You've Got A Friend

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Every once in a while, the family would make a trip to visit our maternal second aunt and her family at Jalan Khairuddin at Opera Estate, Singapore. What was interesting about that house was the music selection our cousin enjoyed, and played while we were there. While we (already 12 and 10 years old at this time) had been exposed to music that our father played at our Bedok kampong house with his LPs (33 1/3 rpm) and EPs (45rpm) vinyls, we heard different kinds of songs from her. Bread, America, Sergio Mendes, Carole King – unfamiliar sounds to us at that time. 

But on this day in 1973 it was to celebrate our cousin’s 21st birthday. To us boys it was a loud party! She and her friends were dancing in the living hall which had its main light turned off with some psychedelic lights to create the atmosphere. No rock’n’roll by now and we distinctly heard them play “I Feel The Earth Move” (1971) by Carole King and “Smoke On The Water” (1972) by Deep Purple! But after the party was over and all the lights came on, she took out a vinyl and played a very soothing song by a singer named James Taylor with an equally soothing voice. First time we heard it and him,  and the song has stayed with us since then, more than 50 years since. “You’ve Got A Friend” (1971, written by Carole King) played gently and resounded all across the living room, now bathed in the usual night lamps. It has one of the best lyrics and is so meaningful, we decided to share this story with you.





Some of the other songs we heard that night!





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