Carole King wrote “You’ve Got a Friend,” and James Taylor made the song widely popular with his 1971 version.

Quick Scoop

  • Original songwriter: Carole King.
  • Most famous early hit version: James Taylor’s cover, released in 1971, which became the best-known rendition and reached No. 1 in the U.S.
  • Later notable version: Donny Hathaway also made a celebrated recording of the song.

TL;DR: Carole King created it, but James Taylor is the artist who made it popular with mainstream audiences.