CAROLE KING - UP ON THE ROOF

UPON THE ROOF

CAROLE KING

SONGWRITER: GERRY GOFFIN & CAROLE KING

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: WRITER

LABEL: ATLANTIC RECORDS

GENRE: R & B

YEAR: 1970

"Up on the Roof" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and recorded in 1962 by The Drifters. Released late that year, the disc became a major hit in early 1963, reaching number 5 on the U.S. pop singles chart and number 4 on the U.S. R&B singles chart. In the UK it was a top ten success for singer Kenny Lynch, whose version was also released in 1962.

In addition to the hit appeal of the "second Drifters" lineup, "Up on the Roof" epitomized the urban romantic dream as presented by New York City Brill Building writers:

When this old world starts getting me down,

And people are just too much for me to face—

I climb way up to the top of the stairs

And all my cares just drift right into space ...

Carole King (born Carol Joan Klein, February 9, 1942) is an American composer and singer-songwriter. She is the most successful female songwriter of the latter half of the 20th century in the US, having written or co-written 118 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1955 and 1999. King also wrote 61 hits that charted in the UK, making her the most successful female songwriter on the UK singles charts between 1952 and 2005.

King's career began in the 1960s when she and her first husband, Gerry Goffin, wrote more than two dozen chart hits, many of which have become standards, for numerous artists. She has continued writing for other artists since then. King's success as a performer in her own right did not come until the 1970s, when she sang her own songs, accompanying herself on the piano, in a series of albums and concerts. After experiencing commercial disappointment with her debut álbum Writer, King scored her breakthrough with the album Tapestry, which topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks in 1971 and remained on the charts for more than six years.

When this old world starts getting me down

And people are just too much for me to face

I climb way up to the top of the stairs

And all my cares just drift right into space

On the roof it's peaceful as can be

And there the world below can't bother me

Let me tell you now

When I come home feelin' tired and beat

I go up where the air is fresh and sweet

I get away from the hustling crowds

And all that rat race noise down in the street

Up on the roof

On the roof's the only place I know

Where you just have to wish to make it so

Oh, let's go up on the roof

At night the stars put on a show for free

And darling, you can share it all with me

I keep a-telling you

Right smack dab in the middle of town

I found a paradise that's trouble-proof

Up on the roof

So if this world starts getting you down

There's room enough for two, up on the roof

Up on the roof, everything is all right

Up on the roof, oh, come on, baby

Up on the roof

Up on the roof.