Documentary on Gerry Goffin, Carole Kings Songwriting Partner and Ex-Husband, in Production

Publish date: 2024-08-17

It is a plight common to most professional songwriters: Everyone knows their songs, but few people know who they are.

And it’s hard to think of a more vivid example of that syndrome than Gerry Goffin, Carole King’s late ex-husband and longtime writing partner, who was responsible for the lyrics of such timeless songs as “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?,” “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman,” “Up on the Roof,” “The Loco-Motion,” “One Fine Day” and dozens more — he wrote the lyrics for a total of 114 Billboard Hot 100 hits for artists including Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Rod Stewart, Natalie Cole, James Taylor, Ray Charles, Whitney Houston, Kylie Minogue and of course, King (with whom he is pictured above, in the early 1960s).

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Goffin’s story will finally be told in “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?,” a documentary — named after his and King’s first-ever No. 1 hit, written in 1960 when he was 20 and she was 18 and famously recorded by the Shirelles.

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Produced by Primary Wave Music, Be Forward Productions and Storyvault Films (“Teddy Pendergrass: If You Don’t Know Me”, “Gary Numan Resurrection”), the film explores Goffin’s roots as a songwriter, his marriage and family life with Carole King, his social activism, and the many ups and downs of his career, which was marred by serious mental-health issues.

Indeed, their songs became legendary so quickly that early in the Beatles’ career, John Lennon punned, “We want to be the Goffin-King of England.”

In the doc, Goffin’s story is told through interviews with King, their daughters Louise and Sherry Goffin Kondor, his widow Michele Conaway Goffin, longtime manager Christine Russell, and notable collaborators and artists from his prolific career.  The 90-minute feature will be directed by Southan Morris, with Christine Russell, Sherry Kondor, Mara Burros Sandler, Sam Richards, Stuart Prebble, Larry Mestel, Robert Kraft and Natalia Nastaskin as executive producers. The production will have unprecedented access to Goffin’s music catalog and archive, including previously uncirculated music and footage.

Sherry Goffin Kondor said of the documentary, “So much has been made of my mom’s life story, but I find my father’s history equally fascinating. In spite of all the darkness that tormented him, he also had this beautiful inner light. I want people to see both.”

Christine Russell added, “I had the great fortune to work with Gerry for over 20 years.  Riding the wave of his mental illness was often erratic, but one thing that remained constant was his passion for songwriting and his love of the music business.  His life story is poignant and impactful and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to share it with this documentary.”

“It is truly an honor to be part of this filmmaking team which will take a deep dive into the life and times of a songwriter whose music is the soundtrack of the lives and loves of millions of people around the world,” said Natalia Nastaskin, Chief Content Officer at Primary Wave Music.

“So many of us have danced, or tapped our feet, or sang along to Gerry Goffin’s brilliant lyrics over so many decades – and yet we know next to nothing about him,” said Stuart Prebble of Storyvault Films. He went on, “The chance to discover and tell his story, and give him some of the credit he deserves, feels like a privilege for all of us.”

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