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)
The Best Is Yet To Come
Carole King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All those hard times
But we've seen the seasons turning
As we weathered every storm
And the climate of our loving
Is so tender and so warm
And the best is yet to come
And we've only just begun
To realize the best is yet to come
Heartache, more or less useless,
All the heartache
But when the flood of sudden tears came down
We smiled and stood our ground
And the laughter we'd been counting on
It finally came around
And the best is yet to come
And it's getting so much better
Than anything I've known
And I know, oh, yes
The best is yet to come
Carole King’s “The Best Is Yet To Come” paints a vivid picture of a couple that has gone through hard times but come out stronger on the other side. The opening lines describe a difficult period that the couple has experienced, with hand-to-mouth living and a sense of being down and out. However, despite these trying times, they have managed to weather every storm and see the seasons turn, showing resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity.
The second verse focuses on heartache, which has been a more or less useless experience for the couple, but they have stood their ground through the flood of sudden tears. The lyric “And the laughter we’d been counting on, it finally came around” serves to highlight the optimism of the couple, who had been counting on better times and are now enjoying laughing together again. Through all of this, the couple remains steadfast in their belief that the best is yet to come, and the song ends on a note of hope and anticipation.
The message of the song is one of perseverance and optimism in the face of difficult times. King's lyrics remind us that life is full of challenges that test our resilience, but that we can come out stronger on the other side. It is a song of hope, optimism, and belief in a brighter future.
Line by Line Meaning
Hard times, hand to mouth, down and out,
We experienced difficult periods of financial difficulty and despair,
All those hard times
We went through a lot of tough times,
But we've seen the seasons turning
We have witnessed the passing of time and changes in our circumstances,
As we weathered every storm
We have endured numerous hardships and obstacles, but came out strong,
And the climate of our loving
The atmosphere of our relationship
Is so tender and so warm
Is incredibly loving, gentle, and caring.
And the best is yet to come
Our future holds even more greatness,
This is only the beginning
We have just scratched the surface; there is much more to come.
And we've only just begun
We are just starting our journey or endeavor.
To realize the best is yet to come
To come to the understanding that the future holds great opportunities and happiness.
Heartache, more or less useless,
We have experienced a lot of emotional pain, which may have seemed pointless at times.
All the heartache
The enduring emotional pain
But when the flood of sudden tears came down
But when we cried uncontrollably
We smiled and stood our ground
We remained strong and did not give up.
And the laughter we'd been counting on
The joy and happiness we had been hoping to experience.
It finally came around
We finally got to experience that joy and happiness we had been hoping for.
And it's getting so much better
Our current situation is improving exponentially,
Than anything I've known
Even surpassing any good times I have experienced before.
And I know, oh, yes
I am absolutely certain
The best is yet to come
We have not seen the best of our future yet; there is still greatness to come.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CAROLE KING, DAVID PALMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind