"Been to Canaan" is a song written by

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...

introduced on King's 1972 album release, '' Rhymes & Reasons''. Released as that album's lead single, "Been to Canaan" peaked at number 24 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in January 1973 and it was the second of King's four number one hits on the

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

chart. The single also reached number 20 on the Cashbox chart. ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...

'' said that "this lilting song again displays the rare intelligence behind any Carole King composition." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' described it as a "a delightful MOR/Pop smash." ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' said that the single, including the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

"Bitter with Sweet" was "a dynamite item with two equally potent rhythm ballads for Top 40 and MOR."

Cover versions

*A Finnish rendering of "Been to Canaan": "Olet Nähnyt Kaanan", was recorded by Anki on her 1973 album ''Aikalintu''. *Also in 1973, the Swedish jazz singer

Alice Babs Hildur Alice Nilsson (26 January 1924 – 11 February 2014), known by her stage name Alice Babs, was a Swedish singer and actress. She worked in a wide number of genres – Swedish folklore, Elizabethan songs and opera. While she was best known i ...

, recorded a cover on her album, ''Music With a Jazz Flavour''.

References

1972 singles Carole King songs Songs written by Carole King Song recordings produced by Lou Adler Ode Records singles {{1970s-pop-song-stub

Cover versions

See also

References