Gerry Goffin
Gerry Goffin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gerald Goffin |
| Born | February 11, 1939 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | June 19, 2014(aged 75) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Lyricist |
| Labels | |
| Spouse(s) |
|
Gerald Goffin(February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an Americanlyricist.Collaborating initially with his first wife,Carole King,he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including theUS No.1 hits"Will You Love Me Tomorrow","Take Good Care of My Baby","The Loco-Motion",and"Go Away Little Girl".It was later said of Goffin that his gift was" to find words that expressed what many young people were feeling but were unable to articulate. "[1]
After he and King divorced, Goffin wrote with other composers, includingBarry GoldbergandMichael Masser,with whom he wrote "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)"and"Saving All My Love for You",also No. 1 hits. During his career, Goffin wrote over 114BillboardHot 100hits, including eightchart-toppers,and 72UKhits.[2]He was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Famein 1990, with Carole King.
Biography
[edit]Early life
[edit]Goffin was born in New York City.[3]As a boy, he wrote lyrics in his head, as a game.[4]In his teen years, he worked for his grandfather, a Russian-bornJewishfurrier.[5]He enlisted in theMarine Corps Reserveafter graduating fromBrooklyn Technical High School.After a year at theU.S. Naval Academyas a member of the Class of 1961, he resigned from the Navy to studychemistryatQueens College.[6]
Partnership with Carole King
[edit]At college he met Carol Joan Klein, who had started writing songs under the nameCarole King.They began collaborating on songwriting, with King writing the music and Goffin the lyrics, and began a relationship. When King became pregnant, they left college and married in August 1959 when he was 20 and she was 17. Goffin began working with a chemicals manufacturer, and wrote the lyrics for King's 1959 single "Oh Neil", ananswer songto her friendNeil Sedaka's "Oh! Carol".Goffin added the words to the tune written by Sedaka andHoward Greenfield,who both worked underDon Kirshnerat theAldonmusic publishingcompany inManhattan;the single'sB-side,"A Very Special Boy", was a Goffin-King composition.[7]Although the record was not a hit, the couple both secured contracts to write songs professionally at Aldon.[3][8]
Goffin at first worked with other writers includingBarry MannandJack Keller,but he and Carole King soon established themselves as a successful writing team. The partnership's breakthroughhitwas "Will You Love Me Tomorrow",for which Goffin wrote the lyrics. The song wasrecordedbythe Shirellesand went to number one on theBillboardHot 100in January 1961. Goffin and King formedone of the most successful songwriting partnerships of the period,with hit songs including: "Take Good Care of My Baby"(a hit forBobby Vee), "Halfway to Paradise"(Tony Orlando,Billy Fury), "The Loco-Motion"(Little Eva,and laterGrand Funk RailroadandKylie Minogue), "Go Away Little Girl"(Steve Lawrence,and laterDonny Osmond), "Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)"(the Cookies), "It Might as Well Rain Until September"(Carole King),"One Fine Day"(the Chiffons), "Up on the Roof"(the Driftersand laterJames Taylor), "I'm into Something Good"(Herman's Hermits,but recorded first byEarl-Jean McCreaunder the name Earl-Jean), "Don't Bring Me Down"(the Animals), "Oh No Not My Baby"(Maxine Brown,and laterRod Stewart), "Goin' Back"(Dusty Springfield,The Byrds), "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"(Aretha Franklin), and "Pleasant Valley Sunday"(the Monkees).[6][9]Goffin and King also wrote several songs jointly with record producerPhil Spector.[9]In 1963,John Lennonwas quoted as saying that he wantedPaul McCartneyand himself to become "the Goffin-King of England".[3]
In 1964, Goffin fathered a daughter with singerJeanie Reavis(whose recording of "I'm into Something Good"preceded the better-known version by Herman's Hermits), but he and King remained together for several years before divorcing in 1969.[8]Goffin later said in an interview inVanity Fairthat he "wanted to be a hippie — grew my hair long — and Carole did it modestly...And then I started takingLSDandmescaline.And Carole and I began to grow apart because she felt that she had to say things herself. She had to be her own lyricist. "[3]According to King's memoir, Goffin suffered frommental illnessfollowing ingestion of LSD, eventually undergoing treatment withlithiumandelectroshock therapy,and was diagnosed withmanic depression.Hisdrug useaffected his health, and he was hospitalized for a time.[3]
Other collaborations
[edit]Goffin also worked successfully with other composers in the early 1960s, includingBarry Mann( "Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)") and Jack Keller ("Run to Him").[9]
After splitting from King, Goffin released a solo album in 1973,It Ain't Exactly Entertainment,but it was not successful, and he began working with other composers, includingRuss Titelman,Barry Goldberg,and thenMichael Masser.[4]He and Masser won anAcademy Awardnominationin 1976forthe themeto the filmMahogany,sung byDiana Ross;and also wrote "Saving All My Love for You",a worldwide hit forWhitney Houston,"Tonight, I Celebrate My Love","Miss You Like Crazy"and"Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You".Goffin and Masser also received aGolden Globenomination for "So Sad the Song" from the 1976Gladys KnightfilmPipe Dreams.[9]
Goffin co-wrote three songs for the soundtrack toGrace of My Heart,a 1996 movie whose principal character's life paralleled that of Carole King in many ways.
Later life
[edit]Goffin and King were inducted together into theSongwriters Hall of Famein 1987, and theRock and Roll Hall of Famein 1990.[3]
In 1996 he released his second solo album,Back Room Blood,which he said was inspired by his anger at conservative gains in the1994 congressional elections.[10]The album was mostly co-written with Barry Goldberg, but included two songs co-written withBob Dylan,"Tragedy of the Trade" and "Masquerade". Goffin described Dylan as "sort of like a god to me".[10]Goffin was one of the first people to take notice ofKelly Clarkson's talent and had hired her to do demo work before she auditioned forAmerican Idolin 2002.[11]
Goffin and his second wife, Michele, attended opening night of the musicalBeautiful,which depicted his marriage to Carole King.[4]
Personal life
[edit]Gerry Goffin was married to Carole King between 1959 and 1969; they had two daughters, singer-songwriterLouise Goffinand Sherry Goffin Kondor.[4]Goffin also had a daughter, Dawn, with Jeanie Reavis (Earl-Jean McCrea). He married Barbara Behling in the early 1970s and had a son, Jesse Dean Goffin, in 1976. They divorced later that decade. Goffin then married songwriter Ellen Minasian in the 1980s and had one daughter, Lauren, in 1984.[12][13]Following their divorce, he married actress Michele Conaway (the sister of actorJeff Conaway) in 1995.[14][15]
Death
[edit]Goffin died on June 19, 2014, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 75. His death was announced by his wife, Michele. No cause was specified. He left behind a wife, one son, four daughters, and six grandchildren.[4]
Tributes
[edit]On hearing of his death, Carole King said that Goffin was her "first love" and had a "profound impact" on her life. "[16]She went on to say, "His words expressed what so many people were feeling but didn't know how to say... Gerry was a good man and a dynamic force, whose words and creative influence will resonate for generations to come."[4]Barry Goldberg, who wrote many later songs with Goffin, said "Gerry was one of the greatest lyricists of all time and my true soul brother."[16]
See also
[edit]Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]- It Ain't Exactly Entertainment(1973),Adelphi RecordsInc – AD4102 (double vinyl album)
- Back Room Blood(1996),Genes Records– GCD 4132
- It Ain't Exactly Entertainment Demo & Other Sessions(2010), Big Pink – BIG PINK 92 (CD album)
Singles and EPs
[edit]- It's Not the Spotlight(1973), Adelphi Records Inc – AD-452
- Back Room Blood (The CD Single)(1996), Genes Records – GCD 4532
References
[edit]- ^"Gerry Goffin – obituary",The Telegraph,20 June 2014.Retrieved June 21, 2014
- ^Stuart Devoy.The People Who Created The Soundtrack To Your Life eBook: stuart devoy: Kindle Store.RetrievedJuly 26,2016– via Amazon.
- ^abcdefAdam Bernstein, "Gerry Goffin, lyricist who co-wrote seminal '60s hits, dies at 75",Washington Post,June 20, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014
- ^abcdefYardley, William; Keepnews, Peter (June 19, 2014)."Gerry Goffin, Songwriter With Carole King, Dies at 75".The New York Times.
- ^Laing, Dave (June 20, 2014). "Gerry Goffin obituary: Lyricist who, with his partner Carole King, wrote many hit songs of the 1960s",The Guardian.Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^abGerry Goffin,Songwriters Hall of FameArchivedFebruary 4, 2013, at theWayback Machine.Retrieved June 21, 2014
- ^"Oh Neil",Discogs.Retrieved June 22, 2014
- ^abKevin Rawlinson, "Gerry Goffin, US lyricist, dies at 75",The Guardian,June 20, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014
- ^abcdSongs written by Gerry Goffin,Secondhand Songs.Retrieved June 20, 2014
- ^ab"Billboard".Nielsen Business Media, Inc. April 13, 1996. p. 43 – via Google Books.
- ^Kory Grow, "Gerry Goffin, Songwriter and Carole King's Ex-Husband, Dead at 75",Rolling Stone,19 June 2014.Retrieved June 21, 2014
- ^California, Marriage Index, 1960–1985,Ancestry.Retrieved June 22, 2014
- ^"Spending Time with the Legendary Lyricist Gerry Goffin",Brushed by Fame.Retrieved June 22, 2014
- ^Gerry Goffin, IMdB.Retrieved June 22, 2014
- ^Meredith Blake, "Gerry Goffin, songwriting partner of Carole King, dies at 75",LA Times,June 19, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2014
- ^ab"Gerry Goffin, writer of song Natural Woman, dies".BBC News.June 20, 2014.RetrievedJune 22,2014.
External links
[edit]
- Gerry GoffinatAllMusic
- "Gerry Goffin".Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- Gerry GoffinatIMDb
- History of Rock
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |