, 1993), Linda Ronstadt, Michael Stanley Band, Angus Tung (in Mandarin), Shirley Kwan and Alan Tam (in Cantonese), Dusty Springfield, Dave Mason and Debbie Gibson (both under the title "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow"), The Rocky Fellers, Lorrie Morgan, and Minnie Driver (performed in the film Beautiful), Françoise Hardy. |
| "How Many Tears" | Bobby Vee | 63 | 10 | ||
| "Take Good Care of My Baby" | Bobby Vee | 1 | 3 | Dion and the Belmonts (later in 1961), The Beatles (in 1962 for Decca auditions), Bobby Vinton (in 1968), Smokie (UK #34, 1981), Bobby Vee, Stephen Collins, Dick Brave | |
| "Some Kind of Wonderful" | The Drifters | 32 | - | Tony Orlando - 1961. In album Bless You and Eleven other Great Hits, Epic LN 3808. Marvin Gaye (in 1968), Carole King (in 1971); not the same song as the Grand Funk Railroad hit | |
| "Halfway to Paradise" | Tony Orlando | 39 | - | Billy Fury (UK #3, 1961), Bobby Vinton (1968), Tina Charles (1977), Dobby Dobson's reggae version recorded in the 1970s | |
| "Every Breath I Take" | Gene Pitney | 42 | - | No relation to the Police's "Every Breath You Take" | |
| "I'd Never Find Another You" | Tony Orlando | - | - | In album Bless You and Eleven other Great Hits, Epic LN 3808, 1961. Billy Fury (UK #5, 1961), Paul Anka (US #106, 1962) | |
| "What A Sweet Thing That Was" | The Shirelles | 54 | - | ||
| "Happy Times (Are Here To Stay)" | Tony Orlando | 82 | - | ||
| "Walkin' with My Angel" | Bobby Vee | 53 | - | Herman's Hermits | |
| "Don't Ever Change" | The Crickets | - | 5 | The Beatles (in 1963, unreleased until 1994), Brinsley Schwarz (1973), Bryan Ferry (in 1973), Mud (in 1982) | |
| "Dear Mr. D.J. Play It Again" | Tina Robin | 95 | - | Written by Goffin and King with Howard Greenfield | |
| 1962 | "Why'd You Wanna Make Me Cry" | Connie Stevens | 52 | - | |
| "He Knows I Love Him Too Much" | The Paris Sisters | 34 | - | ||
| "I've Got Bonnie" | Bobby Rydell | 18 | - | ||
| "When My Little Girl Is Smiling" | The Drifters | 28 | 31 | Steve Alaimo #72 in 1971 Hot 100, Craig Douglas (UK #9), Jimmy Justice (UK #9) | |
| "I Can't Say Goodbye" | Bobby Vee | 92 | - | ||
| "Her Royal Majesty" | James Darren | 6 | 36 | ||
| "Chains" | The Cookies | 17 | 50 | The Beatles (in 1963), Carole King (in 1980), The Del Monas (in 1984) | |
| "Sharing You" | Bobby Vee | 15 | 10 | ||
| "Keep Your Hands off My Baby" | Little Eva | 12 | 30 | The Beatles (in 1964, unreleased until 1994), Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders (1964), The Gore Gore Girls (in 2002), Kirsty MacColl (1981) | |
| "Keep Your Love Locked (Deep In Your Heart)" | Paul Petersen | 58 | - | Russ Sainty | |
| "The Loco-Motion" | Little Eva | 1 | 2 11 (1972) |
The Vernons Girls (UK #47, 1962), The Chiffons (in 1963), Emerson Lake & Powell (instrumental), Grand Funk Railroad (in 1974, #1), Carole King (in 1980), Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin (UK #70, 1986), Kylie Minogue (in 1988, #3, UK #2), Tina Turner, Dwight Yoakam. Originally published as "Loco Motion". | |
| "He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)" | The Crystals | - | - | The Motels (in 1982), Hole (in 1994), Grizzly Bear (in 2007) | |
| "Go Away Little Girl" | Steve Lawrence | 1 | - | Mark Wynter (UK #6, 1962), The Tams, Donny Osmond (in 1971, #1), The Happenings (in 1966, #12) | |
| "Point Of No Return" | Gene McDaniels | 21 | - | ||
| "It Might As Well Rain Until September" | Carole King | 22 | 3 | Bobby Vee, Helen Shapiro | |
| "Up on the Roof" | The Drifters | 5 | - | Kenny Lynch (UK #10, 1962), Julie Grant (UK #33, 1963), Carole King (in 1970), Laura Nyro (in 1970),Tony Orlando and Dawn (1970) in album Candida, James Taylor (in 1979, #28), Neil Diamond (in 1993), Robson and Jerome (UK #1, 1995), Billy Joe Royal, Peter Cincotti | |
| 1963 | "Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)" | The Cookies | 7 | - | |
| "Old Smokey Locomotion" | Little Eva | 48 | - | ||
| "Let's Turkey Trot" | Little Eva | 20 | - | ||
| "He's A Bad Boy" | Carole King | 94 | - | ||
| "This Little Girl" | Dion | 21 | - | ||
| "Poor Little Rich Girl" | Steve Lawrence | 27 | - | ||
| "I Can't Stay Mad at You" | Skeeter Davis | 7 | - | ||
| "Will Power" | The Cookies | 72 | - | ||
| "Hey Girl" | Freddie Scott | 10 | - | Duffy Power (1963), Donny Osmond (in 1972, #9), George Benson (1977), Carole King (in 1980), Billy Joel (Greatest Hits Volume III in 1997), Bob James & David Sanborn, Ray Charles & Michael McDonald (duet, from Charles' album Genius Loves Company), Bobby Vee (as part of a medley with The Temptations' hit "My Girl" in 1968, #35), The Righteous Brothers (1966, on their album Soul & Inspiration) | |
| "I Want To Stay Here" | Steve and Eydie | 28 | 3 | Miki & Griff (UK #23, 1963), Cristóbal Briceño (duet with Natalia Molina, 2020) | |
| "One Fine Day" | The Chiffons | 5 | 29 | The Carpenters (in 1973), Rita Coolidge (in 1979, #66), Carole King (in 1980, #12), Aaron Neville (in 1993), Natalie Merchant (in 1996) | |
| "Walking Proud" | Steve Lawrence | 26 | - | ||
| "Everybody Go Home" | Eydie Gormé | 80 | - | ||
| "I Can't Stop Talking About You" | Steve and Eydie | 35 | - | ||
| 1964 | "I Can't Hear You No More" | Betty Everett | 66 | - | Dusty Springfield (in 1965), King (in 1970), Helen Reddy (in 1976, #29) |
| "I'm into Something Good" | Earl-Jean | 38 | - | Herman's Hermits (later in 1964, #13, UK #1) | |
| "He's in Town" | The Tokens | 43 | - | The Rockin' Berries (UK #3) | |
| "Where Does Love Go" | Freddie Scott | 82 | - | ||
| "I Just Can't Say Goodbye" | Bobby Rydell | 94 | - | ||
| "Oh No Not My Baby" | Maxine Brown | 24 | - | The Shirelles (original recording, not released until later), Manfred Mann (UK #11, 1965), Dusty Springfield (in 1965), Aretha Franklin (in 1970), Rod Stewart (#59, UK #6, 1973), The Partridge Family (Bulletin Board in 1973), Merry Clayton (US #72) in 1973, King (in 1980 and 2001), Cher (in 1992, #33 in the U.K.), Linda Ronstadt (in 1994) | |
| "Show Me Girl" | Herman's Hermits | - | 19 | ||
| 1965 | "At The Club" | The Drifters | 43 | 35 | |
| "Just Once in My Life" | The Righteous Brothers | 9 | - | Written by Goffin and King with Phil Spector | |
| "Hung on You" | The Righteous Brothers | 47 | - | Written by Goffin and King with Phil Spector | |
| "Is This What I Get For Loving You" | The Ronettes | - | - | Written by Goffin and King with Phil Spector. Marianne Faithfull (UK #43, 1967) | |
| "Some of Your Lovin'" | Dusty Springfield | - | 8 | Phil Collins (in 2010) | |
| "It's Gonna Be Alright" | Maxine Brown | 56 | - | ||
| "I Need You" | Chuck Jackson | 75 | - | The Walker Brothers (UK #1 EP, 1966) | |
| "Don't Forget About Me" | Barbara Lewis | 91 | - | Dusty Springfield (US #64) | |
| 1966 | "Don't Bring Me Down" | The Animals | 12 | 6 | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (in 1986) |
| "I Happen to Love You" | The Myddle Class | - | - | The Electric Prunes on the 1967 album Underground | |
| "Road to Nowhere" | Carole King | - | - | (No relation to the Talking Heads song) White Trash (1969) | |
| "So Much Love" | Ben E. King | 96 | - | Steve Alaimo (#92, 1966) | |
| "Take a Giant Step" | The Monkees | - | - | From the 1966 US/UK #1 LP The Monkees, plus Taj Mahal (1969) | |
| "Sweet Young Thing" | The Monkees | - | - | Written by Goffin and King with Michael Nesmith. From the LP The Monkees | |
| "Sometime in the Morning" | The Monkees | - | - | From the 1967 US/UK #1 LP More of The Monkees | |
| "Goin' Back" | Dusty Springfield | - | 10 | Goldie (recorded in 1966 but unreleased), The Byrds (in 1968, #89), King (in 1970 and in 1980), Larry Lurex (1973) Nils Lofgren, Elkie Brooks, Johnny Logan, Diana Ross, Glen Shorrock & Renee Geyer (Aust. 1983), Phil Collins (2010) | |
| "I Can't Make It Alone" | P.J. Proby | - | 37 | Dusty Springfield, Maria McKee (UK #74, 1993) | |
| "Yours Until Tomorrow" | Dee Dee Warwick | - | - | Gene Pitney (UK #34, 1968) | |
| "On This Side of Goodbye" | The Righteous Brothers | 47 | - | ||
| 1967 | "Pleasant Valley Sunday" | The Monkees | 3 | 11 | The Weisstronauts (in 2008) |
| "Star Collector" | The Monkees | - | - | From the 1967 US #1 LP Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. | |
| "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" | Aretha Franklin | 8 | - | King (in 1971), Laura Nyro (in 1971), Rod Stewart (in 1974), Bonnie Tyler (in 1978), Mary J. Blige (in 1995, #95), Celine Dion (in 1995) | |
| 1968 | "Porpoise Song" | The Monkees | 62 | - | Bongwater (in 1988), The Wondermints (in 1996), Trouble (in 1996), The Church (in 1999) |
| "I Can't Make It Alone" | Bill Medley | 95 | - | Lou Rawls #63 Hot 100 in 1969 | |
| "I Wasn't Born to Follow" | The Byrds | - | - | The City (Now That Everything's Been Said in 1968) King (in 1980), Tracy Grammer (in 2004), Beth Orton (in 2012). Byrds' single released as "Wasn't Born to Follow". | |
| 1970 | "That Old Sweet Roll (Hi-de-Ho)" | The City | - | - | Leslie Uggams, Blood, Sweat & Tears (as "Hi-De-Ho (That Old Sweet Roll)", #14), Dusty Springfield (non-LP B-side in 1969), King (in 1980). |
| "Sweet Sweetheart" | Bobby Vee | 88 | - | ||
| 1971 | "Smackwater Jack" | Carole King | 14 | - | Quincy Jones, The Manhattan Transfer, Buffy Sainte-Marie |
| 1984 | "Time Don't Run Out on Me" | Anne Murray | - | - | #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart |
Songs by Gerry Goffin with other songwriters
In addition to King, Goffin also collaborated with other songwriters, notably Barry Mann, Jack Keller, Russ Titelman, Wes Farrell, Barry Goldberg and Michael Masser.
| Year | Song | Songwriters | Performer | U.S. Hot 100 | UK Singles Chart | Cover versions and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | "Oh Neil" | Greenfield, Sedaka & Goffin | Carole King | - | - | |
| 1960 | "The Lovin' Touch" | Goffin & Keller | Mark Dinning | 84 | - | |
| 1961 | "Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)" | Goffin & Mann | Barry Mann | 7 | - | The Viscounts (UK #21, 1961), Showaddywaddy (UK #37, 1982) |
| "I Could Have Loved You So Well" | Goffin & Mann | Ray Peterson | 57 | - | Produced by Phil Spector | |
| "Run to Him" | Goffin & Keller | Bobby Vee | 2 | 3 | Donny Osmond (in 1972) | |
| 1962 | "A Forever Kind of Love" | Goffin & Keller | Bobby Vee | - | 13 | Cliff Richard |
| "How Can I Meet Her?" | Goffin & Keller | The Everly Brothers | 75 | 12 | ||
| "It Started All Over Again" | Goffin & Keller | Brenda Lee | 29 | 15 | ||
| "Don't Ask Me to Be Friends" | Goffin & Keller | The Everly Brothers | 48 | - | ||
| 1963 | "Let's Turkey Trot" | Goffin & Keller | Little Eva | 20 | 13 | Note: Early copies credit the song incorrectly to Goffin and King, rather than Goffin and Keller. The writing credit was later changed to add George Goldner and Herbie Cox, who had written the melodically similar "Little Girl of Mine" for The Cleftones in 1956. |
| "Don't Try To Fight It, Baby" | Goffin & Keller | Eydie Gormé | 53 | - | ||
| "Girls Grow Up Faster Than Boys" | Goffin & Keller | The Cookies | 33 | - | ||
| 1965 | "Yes I Will" | Goffin & Titelman | The Hollies | - | 9 | The Monkees (as "I'll Be True To You" in 1966) |
| 1971 | "I'll Meet You Halfway" | Goffin & Farrell | The Partridge Family | 9 | - | |
| 1973 | "I've Got to Use My Imagination" | Goffin & Goldberg | Gladys Knight & the Pips | 4 | - | |
| 1975 | "It's Not the Spotlight" | Goffin & Goldberg | Rod Stewart | - | - | Beth Orton (in 1996) |
| "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" | Goffin & Masser | Diana Ross | 1 | 5 | ||
| 1976 | "So Sad The Song" | Goffin & Masser | Gladys Knight & The Pips | 47 | 20 | |
| 1978 | "Saving All My Love for You" | Goffin & Masser | Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. | - | - | Whitney Houston (US #1 in 1985, UK #1 in 1985) |
| 1980 | "Someone That I Used to Love" | Goffin & Masser | Natalie Cole | 21 | - | |
| 1983 | "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" | Goffin & Masser | Roberta Flack & Peabo Bryson | 16 | 2 | |
| 1984 | "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" | Goffin & Masser | George Benson | - | - | Glenn Medeiros (US #12 in 1987, UK #1 in 1988) |
| 1985 | "A Long and Lasting Love" | Goffin & Masser | Crystal Gayle | - | - | #5 Country. Covered by Glenn Medeiros, Billy Preston, Jane Olivor, and Syreeta |
| 1989 | "Miss You Like Crazy" | Goffin, Masser and Glass | Natalie Cole | 7 | 2 | |
| 1994 | "No More Blue Christmas'" | Goffin, Masser | Natalie Cole | - | - |
References
- ^ Songs written by Gerry Goffin, Secondhand Songs. Retrieved 20 June 2014
- ^ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.
- Unterberger, Richie (13 February 2001). "I Happen to Love You - The Electric Prunes | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- Jack Keller, Black Cat Rockabilly. Retrieved 24 June 2014
- "Let's Turkey Trot", Discogs.com