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)
You Light Up My Life
Carole King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
like sunrise in the morning
You make me believe anything is possible
I didn't have a dream to my name
Darkness was mine, it was such a shame
But you came to light up my life
You brought me faith, and hope,
and love, and light
With your tender smile
you brought me top the promise
Of life outside a world of nine to five
and Sunday
I didn't know how rich I could be
Until you gave your love to me
Don't you see, you light up my life
You give me faith, and hope,
and love, and light
You brought your sweet understanding
Like sun rays in my hazy sky
If you hadn't opened up my eyes
Love would have passed me right on by
I never knew how good I could feel
Loving you's left me with nothing to conceal
Yeah.you really light up my life
You give me faith, and hope,
and love, and light
Carole King's song "You Light Up My Life" is a beautiful tribute to the power of love and the effect it can have on an individual's life. The lyrics begin by describing the impact of her love as being like a sunrise – a new day filled with hope and potential. By loving her, the singer now believes anything is possible and can face the world with a newfound confidence.
The singer admits that before her love entered her life she was lost and living in darkness. She had no dreams and felt hopeless, but her love brought light to her life. Her faith, hope, and love are all restored because of her love. In addition to describing how her love has impacted her, she also highlights the qualities of her lover that make her so special.
King's song makes it clear that love can change even the most cynical person's perspective on the world. The lyrics suggest that before being loved, a person can be trapped in a limited mindset and unable to see the potential for happiness and love in the world. The overall meaning of this song is that the love of another person has the power to completely transform one's life, generating feelings of hope, understanding, and possibility.
Line by Line Meaning
You light up my life
You bring so much joy and positivity to my life that it feels like you are lighting it up.
like sunrise in the morning
You make me feel like a new day has dawned and all things are possible, just like when the sun rises in the morning.
You make me believe anything is possible
Your presence fills me with such hope and optimism that I feel like I can achieve anything.
I didn't have a dream to my name
I didn't have any aspirations or goals for my life before I met you.
Darkness was mine, it was such a shame
I was consumed by sadness and negativity before you came into my life and brought me light.
But you came to light up my life
You entered my life and brought so much happiness and positivity that you illuminated my entire existence.
You brought me faith, and hope, and love, and light
Your presence in my life has brought me so many important things, like belief in myself, optimism, love, and happiness.
With your tender smile
Your gentle and caring expression fills me with so much warmth and love.
you brought me top the promise
Your presence in my life showed me that there is so much promise and opportunity outside of the mundane routines of life.
Of life outside a world of nine to five
You showed me that life is about more than just the daily grind of work and routine. There is beauty and excitement to be found outside of that.
and Sunday
Even on the one day a week where there is typically some joy and rest, you showed me that there is even more to life than that.
I didn't know how rich I could be
Before you came into my life, I had no idea how fulfilling and rich life could be with the right person by my side.
Until you gave your love to me
Your love brought me so much happiness and fulfillment that I had never known before.
Don't you see, you light up my life
I need you to understand how much your presence in my life means to me and how much joy you bring me every day.
You brought your sweet understanding
You have a way of understanding me that is incredibly special and valuable.
Like sun rays in my hazy sky
Your understanding is like a beam of sunlight that cuts through any confusion or uncertainty that I might feel.
If you hadn't opened up my eyes
Without your love and support, I might have missed out on the joys and fulfillment that I now experience in life.
Love would have passed me right on by
Without you, I might have never experienced the powerful love that you bring into my life.
I never knew how good I could feel
Before you came into my life, I had no idea how much happiness and joy I was missing out on.
Loving you's left me with nothing to conceal
Your love has brought me so much happiness and fulfillment that I have nothing to hide from you or anything else in my life.
Yeah.you really light up my life
You truly bring so much positivity and joy into my life every single day.
You give me faith, and hope, and love, and light
Your love and presence in my life bring me hope, positivity, faith in myself, and so much joy and happiness.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Carole King
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gisselle Carrillo
You light up my life
like sunrise in the morning
You make me believe anything is possible
I didn't have a dream to my name
Darkness was mine, it was such a shame
But you came to light up my life
You brought me faith, and hope,
and love, and light
With your tender smile
you brought me top the promise
Of life outside a world of nine to five
and Sunday
I didn't know how rich I could be
Until you gave your love to me
Don't you see, you light up my life
You give me faith, and hope,
and love, and light
You brought your sweet understanding
Like sun rays in my hazy sky
If you hadn't opened up my eyes
Love would have passed me right on by
I never knew how good I could feel
Loving you's left me with nothing to conceal
Yeah.you really light up my life
You give me faith, and hope,
and love, and light
Gisselle Carrillo
You light up my life
like sunrise in the morning
You make me believe anything is possible
I didn't have a dream to my name
Darkness was mine, it was such a shame
But you came to light up my life
You brought me faith, and hope,
and love, and light
With your tender smile
you brought me top the promise
Of life outside a world of nine to five
and Sunday
I didn't know how rich I could be
Until you gave your love to me
Don't you see, you light up my life
You give me faith, and hope,
and love, and light
You brought your sweet understanding
Like sun rays in my hazy sky
If you hadn't opened up my eyes
Love would have passed me right on by
I never knew how good I could feel
Loving you's left me with nothing to conceal
Yeah.you really light up my life
You give me faith, and hope,
and love, and light
Ana Campos
One of my favorites. Masterpiece.
She is a genius.
Rafaela Joana Shira Anshel
I adore this song. Thank you Carole Klein King for all your music....💖
kelvin6146
Wonderful voice n song👏😍
George Thomas Mendivil
Carole King "Queen"...God has provided Carole with God given talent. A beautiful woman inside and out 🙏👆🙌
Todd C. Wiggins
You've got a friend was a big hit, but this deserved just as much recognition as classic!
Karen Jordan
Always love Carole King's music.
FarmYardFlavours
fantasy is my favorite carole king album. this is awesome
Selita Jobe
Your my favorite part of each day with the lord thanks for all your prayers and listening to me in a hard times and good times amen!🙏❤🤟⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘
Todd Wiggins
Faaaabulous!