"Beautiful" is a song written by Carole King that was first released on her 1971 award-winning album Tapestry. It has also been covered by other artists, such as Barbra Streisand and Richard Marx, and included on several of King's live albums. It was also used as the title song of the 2014 Broadway musical Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Lyrics and music According to King, she did not consciously attempt to write "Beautiful" but it came to her spontaneously. It stemmed from her realization while riding the New York City Subway that the way she perceived others reflected how she herself felt. She has also stated that because it came to her spontaneously, she initially didn't realize some of the professional details of the song, such as the lack of rhyme in the refrain, which if she was writing the song consciously she would have included. Rolling Stone Magazine critic Jon Landau describes "Beautiful" as an "uptempo song." The lyrics reflect themes present throughout the Tapestry album, such as the importance of self-esteem and positive outlook. Within the song, beauty is defined not as an attractive outward appearance but as inner beauty. In the verses of the song, the singer sings about the unhappy people she sees around her. The message is emphasized by setting the verses in a minor key and to a straightforward rhythm and singing at a relatively low pitch. The refrain, describes the need for optimism and self-esteem in order to be successful, and is reinforced by being set in a major key and to a syncopated rhythm and at a higher pitch. Instrumentation for "Beautiful" includes King playing piano and synthesizer, Charles Larkey on bass guitar, Joel O'Brien on drums and Danny Kortchmar on conga drums. Author James Perone praises the song as "great sleeper track" but criticizes the use of the synthesizer, which although not prominent he believes sounds synthetic, detracting from the song's emphasis on being real. Rolling Stone Album Guide critic Mark Coleman states that King's performance "rescues 'Beautiful' from the sentimental deep end." Personnel Carole King – piano, synthesizer, vocals Additional musicians Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar – electric guitar, congas Charles "Charlie" Larkey – bass guitar Joel O'Brien – drums Other releases A live version of "Beautiful" was included on King's 1994 album In Concert. Another live version, recorded on June 18, 1971 at Carnegie Hall, was released on King's 1996 album