According to the PBS "American Masters" special on Carole King, the writing of "Pleasant Valley Sunday" significantly increased tensions in the Goffin/King relationship.

For those who don't know- ignore this is you do, of course- Gerry Goffin, who was married to Carole King, wrote all the lyrics to their songs and King was the tunesmith- a pattern followed through the rest of King's songwriting career, in which she worked with a lyricist on every song.

When this song was written, Goffin & King were living in the suburbs themselves. King seemed to be quite happy with this, but Goffin was chafing at all the things people chafe about regarding suburban life.

Carole King took the lyrics of "Pleasant Valley Sunday", therefore, as something of a personal attack by Gerry Goffin on her preference for living in the suburbs at that point. Their personal relationship, which had been fraying for several years by then, ended in divorce not long after the writing of this song- though they still occasionally collaborated as songwriters off and on until Goffin's death- a good example of this was Goffin's lyrics for "Smackwater Jack" on King's breakthrough solo album, Tapestry.