King's major success 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 album 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.
King has made 25 solo albums, the most successful being Tapestry, which held the record for most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist for more than 20 years. Her record sales were estimated at more than 75 million copies worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a performer and songwriter. She is the recipient of the 2013 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the first woman to be so honored. She is also a 2015 Kennedy Center Honoree.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carole_King
Studio albums
Writer (1970)
Tapestry (1971)
Music (1971)
Rhymes & Reasons (1972)
Fantasy (1973)
Wrap Around Joy (1974)
Thoroughbred (1976)
Simple Things (1977)
Welcome Home (1978)
Touch the Sky (1979)
Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King (1980)
One to One (1982)
Speeding Time (1983)
City Streets (1989)
Colour of Your Dreams (1993)
Love Makes the World (2001)
A Holiday Carole (2011)
City Streets
Carole King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chills run through my bones
Tides of life are ebbing out
Between the cobblestones
The streets are on fire
With the burning sunrise
And over the water I look in vain
For love on someone's eyes
Oh
City streets
The stories that they tell
Oh
City streets
They can be heaven
They can be hell
Winter colored morning
Gray and dirty brown
Reflecting the mood I'm in
Despair is all around
I long for sweet oblivion
To make me from my pain
Maybe bring me dreams of hope and faith
So I can break this chain
Oh
City streets
The stories that they tell
Oh
City streets
They can be heaven
They can be hell
Lovers with their arms entwined
Silhouettes against the light
A warm bed is waiting as they head home
After staying up all night
For them the city is magic
That's all they've ever know
I wish I could find the magic
But I'm scared and I'm feeling so alone
Oh
City streets
The stories that they tell
Oh
City streets
They can be heaven
They can be hell
Oh
City streets
The stories they have known
Oh
City streets
City streets
City streets
Carole King's song "City Streets" paints a vivid picture of urban life and how it can be both beautiful and daunting, depending on one's perspective. The opening lines set the atmosphere with a description of the cold, icy wind running through the singer's bones as the tides of life ebb out between the cobblestones. The streets, ablaze with the first light of dawn, reflect the singer's search for love, yet the water yields no glimpse of it. The second verse takes on a more dismal tone, with the city's winter morning colors of gray and dirty brown mirroring the singer's despair. Oblivion is a tempting escape, and only hope and faith can help break these ties. The final verse highlights the stark contrast of the city's magic for lovers, arms entwined against a backdrop of warm light, heading home after a night of all-night revelry, versus the lonely desperation felt by someone who cannot connect with those around them.
The imagery in "City Streets" is a testament to Carole King's talent as a songwriter. The lyrics contain vivid and sensory language that captures the essence of urban life, from the cold wind to the warmth of lovers' embrace. The song is a deliberate contrast between beauty and despair, the magic of love against the coldness of loneliness, and the hope and faith that can break chains of sadness.
Line by Line Meaning
River wind is icy
I am standing near the river, feeling the cold wind hit me hard
Chills run through my bones
The coldness of the wind is making me shiver with chills
Tides of life are ebbing out / Between the cobblestones
The daily hustle-bustle of life is slowly fading away into nothingness, just like the waves ebbing away on the shore. The small, stone-paved streets are empty and quiet
The streets are on fire / With the burning sunrise
The sun is rising and the streets are getting brighter with its warmth and light
And over the water I look in vain / For love on someone's eyes
I am searching for love or affection in someone's eyes across the water, but I am not able to find it
Winter colored morning / Gray and dirty brown
The morning looks dull and gloomy, with shades of winter gray and dirty brown everywhere
Reflecting the mood I'm in / Despair is all around
The way the environment looks reflects my inner mood, which is full of despair and hopelessness
I long for sweet oblivion / To make me from my pain
I am longing for a mental state of sweet oblivion to be free from the pain and heartache I am feeling
Maybe bring me dreams of hope and faith / So I can break this chain
I hope to have dreams of hope and faith that will help me break free from the mental chain that is holding me back
Lovers with their arms entwined / Silhouettes against the light
I see couples walking by, with their arms around each other, standing out in the light against the backdrop of the city
A warm bed is waiting as they head home / After staying up all night
These couples have been up all night, and as they head home they know that there is a cozy, warm bed eagerly waiting for them
For them the city is magic / That's all they've ever know
For these couples, the city seems magical and enchanting, and they have always known it to be that way
I wish I could find the magic / But I'm scared and I'm feeling so alone
I long to experience the magic in the city too, but my fear and loneliness is holding me back
City streets / The stories that they tell
The streets of the city are full of stories - of love, hope, despair, pain, and joy - that are just waiting to be discovered
City streets / They can be heaven / They can be hell
The city streets can be both a paradise or a nightmare, depending on how you feel and what you are looking for
City streets / The stories they have known
The streets of the city have seen and experienced so many stories and emotions throughout their existence, and they hold those memories close
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: STING, WRITER UNKNOWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Danny Tuvi
Wind River está cubierta de hielo
escalofrío corre por mis huesos
las mareas de la vida están escapando
entre los adoquines
las calles están ardiendo
con la salida del sol ardiente
y sobre el agua que buscan en vano
para el amor en los ojos de alguien
Oh, calles de la ciudad
las historias que cuentan
¡Oh calles de la ciudad
que puede ser el cielo, que puede ser un infierno
El invierno de color por la mañana
gris y marrón sucio
que refleja el estado de ánimo de alguien
la desesperación es todo
Añoro el dulce olvido
para que me llevara de mi dolor
tal vez me traen sueños de esperanza y de fe
para que yo pueda romper esta cadena
Oh, calles de la ciudad
las historias que cuentan
¡Oh calles de la ciudad
que puede ser el cielo, que puede ser un infierno
Los amantes con sus brazos entrelazados
siluetas contra la luz
una cama caliente está a la espera, ya que volver a casa
después de permanecer toda la noche
para ellos la ciudad es mágica
desearía poder encontrar la magia
pero estoy asustada y me siento tan sola
Oh, calles de la ciudad
las historias que cuentan
¡Oh ciudad calles
que puede ser el cielo, que puede ser un infierno
¡Oh ciudad calles
las historias que han conocido
¡Oh, ciudad
Jose Antonio
Hace unos días conseguí el cd original después de muchos años ,que gran canción y muchos recuerdos del año '89 que potencia para cantar .saludos de Perú 🇵🇪🇵🇪
Andréia Araújo
Amo muito essa música, lindíssima voz da Carole.Muito boa essa música. 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖🧡
gustavo yacante
Carole King y Eric Clapton simplemente espectacular ! Gran recuerdo .
lelabotoxique
My all-time favorite Carole King song. Oh my heart. So many precious memories are tied to this song.
David Carl Jones
Discovered this today, it’s an amazing track
PeonSanders911
Wow she has a powerful voice. She should be considered one of the greatest female voices of all time.
Itinerantor
pp
水谷昌世
Her voice, I really love it. this song is the one of my favorite!!
Sir M
Gracias Dios por estas canciones, una de las mejores de todos los tiempos.
Nostromo
Recuerdo los últimos años de mi adolescencia, retratado en un video de un tiempo ya pasado. Gracias por compartirlo.