Been To Canaan - Carole King (1973) 10/15/21

When Carole King released her 4th album, "Rhymes and Reasons" in late 1972, the lead single, "Been to Canaan," confused critics and fans alike.

As '72 crossed into '73, and the song climbed to #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart, some people were convinced the song was a Biblical metaphor.

After all, Carole was (is) Jewish, and in the Old Testament, Canaan was a large area of the Middle East that the Israelites believed was The Promised Land. (Today, the area includes Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine, as well as parts of Jordan and Syria). With that in mind, it was a pretty straightforward metaphor: Carole had been to The Promised Land and wanted to go back.

But not so fast. It's also true that Carole once lived in Canaan, Connecticut! And then there's THIS lyric: "Oh I want to be there in the wintertime With a fireplace burning to warm me And you to hold me when it's stormy..."

Climate wise, that seems to fit New England quite a bit more than the Middle East. So who knows? Maybe Carole just wanted to go home. Or maybe Connecticut is today's Promised Land! :-) "Been to Canaan" by Carole King: A "Great Song of the '70s!