“Of course she wants to record that song - it’s the best song written by a human being”: James Taylor explains how he had to tell Carole King that he’d recorded one of her greatest songs without her knowing, and before she’d released her own version

LONDON: Carole King performs with James Taylor at BBC TV studios in London in 1970 (Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns).

James Taylor and Carole King have been friends and collaborators for more than half a century, but they could easily have got off on the wrong foot when, right at the start of their relationship, they ended up recording one of King’s most famous songs almost at the same time.

We’re talking about You’ve Got A Friend - not only one of the standout songs on King’s classic 1971 album, Tapestry (a record that’s full of standout songs, to be fair), but also a number one hit for Taylor in the same year.