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    Gerry Goffin

    Has died, aged 75.

    One half of the brill Building's greatest song-writing partnership. With his wife, the brilliant Carole King, they wrote hits for The Monkees, The Byrds, The Hollies, Herman's Hermits, The Drifters, Aretha Franklin & Bobby Vee.

    Just reading the early obituaries, I became aware that he co-wrote and produced Whitney Huston's Saving All My Love For You and Diana Ross' Do You Know Where You're Going To. Never knew that.

    RIP

    #2
    Gerry Goffin

    For many years I, and others, assumed Carole King wrote the lyrics to Will You Love Me Tomorrow and Natural Woman because they seemed, so clearly, to come from a female "place." But, as King makes clear, they, and all the other words to her music prior to Tapestry, were Goffin's. It takes genuine sensitivity and perceptiveness to pull that off, and he was a very fine lyricist, though at times, apparently, an unhappy man. I hope he found some peace in his last years. R.I.P.

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      #3
      Gerry Goffin

      Hi-de-ho, hi-de-hi
      Gonna get me a piece of the sky
      Gonna get me some of that old sweet roll
      Hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-ho

      RIP, indeed.

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        #4
        Gerry Goffin

        Goffin wrote/co-wrote most of those masterpieces before he turned thirty. RIP to a massive, massive talent.

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          #5
          Gerry Goffin

          I went inside the Brill Building last year, only the lobby because security wouldn't let us go any further. I could feel the magic.

          Goffin and King were massive talents and he's been slightly overlooked. The list of songs they wrote is astounding.

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            #6
            Gerry Goffin

            Nothing I can add to what's above but still worth acknowledging his talent and gift to music.

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              #7
              Gerry Goffin

              Goffin and King physically worked down the road at 1650 Broadway, for Aldon Music (as did Greenwich & Barry, Neil Sedaka etc). Of course, that doesn't devalue your experience of the Brill Building in any way.

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                #8
                Gerry Goffin

                You're right of course G Man. We'd done some internet research to find addresses and they both came up but we didn't get inside 1650. There was a recent Neil Diamond documentary where he went inside the Brill Building which brought back some good memories.

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                  #9
                  Gerry Goffin

                  Usual rules, name the song and artist in each case

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                    #10
                    Gerry Goffin

                    BBC4 were showing some good programmes about Carole King a couple of weeks back. Watching it, I was thinking to myself that I've just got to visit the Brill Building.

                    I delved further into the catalogues of the Brill Building writers over the last few years. As tends to be the case, it takes an artist's passing to bring focus on their work, and with the deaths of Ellie Greenwich and Marvin Hamlisch I went back to listening to the music of this genre. With me, it began with Bacharach & David and Neil Sedaka, and the songs have always made the sound of the piano central to the sound. I love that.

                    I'd echo what Amor said up thread, regarding Gerry Goffin writing the lyrics to those songs that are regarded as female staples. Listening to them again, they're not male or female, just beautiful.

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                      #11
                      Gerry Goffin

                      Mr Beast wrote: You're right of course G Man. We'd done some internet research to find addresses and they both came up but we didn't get inside 1650. There was a recent Neil Diamond documentary where he went inside the Brill Building which brought back some good memories.
                      Oh, if I'm ever in New York, I'll want to do that. I want to pose like tourist in the doorway, New York map in hand.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Gerry Goffin

                        That will complete your triumvirate of 'holding up' the Tower of Pisa and laying horizontal in front of the Washington Monument.

                        Goffin and King also wrote Pleasant Valley Sunday, which I think could be the best song ever. Subjectively speaking, of course.

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                          #13
                          Gerry Goffin

                          It is also one of Gerry Goffin's most subjective lyrics.

                          He hated the life they were living in the suburbs, it contributed in a big way to the couple's break-up. According to King Goffin, dissatisfied with the limitations of the Brill Building, wanted to write songs that would be taken seriously. He envied the creative freedom of Bob Dylan and other younger writers. Eventually he upped and left for California after painting angry slogans on the roof of their house.

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                            #14
                            Gerry Goffin

                            I feel him. At that time in history, I'd probably have done likewise. Twelve Thirty pretty much sums up my perception of that time and place.

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                              #15
                              Gerry Goffin

                              They're playing a selection of excerpts from Goffin's songs on PM at the moment. I could do with a Best Of, like the Bacharach one I've got.

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                                #16
                                Gerry Goffin

                                You could make your own.

                                Here's the list you'd be working from.

                                At least a triple album I reckon.

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                                  #17
                                  Gerry Goffin

                                  Not quite a Goffin compilation, but you might like this Brill Building mix.

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                                    #18
                                    Gerry Goffin

                                    Come on, get yer entries in for the not-quite intros quiz above...

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                                      #19
                                      Gerry Goffin

                                      RIP. A massive talent and, by many accounts, a deeply troubled man. Can't add much to what has been said above other than many of his songs are special to me. And underline what Amor wrote. His sensitivity and insight were peerless. A genuine poet.

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                                        #20
                                        Gerry Goffin

                                        Oh OK. I don't know what the usual rules are so here goes: (In white to avoid spoilers. Scroll over to read)

                                        The Shirelles — Will You love Me Tomorrow

                                        Carole King — Pleasant Valley Sunday

                                        Halfway to Paradise — Billy Fury

                                        I'm Into Something Good — Herman's Hermits

                                        Take Good Care of My Baby — Bobby Vee

                                        The Locomotion — Little Eva

                                        One Fine Day — The Chiffons

                                        I Will — The Hollies

                                        So Much Love — Dusty Springfield

                                        A Natural Woman — Carole King

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                                          #21
                                          Gerry Goffin

                                          19/20 for Amor there (similarly scroll down)

                                          Pleasant Valley Sunday by the Monkees here

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                                            #22
                                            Gerry Goffin

                                            Really? I should have given it more of a listen. After about two seconds I decided it was a her not a him.

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