abusive relationship i would be out and you didn't. >> to me, it was shocking. i stayed. and i married him. >> how she turned her life around. and what was it really living with garth brooks. >> i get up in the morning and turn on the fog machine and he comes up to the floor with a he had seth bhoirk and he makes me announce, ladies and gentlemen, garth brooks. >> and only in america. the worst business decision of all-time. it cost one man $58 billion! this is "piers morgan tonight." the mayor of newark run into a burning building to save his neighbor. he talks to me about gun control, the trayvon mar tip case and what it's like to have everyone today calling you a superhero. and also tonight, my primetime exclusive, the original "natural woman" carol king, her rocky and roll live with and the abusive relationship behind the scenes. >> i wanted people to read this in that similar situation and to understand what it was that i was going through. >> what do you say to women who watch this or who read the book? who find themselves in that position? should they say with the man or should they always believe him if he, eyes them? >> leave! >> we begin tonight with the big story. the mayor said he's no superhero but new york's corey booker. mr. mayor,'re tremendous story that's emerged overnight. congratulations and thank you for your remarkable service to this neighbor of yours. take me back, if you will, to the moment you came home and realized what was happening next door? >> thanks, piers. i appreciate being on. when i arrived, two real hire ros, guys on my security detail had gotten to the house and alerted residents of the fire inside. they were able to get pretty much everybody out of the house. really, by acting quickly and thinking quickly. i got there as the last person coming down the steps and i went in and the mother was just saying to my daughter is still in the house, my daughter is still in the house so me and detective rodriguez went to the top of the steps and at that point something exploded and shot sparks and embers all over us and my security detail said you got to get out of here, mayor and we had a little bit of a back and forth and his job is to protect me and i appreciate that but we had a bit of a tussle and i said let me go or this person is going to die. and i'm grateful that he let me go and i just went through the kitchen which was on fire and i got into a back room and at that point things got kind of bad because the smoke i entered into was really thick. i couldn't see anything. i kwient locate anything and it looked like my exit was blocked. when fear and terror starts to sink in, almost as if by rescue, i heard her voice call out to me one more time, was able to find her, grabbed her up on my shoulder real quick and sprinted through the kitchen and that's where she sustained some injure riggs but we got out of the house and i feel lucky and blessed that she and i are here today. >> and she must feel even more fortunate and blessed that you did what you did. that was an incredible act of bravery. you said you don't feel heroic. you feel terrified. is that the reality when you get caught in a situation like that? >> once i convinced my detail to let me go and i saw how much the kitchen was ablaze i thought if i could punch through the kitchen i would be okay but i punched through and found myself in a position i keent get out of. i didn't feel very courageous. i felt a lot of fear bordering on terror and the first time in my life i didn't think i was going to make it because i couldn't breathend it looked like i couldn't get out through the kitchen and i couldn't find her. thank god, almost as if her voice helped me. she started telling me where she was. able able to find her, breathe in some more of the smoky air and then i just bolted through. she sustained injuries because things were dropping down from the ceiling which was on fire and mostly got on her exposed back and arms and the like and just on my hand but we were able to get out, really, tumble down the steps and i've never been more happy in my live with to touch the pavement. >> quite amazing. you're standing in front of your property and we're going to zoom, now, i think to you're left which is to where your neighbor lives. basically, it's gutted. it's a stone property. it doesn't seem likely from the outside but inside it's very badly damaged by the fire. were you friends with your neighbor? did you know each other well? >> yeah, very well. in fact, they're fantastic people. zita, the woman i carried out, she's like a big sister. on my toughest somedays she always found the right combination between teasing me and lifting me up. so i felt grateful that we were able to get them out and, frankly, it's neighborliness. if i was in the same situation these people would have done the same thing to help me out as well. >> the fire experts say that you almost certain live saved her life. what was the first thing she said to you when you got to safety? >> you know, first of all, i think we just wanted to breathe. when we got to the pavement, i was coughing up all the crap i inhaled and she was very, very disoriented and then, finally, somebody moved us away from the home and then very quickly people saw or heard she was injured and sat her down and took me some place to get oxygen. to this afternoon, i haven't talked to her. i talked to her mother a couple of times. she waited for me when i came home last night from the hospital. so you know, honestly, i feel the sense of gratitude like i've never felt before. i had one of those moments where you felt like you're staring your demise in the face. i feel a profound sense of gratitude to god. i feel like something got us out of that fire because it really felt like it was all over for me. i felt like which were trapped on all sides. >> is there any truth to rumors that you're thinking of wearing a cape now at work? >> you know, i appreciate it. that's way over the top, again, something i think over should do. if anything, my staff thinks i'm not as equipped to do my job because they think if i have to do firefighter negotiations that i'll give them everything they ask for because i have more of an appreciation for them than i ever had in my life. leaders always talk about the brave firefighters standing in the middle of a smoke-filled house, feeling the heat of the blaze, and being, frankly, as frightened as i've ever been and thinking i was going to die, i now have a respect for these men and women that do this on a weekly basis that i never had before. they are real heroes. i was very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time and frankly, got myself into a situation that very quickly i didn't think i could get myself out of. so with the grace of god, got me out and i now just want to give thanks to firefighters everywhere around this country. they do incredible things for people at their most vulnerable moments. >> i remember your heroic work in the big snow drifts about 15 months ago. i remember watching incredible admiration for what you've done. you're one of those guys, in britain we would say, he's in the trenches. mr. mayor, that's how i sum your of behavior up. >> i appreciate what people are saying. it's a little over the top. my real heroes last night were detective duran and rodriguez. they acted so quickly and varkted and got themself out of harm's way. >> that woman is incredibly lucky to be alive and i'm sure she'll reflect on that next time she talks to you. if we could move on and talk about the trayvon martin george zimmerman has been arrested and is in custody. what is your view, as a mayor of a big city in mark, of the "stand your ground" law? >> well, somebody that lives in the state of new jersey where we don't have such a law, i don't see that it's necessary. you don't have people not using deadly force for some reason where a law like that would have advantaged them. i'm suspicious of its need and i think it creates situations where a person can shoot first and not have to explain their behavior. but i want to say something. the gun battle in america is really out of control and very frustrating to me. this is a situation where i believe there was a deep injustice done and now it seems like the wheels of justice are working in the right way. swri no worried with law-abiding citizens in the state of new jersey with guns. we've only had one shooting the entire time since i've been here that was done by someone with a crime legally. the majority of crimes in newark are done by people that acquire illegal guns. we have a virginia tech every single day in this country. gun owners think certain laws should be changed. background checks at gun shows. like getting rid of the terrorist loophole. if i'm on the no-fly list in america and not safe enough to take a plane i can still go to a gun show and buy a gun or the fire sale loophole which means if i get shut down for the atf for not doing background checks i can take my entire inventory and sell it to whoever i want. gun owners and others agree, we should change these laws so i know there's a lot of focus on the "stand your ground" law but what infuriates me is the level of violence we have in america that's preventible. we can't even get together as a nation to do the obvious things that would keep guns out of the hands of criminals. >> mr. mayor, speaking a lot of sense and as always, a great pleasure to talk to you, not just about gun control but what you did last night. thank you again for that and it was really quite remarkable. i appreciate you coming on the show. >> piers, i appreciate you focusing on this topic. we have a tremendous amount of violence in our community and we need to talk to each not not yell at each other to solve these problems. we are more alike than what we disagree on so i appreciate you bringing these topics to the forefront and thanks for bringing your cameras to new jersey. >> i concur. as you showed last night it's time for less words and more action, generally, i think, on these issues. but again, corey booker. coming up, carol king tells all and her dog days and how she turned her life around. ♪ you make me feel like a ♪ you make me feel like a natural woman ♪ ♪ i can do anything ♪ i can do anything today ♪ i can go anywhere ♪ i can go anywhere today ♪ la la la la la la la [ male announcer ] dow solutions help millions of people by helping to make gluten free bread that doesn't taste gluten free. together, the elements of science and the human element can solve anything. solutionism. the new optimism. on december 21st polar shifts will reverse the earth's gravitational pull and hurtle us all into space. which would render retirement planning unnecessary. but say the sun rises on december 22nd, and you still need to retire. td ameritrade's investment consultants can help you build a plan that fits your life. we'll even throw in up to $600 when you open a new account or roll over an old 401(k). so who's in control now, mayans? ♪ you make me feel like a natural woman ♪ ♪ i feel the earth move under mee my feet ♪ ♪ i feel the sky tumbling down ♪ >> where would the history of rock n' roll be without that song "one fine day" all of them written by carole king, arguably with most successful rock n' roll woman on the history of planet earth. tapestry" was on the charts longer than all. she tells all in her fascinating new book "carole king" and the extraordinary carole king joins me now. welcome. >> and i want to add to your lovely introduction by saying that all those songs were cowritten with gerry goffin. >> behind every man is a better woman. the thing that fascinates me about this book is you've had these pivotal moments in your life and i suspect can you've had a life richer than others and i think the classic example is you were about to the tapestry and you were in california, everyone is going crazy for you and selling millions of albums and you suddenly say, no, i'm going to idaho. >> that was not after "tapestry." >> i was in '96. "tapestry" was 1971. my way of coping it and having a life, i love that you twigged right to that "having a life." the fame was swirling around me and i was living in laurel canyon and i was with charlie larkey, my second husband, my bass player as well. we had our first child together. i already had the two goffin daughters and i centered myself and my family. so i wasn't doing lots of interviews and going to lots of parties and doing whatever people who are famous are supposed to do. >> you didn't even go to the grammys to get the awards for tapestry. >> i did not. lou adler accepted them for me. >> so you had this amazing life in california and the sun is shining and you think, i'm going -- so "tapestry" would have sold 25 million copies by then. it was in the charts for four or five years. something ridiculous. >> it was the longest female album at the top of the charts until adele. she overtook that record and you know what? power to her, she's so wonderful. >> what did you think of that moment? >> i think it's great. i thought, how great. as i said, i'm 70. it's like, you know, time to pass the torch and to such a fine artist. and a lot less messed up up, than like amy winehouse. i didn't know that amy winehouse was a fine of mine. she recorded "will you love me tomorrow." >> she was a huge fan. >> my brother-in-law was her sax player. >> yes. >> really? >> yes. >> i know for a fact she was a big fan of yours. >> i just wished i could have reached out and said you don't need to do this but i'm sure many have tried and it's -- >> it was said about you that throughout the '70s when ump with money and not going to parties but you were hanging out with a lot of people who were living the life to excess. you were like, at the orgy but you were the one watching. kind of an overview. >> when i was -- not literally, of course. >> figuratively speaking. >> you preferred not to get involved in that stuff? >> yeah. there was the get back to the land sort of -- we laugh at that now in the austin powers movies and everything but i really did. >> this is why idaho is so crucial coming through in this book. you're at the height of your fame and you're making all this money and you go and uproot and live in idaho for three years and you live off the land. doing stuff as your friends at the time said to you, you can get people to do this. you can pay people. but you wanted to do it. to lead a life of often, freezing cold, no electricity, no televisions. >> snowed in all winter. teaching my own children and -- >> tell me what that was like, this life-changing time for you? >> it was an adventure. people say, why would you want to go do that? i met this man, rick sorenson who lived in a more remote place but sort of came together in this one place. and i thought of it as an adventure. and it was. it was remarkable adventure. my kids had a little harder time, my younger kids had a harder time because they didn't want to be there. i chose to be there. but in spite of that, they got so much out of it and the teaching was just totally fun for all of us. we did an accredited home schooling program. i was going to be a teacher before my career went in another direction. and it was just great. and the most important thing i taught my children was to love learning. and they're all readers and love learning and i now still live in idaho. i live in a place that is less remote and i have all the modern, you know, satellite tv and i get to watch you, live. >> what a require treat for you carol. we'll talk about men. you've had good times and not so good times? >> that's correct. >> we'll discuss it after the break. ♪ life was so unkind ♪ your love was the key to my piece of mind ♪ ♪ because you make me feel ♪ you make me feel ♪ you make me feel like a natural woman ♪ >> that might just be the greatest love song ever. it might be. >> first of all, i want to say thank you and second of all, title by jerry wexler and lyrics by gerry goffin so a man really wrote the lyrics. >> when you sang that song and you look back at yourself there, knowing now what happened to your life, what do you feel? >> i feel, first of all, i'm younger than all my daughters are now. and i was so young and i just feel good and then, of course, when charlie came on the screen, i was like, it's so hard. charlie and i are still friends. we still have a deep, abiding love for each other. we share children and grandchildren and i refer to that in the book as the unconventional success story, even though we're not still together in the conventional sense. >> you've been married four times now? >> yes. >> quite searing stuff in here about your marriage to rick -- >> there are two ricks. >> rick evers. >> this was your second husband? third husband? >> gerry goffin, charlie larkey, rick evers which is the one you'll talk about every now and then and rick sorensen. >> are you an romantic? >> yes. on your show you always say, have you ever been properly in love? every time. >> in your case it would be, how many dozen times have you been properly in love? did you marry every man you were properly in love with? >> no. the last two i didn't. >> if i could have trapped you on a dessert island with one man in your life you had a relationship with, who would it be? >> i don't know. i'm not with anybody now. that's kind of who i would be with is me. >> rick evers, he abused you and you talk very openly and directly about that in here. but you also make the point which i think many women say to themselves, if i ever got into that kind of abusive relationship i would be out, and you didn't. and you're very honest about that. tell me about the conflict that happens when you're strong about that and then it happens to you. >> the line is, i would never be with someone like that until i was. here's the more shocking point, i suppose. to me, it was shocking after the fact. i stayed. and i married him after i knew about this. >> why? >> again, hope springs eternal? but the dynamic ask really the answer. that hope sprang eternal. but the answer is not that simple and it's really difficult to, like, wrap -- it took a while to write it and i wasn't even sure i was going to include it in the book but the reason that i did is that i wanted people to read this in that similar situation and to understand what it was that i was going through. >> what do you say to women who watch this or who read the book? who find themselves in that position? should they stay with the man or should they always leave him if he abuses them? >> leave! >> just don't think it will change? >> no. >> because he won't? >> no. but again, i can't give advice to any person because i don't know her or his individual situation. but the thing i do put in the book after i tell all the process and it was really complicated. i can't just put it in a short bite bites but the important thing was to write it and communicate to people out there that if you're someone who is in that situation, get help. help is available. i have a box that says, you know -- and the other reason i did it is because i was successful. i was financially successful. i was famous. i was, you know, a capable, reasonably intelligent woman and all these things. >> you had no reason to stay. nothing grabs you to stay other than your emotions? >> exactly. i wasn't trapped. i could have left. i make that point in the book. >> and the book is most notable for its complete lack of bitterness or gossip. it's a soft book. a reflective book of someone that's had an amazing life in many ways. >> thank you forgetting that about me. i don't have bitterness. i get mad if somebody does this whole justice thing going on now, politics, things like that, make me mad and then i just kind of go -- what can i do about it? what can i change