So Far Away (Carole King song)

“So Far Away” is a song written by Carole King, which appeared on her 1971 album Tapestry. The recording features James Taylor on acoustic guitar. In addition to Taylor, and King on piano, instruments include Russ Kunkel on drums, Charles Larkey on bass guitar and Curtis Amy on flute.

The lyrics express longing for a lover who is far away. But Allmusic critic Bill Janovitz notes that while the lyrics start by focusing on the physical distance between the lovers, the lyrics use that as a jumping-off point to explore emotional distance between lovers as well. Rolling Stone stated King's "warm, earnest singing" on the song brought out the song's sadness. Cash Box said of it that "Carole weaves a magnificent ballad spun of soft, melodic phrasing and soothing piano accompaniment topped off with the superb Lou Adler production touch." Record World called it a "finely crafted cut". In 2017, Paste ranked the song number four on their list of the 12 greatest Carole King songs, and in 2022, American Songwriter ranked the song number two on their list of the 10 greatest Carole King songs. It was performed at Amy Winehouse's funeral by friends and family as it was one of Winehouses's favorite songs.

Personnel

 * Carole King – piano, vocals
 * Curtis Amy – flute
 * Russ Kunkel – drums
 * Charles "Charlie" Larkey – bass guitar
 * James Taylor – acoustic guitar

Notable covers

 * In 1995, Rod Stewart's cover of the song was included on the tribute album Tapestry Revisited: A Tribute to Carole King. In the US, it was released as a single and peaked at #2 on the AC chart. It reached #4 on the Canadian AC chart. "So Far Away" was later included on his 1996 ballad compilation album If We Fall in Love Tonight.

Weekly charts

 * Carole King original
 * Rod Stewart cover

Certifications

 * Carole King original