Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American … Read Full Bio ↴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 of the most significant and influential musicians of all time, King 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. King also wrote 61 hits that charted in the UK, making her the most successful female songwriter on the UK singles charts between 1962 and 2005.

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)

Life Without Love
Carole King Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It ain't no contest
And it sure ain't no conquest
It's giving and sharing
And a whole lot of caring
It's a look in his eye
That needs no explanation
And I feel sorrow for the ones who
Haven't had this sensation

Life without love
Ain't no life at all
Just take that road
And you're bound to fall
Life without love
Is one dead end street
Just thank you lucky stars
We happened to meet

Now to sum up all the pages
They've written about it
You're better off with it
Than you are without it
This moment is our chance
And I hope we don't lose it
We might live to regret it
If we should refuse it

Life without love
Ain't no life at all
Just take that road
And you're bound to fall
Life without love
Is one dead end street
Just thank you lucky stars
We happened to meet

Sure you can make it alone
And live in a world of your own
But it hurts to keep feelings inside
I know because we both tried

And life without love
Ain't no life at all
Just take that road
And you're bound to fall
Life without love
Is so bittersweet

Just thank you lucky stars
We happened to meet

Overall Meaning

Carole King's song "Life Without Love" is a beautiful tribute to the power of love and its significant role in our lives. The lyrics express how love is not a competition or something to conquer but rather about giving, sharing, and caring. It's a feeling that needs no explanation, and those who haven't experienced it should be pitied. The song highlights how life without love is dull and meaningless, and taking that road is destined to end in failure. Love is necessary for happy living, and without it, life is just a dead end street.

The track evokes a sense of urgency in grabbing the opportunity for love as it arises since it might never come again. By refusing to engage in love when it is presented to us, we may regret the decision later. We are better off having it than not having it. The song also acknowledges that everyone can live alone and build a world of their own, but it will be a world of emptiness and loneliness. The lyrics point out that trying to keep feelings inside is hurtful, and the best decision is to embrace love and take a chance on its transformative power.

Line by Line Meaning

It ain't no contest
Love is not about competition.

And it sure ain't no conquest
Love is not about conquering someone.

It's giving and sharing
Love is about giving and sharing.

And a whole lot of caring
Love requires a lot of caring.

It's a look in his eye
Love can be expressed through a look in someone's eyes.

That needs no explanation
This look doesn't need an explanation - it speaks for itself.

And I feel sorrow for the ones who
The singer pities those who have not experienced this kind of love.

Haven't had this sensation
This kind of love is a sensation that not everyone has felt.

Life without love
The singer argues that life devoid of love is not worth living.

Ain't no life at all
Life without love is not really a life.

Just take that road
Choosing a life without love will ultimately lead to failure.

And you're bound to fall
Refusing to embrace love is a sure path to heartbreak and regret.

Life without love
The singer repeats this idea to emphasize its importance.

Is one dead end street
A lack of love leads nowhere.

Just thank you lucky stars
The singer is grateful for the good fortune of having found love.

We happened to meet
The meeting was a lucky and fateful coincidence.

Now to sum up all the pages
To summarize everything written about love thus far,

They've written about it
People have written extensively about the topic of love.

You're better off with it
The singer believes that life with love is better than life without it.

Than you are without it
Life without love is inferior.

This moment is our chance
The present moment is an opportunity to embrace love.

And I hope we don't lose it
The singer hopes they don't let this chance slip away.

We might live to regret it
If they do refuse love, they may come to regret it later in life.

If we should refuse it
If they turn down this opportunity to love, they may regret it.

Sure you can make it alone
It's possible to live a solitary life without love.

And live in a world of your own
A solitary life is like living in a world of one's own creation.

But it hurts to keep feelings inside
Keeping feelings about love bottled up can be painful in the long run.

I know because we both tried
The singer and another person in their life tried to suppress their feelings about love.

Is so bittersweet
Life without love is in some ways both sweet and and sour.

Just thank you lucky stars
Once again, the singer expresses gratitude for the luck that brought love into their life.

We happened to meet
Meeting each other was a chance occurrence that led to the love they share.

Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, EMI Music Publishing
Written by: GERRY GOFFIN, LOUISE LYNN GOFFIN, WARREN PASH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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