"Nightingale" 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 ...

and David Palmer. "Nightingale" first appeared on her top-selling album ''

Wrap Around Joy ''Wrap Around Joy'' is the sixth album by American singer and songwriter Carole King, released in 1974. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart in late 1974 and spun off successful singles with "Jazzman", reaching number ...

'', which was released in mid-July 1974, but was released as a single in December. The song has since been put on many of her compilation albums, including her certified platinum album '' Her Greatest Hits: Songs of Long Ago''. The song, like the album ''Wrap Around Joy'', got off to a slow start, but eventually charted high. "Nightingale" peaked at No. 9 in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, on March 1, 1975, and spent the week before at No. 1 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.

Recording

While Carole King is the lead singer of this song in the 1974 version, her daughters

Louise Goffin Louise Goffin (born March 23, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and producer of the 2011 album ''A Holiday Carole''. Signed by record executive Lenny Waronker to DreamWorks in 1999, Goffin released ''Sometimes a Circle'' in 2002. She wen ...

and Sherry Goffin sang backup. At the time, they were children.

Reception

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 ...

'' stated that "Nightingale" is a return to her earlier style compared to her previous single "

Jazzman "Jazzman" is a 1974 song performed by Carole King, from her album ''Wrap Around Joy''. King composed the music for the song, while David Palmer (formerly of Steely Dan) wrote the lyrics. The song is best known for its lengthy saxophone solos, ...

" and has "fine soft melodies set off by her distinctive vocalizing." ''

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 ...

'' said that the "solid

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

cements the powerful combination of sharp lyrics and catchy musical feel." The song is a critical part of the plot in "The Night Bird", a psychological suspense novel by Brian Freeman. In the novel, the song is used as a trigger to awaken hypnotically suppressed phobias in psychiatric patients, causing them to commit suicide.

Charts

References

{{authority control 1975 singles Carole King songs Songs written by Carole King Ode Records singles Song recordings produced by Lou Adler 1975 songs

Recording

Reception

Charts

See also

References