Beautiful

When Carole King composed Beautiful, she didn't consciously set out to write it. The idea came to her spontaneously while traveling on the New York subway. She realized that the way she perceived others revealed a lot about her own state of mind. In fact, because it came so naturally, she didn't notice certain structural details at first, such as the absence of rhyme in the chorus, something she would have included if she had been crafting it more deliberately.

The piece, described as a more upbeat track, explores recurring themes on the album Tapestry, such as the importance of self-esteem and a positive outlook. Beauty, as presented in the lyrics, is not about a pleasing external appearance but an internal quality. In the verses, the narrator observes the people around her with unhappy expressions. This message is reinforced musically: the verses are in a minor key, with a straightforward rhythm and a vocal performance in a lower register. In contrast, the chorus, which speaks of the need for optimism and confidence to achieve success, rises into a major key, with a syncopated rhythm and a higher-pitched voice.

On the original recording of Beautiful, Carole King plays piano and synthesizer. The bass line is handled by Charles Larkey, drums are performed by Joel O'Brien, and Danny Kortchmar adds congas. The song was recorded at A&M studio in Hollywood, California, with Hank Cicalo as recording engineer and Lou Adler producing. The album Tapestry, released on February 10, 1971, became a landmark, winning four Grammy Awards in 1972, including Album of the Year. The album Tapestry itself remained on the charts in the United States for over six years, a record for a solo artist at the time.

Beautiful has been performed by other artists over time. Barbra Streisand included it as the opening track on her 1971 album, Barbra Joan Streisand. Later, in 1995, Richard Marx covered it for the tribute album Tapestry Revisited: A Tribute to Carole King. It can also be found on various live recordings by Carole King, including her 1994 album In Concert and a memorable performance at Carnegie Hall recorded on June 18, 1971, which was released on the album Carnegie Hall Concert: June 18, 1971 in 1996. More recently, the song was given new life as part of the 2014 Broadway musical cast, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.