Another well-known version by James Taylor appears on his album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon.

Dozens of other artists have recorded the song over the years, including Dusty Springfield, Michael Jackson, Anne Murray, and Donny Hathaway.

[clarification needed] The song is on both albums; King said in a 1972 interview that she "didn't write it with James or anybody really specifically in mind.

[10] According to author James D. Perone, the song's themes include an expression of "a universal, sisterly/brotherly, agape-type love of one human being for another, regardless of gender.

"[11] The "reassuring" lyrics have long made the song popular with lonely people needing a boost of self-confidence.

[14] In his review of Tapestry, Rolling Stone critic Jon Landau called "You've Got a Friend" King's "most perfect new song".

[3] AllMusic critic Stewart Mason noted the "plainspoken intimacy" of King's performance,[16] writing that the "shyness" of her voice gives her recording a sincerity that he finds Taylor's to lack.

[16] In his review of Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon, Rolling Stone critic Ben Gerson called "You've Got a Friend" an "affirmative song" but suggested that Taylor's version was too similar to King's to have been worth including on his album.

[17] Music critic Maury Dean called Taylor's performance style on the song minimalist and folkish and noted his "star-spangled sincerity.

[40] A reviewer from Music Week gave it four out of five, declaring it as "a soulful cover", that "should have their usual specialist impact as well as crossover success.

"[42] Daisy & Havoc from the RM Dance Update named it "one of the best tracks on the recent BNH album (which either says something about their songwriting or our age), and now it appears with the compulsory remixes.

[54] It debuted at number one, only to be knocked off the top spot the following week by the unofficial Comic Relief single "Is This the Way to Amarillo", by Tony Christie and (mimed by) Peter Kay.

Her recording predates James Taylor's, but was shelved until 1999, when it was included as a bonus track on the 1999 Deluxe Edition of her first Atlantic album, Dusty in Memphis (which contains four Carole King compositions).

She then recorded the song on Tapestry Revisited: A Tribute to Carole King in 1995 alongside BeBe & CeCe Winans, and in 2010 as a duet with Ronald Isley on his album Mr.

[66] King, Celine Dion, Shania Twain, and Gloria Estefan performed "You've Got a Friend" at the VH1 Divas Live concert at the Beacon Theatre, New York, in 1998.

It was released as a promotional single in selected countries, reaching number 74 on the Belgian Flanders Airplay Chart on December 15, 1998.