I finish my list of holiday gems you may not know with this aptly titled number, written by Carly Simon and performed by her, son Ben Taylor and Sophie Hiller, I sure hope you have a wonderful Christmas wherever you are! xo
The original first appeared on the soundtrack for Nora Ephron's "This Is Your Life," a film that wasn't nearly as good as the ex-Mrs. Taylor's accompanying soundtrack, and was my Song of the Day in 2012.
By now I'm sure you've heard about the passing of Joanna and Lucy Simon, Carly Simon's two older sisters, both of cancer a day apart. There's something uniquely painful about losing a sibling -- your external memory drive is suddenly taken from you. Although both women lived long and fulfilling lives, it's never easy to say goodbye. A big hug to Carly, who I know must be reeling. xo
I have been on tenterhooks since the nominations were announced -- Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt and Carole King are already in -- so let me be the first to say congratulations to my girl Carly Simon on her long-overdue induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, along with other KIT212 faves Pat Benatar, Eurythmics, Dolly Parton and Duran Duran!
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its latest inductees on Wednesday: Eminem, Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Carly Simon, Lionel Richie and Pat Benatar will join the Cleveland institution’s pantheon at its 37th annual ceremony, scheduled for Nov. 5 in Los Angeles.
The class of 2022 embraces the musical diversity of pop, including artists that span many decades and genres, from rap to country. Eminem, a protégé of Dr. Dre, was the first rapper in U.S. history to release a year’s best-selling album (“The Eminem Show,” in 2002).
Ms. Parton is a godmother of modern country music, whose songwriting reflects her hardscrabble roots in East Tennessee. Carly Simon, famous for chart-topper “You’re So Vain” and other hits, is one of the most popular singer-songwriters of the early 1970s.
This year’s batch of inductees also nods to the 1980s. Duran Duran rode a new wave of dance-friendly, synthesized pop to global success, thanks partly to the fledgling MTV. The melodic new-wave duo Eurythmics (Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart) became karaoke fixtures with international hits like “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).”
Pat Benatar combined arena rock and pop hooks on the soaring anthem “Hit Me with Your Best Shot.” Five of this year’s seven inductees were nominated for the first time: Eminem, Duran Duran, Mr. Richie, Ms. Simon and Ms. Parton. Ms. Parton had initially rebuffed the nomination process -- saying she hadn’t earned it -- but recently changed her mind.
Read the incredible tale of Carly's Bond theme, with a dark twist HERE.
My face nearly hurt from smiling when I laid eyes on this glorious outtake from the iconic photo shoot for Carly Simon's "Anticipation," her sophomore album that came out in 1971 -- the same year as her debut. (They don't do that anymore, do they?!) Carly's career recently came up with a 60something female friend who kind of startled me by saying, "I like her. But not sure what quality would qualify her for Rock Hall of Fame?" Resisting the urge to respond with Madeline Albright's "special place in hell" quote, I instead wrote the following:
She was a huge influence on the confessional singer-songwriter genre, having popularized it to the top of the singles and album charts in 1972. Her longevity, writing some 25 solo albums plus film soundtracks, probably was a factor for the nod too. It's tricky because Linda Ronstadt [who was inducted in 2014.] was far more popular -- and I adore her too -- but doesn't write ... and I think writing is such a big deal. Who knows if she'll get in, though.
Then I heard from another 60something female friend who said yes -- and I felt a lot better.
Of course Carly belongs in the Rock Hall of Fame. (The Ronettes and Eddie Cochran are in with one album each, Buffalo Springfield with three and the Go-Go's with three plus one.) She's a trailblazer on many levels -- and each of her albums has at least two or three songs that I feel alone are legendary. "Anticipation" -- with its plaintive title track, haunting "Legend in Your Own Time," desperate "I've Got to Have You" and today's Broadway-esque song of the day -- is no exception.
With Joni Mitchell and Carole King already in, you can imagine how thrilled I was to see Carly Simon's name on the list of the latest nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. (Sorry, girls: nobody does it better.) The nod has already led to one incredible thing -- a video Carly shared on social media of the time artist Andy Warhol (1928-1987), Larry Rivers (1923-2002) and Marisol (1930-2016) each "did" her back in 1980, as she was promoting "Come Upstairs." (How have I never seen this?!)
The album ended up spawning the hit "Jesse," but the song used on the show "Omnibus" (hosted by Hal Holbrook) featuring the three artists' work was none other than "Take Me as I Am," which showcases the erstwhile Mrs. James Taylor at her quirky best.
Immediately thought of this one when my childhood neighbor informed me that she hadn't heard from her mother back in Phoenix in months (Mom's health is rapidly deteriorating and there's a messy stepfather situation) or her dad in a year a half.
"Those parts of my life are over," she wrote, in what felt like a kick in my stomach having known them as the picturesque family who lived behind us in the picturesque master-planned community of Dobson Ranch.
I've never been able to listen to this song without a box of tissues at the ready. But my friend's words reminded me that sometimes we say goodbye when someone dies, and sometimes before.
P.S. Only saw the clip for the first time yesterday. I'm glad I have my own associations of the song without the images it provides -- although I must say this hit me just as hard!
Sometimes a Song of the Day just lands in your lap.
Yesterday Carly Simon wrote:
Fifty years ago tonight I opened for Cat Stevens at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. It was the start of a beautiful friendship.
"Anticipation" was the lead single single from her 1971 album of the same name and is one of her biggest hits, peaking at No. 13 on the Billboard pop singles chart and at No. 3 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The song also ranked No. 72 on Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1972, and garnered Simon a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Female Vocalist.
Simon famously wrote "Anticipation" -- which was later used in a series of Heinz Ketchup commercials in the late '70s among other pop culture moments -- on the guitar in 15 minutes, as she awaited Cat Stevens to pick her up for a date.
In 2018, it was used in a teaser advertisement for the ABC series “The Conners.”
This one featured a young Corey Feldman!
The taste that's worth the wait.
Something tells me those Heinz commercials came about when the tax man came a-calling, as was the case when Carly sang this Beatles classic for a Sun Chips commercial in the 1980s! Her memoir about her friendship with Jackie O was fascinating for a number of reasons, not the least of which when she was extremely blunt about how much money she received as a Simon & Schuster heiress. Because her dad was marginalized after suffering a breakdown and was pushed out of the publishing empire he co-founded, there was much less money than most people would assume. And further complicating matters was that Carly's two older sisters and younger brother eventually pressured her to give up what money she was to inherit because she'd become "rich and famous," the former of which was less so because her stage fright prevented her from ever touring, the main source of income for most singers. Being extremely insecure and not thinking she deserved what success she achieved, Carly willingly signed away her inheritance to her siblings, and seems to have struggled financially ever since -- at least in the ways that people with estates on Martha's Vineyard(!) who are romantically involved with prominent surgeons "struggle" to make ends meet.
In what should be a surprise to no one, I was on yet another Carly Simon bender over the weekend -- this time fixated on 1985's "Spoiled Girl." (How funny to hear interviewers at the time stacking the 40-year-old singer/songwriter up against Cyndi Lauper and Madonna!) The album is an AOR masterpiece -- "Come Back Home," "Black Honeymoon" and "Can't Give It Up" compare with her best songs -- homing in on topics Carly knows well: love, lust, fame and infidelity. But reading the credits it jumped out at me that the first single was the one song she didn't write. At the time "Tired of Being Blonde" kind of struck as one of those tracks that gets shopped around to older singers who haven't had a hit lately -- think Debbie Harry's "French Kissing in the USA," which was penned by TV producer Chuck Lorre in an earlier life. But the lyrics are actually smarter than your typical hit factory product, so I wasn't entirely surprised to learn that it was written by Larry Raspberry, guitarist and co-vocalist of the Gentrys, who had a smash in 1965 with "Keep On Dancing," on which Larry happened sing lead. How a middle-aged man came up with something like "Tired of Being Blonde" is anybody's guess. But kudos to the A&R rep who got them together for a real sizzler, even if the record-buying public was too dumb to appreciate it.
Earlier this morning, my Song of the Day featured a brief Q&A with Billy Mernit, an acclaimed writer and musician whose compositions have been recorded by Carly Simon, Judy Collins and Cindy Bullens, among others. One thing led to another -- having provided the magical "Clouds in my coffee" line for "You're So Vain," he's his own version of "20 Feet From Stardom" -- and we wound up discussing a lot more than "When You Close Your Eyes," including book writing, Woody Allen movies, the 1980 cult classic "Times Square" and more. Read my full interview HERE.
This one is a most-unexpected number that was included on Morrissey's 2019 covers album, "California Son" -- the Smiths singer's rendition of "When You Close Your Eyes," a beloved album track Carly Simon wrote with Billy Mernit for "No Secrets" (1972). Carly is a prolific and autonomous songwriter, so I've always been intrigued by the rare songs on which she collaborated. ("You Belong to Me" was another, with Michael McDonald.) The Doobie Brother wasn't available, but lucky for me Mr. Mernit had some time to talk about today's SOTD:
KIT212: In 2019, Morrissey recorded an album of covers that included "When You Close Your Eyes," a song you wrote with Carly that appeared on her biggest studio album, "No Secrets." What do you remember about writing that song?
Billy Mernit: Carly and I used to like to sit at the piano and play four-handed, especially when we were writing together; you can hear us doing this on the track “Love Out in the Street” on the “Playing Possum” album. She had an entire first verse and chorus of “When You Close Your Eyes” written and we were working on additional lyrics for it. Really what the song lacked was a bridge. We played the chorus, and Carly said, “What we need here is a big surprise,” so I just banged my hands down on a different chord, and sang “Big surprise!...” and we both cracked up -- but it worked! That is exactly how the bridge begins on the record, and you can imagine how tickled I was to hear Richard Perry’s big string section come in there.
KIT212: When did you first learn of the Smiths singer's version and what did you think of it?
Billy Mernit: As for Morrissey’s cover, I was completely blindsided. I only found out about it when someone who’d done an “unofficial video” for the track sent it to me. I think it’s great; the tune really fits the crooner side of his voice, and the production’s sweet. What makes me laugh is that back in the day, some punk and New Wave musicians derided me for working with Carly, so the idea that “the Smiths’ lead singer” would cover our song is pretty hysterical. I guess if you live long enough
EDITOR'S NOTE: I had so many other questions for Billy -- who is also a teacher, novelist and has ties to the 1980 cult classic "Times Square" -- that the interview wound up being about more than this song. Read the full thing HERE.
I quite like Morrissey's take on the Carly classic, but not everyone agreed.
In his 2019 review of "California Son," Mark Kennedy wrote in the Boston Globs: Simon sings in service of ["When You Close Your Eyes"]; Morrissey is posing in front of it.
Ben Hewitt wrote for Pitchfork: Morrissey adds a dark surrealism to Carly Simon’s “When You Close Your Eyes,” too, crooning over its twinkling electronics and lush harps like an eerie figure from a children’s fairytale.
Jordan Bassett for NME: "When You Close Your Eyes" is merely forgettable.
Does someone want to try to explain to me how it took nearly 30 years for me to realize that Rosanne Cash provides the backing vocal on "Born to Break My Heart," a standout track on Carly Simon's 1994 album, "Letters Never Sent"? It's always been the most poignant and haunting part of the song, which of course makes perfect sense now. Hear for yourself:
Because of the pandemic, Damian and I can't keep our vintage-movie date night tradition alive this year. But we've still got each other -- and a library of choices to watch at home -- so I think we'll survive. Hope your day -- with or without Cupid's assistance -- is as sweet as mine! ❤️
It's been nice seeing Carly Simon get her moment as the music press celebrates the 50th anniversary of her debut album. The Guardian ranked her 20 best songs -- not bad, but I haven't got time for any list that doesn't include "Libby" or "You Belong to Me" -- and Billboard reveals why she skipped the Grammys the year she won for best new artist, which record exec slight hurt the most, why she needs to be spanked before going on stage and more. (And watch the party at Carly's HERE!)
I know most critics rank the former Mrs. James Taylor a distant third in the "Girls Like Us' trio of Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Carly Simon. But for this Michizona boy -- whose first music memories happened to be the year she ruled the charts with "No Secrets" and its singles, "You're So Vain" and "The Right Thing to Do" -- it's no secret Carly has always been my girl.
Whether she's being introspective ("That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be"), longing ("Anticipation," "Coming Back Home"), insecure ("We Have No Secrets," "Two Hot Girls [on a Hot Summer Night]"), hurt ("Why"), nurturing ("I Think I'm Gonna Have a Baby," "Love of My Life"), lustful ("Tranquillo [Melt My Heart]"), jealous ("Love Out in the Streets") spiteful ("Vengeance"), forgiving ("Jesse"), rose-eyed ("Hello Big Man," "Like a River"), wistful ("It Happens Everyday," "Coming Around Again"), anthemic ("Never Been Gone," "Let the River Run"), haughty ("Better Not Tell Her"), self-assured ("Take Me as I Am"), heartbroken ("Not a Day Goes By"), sentimental ("Someone Waits for You"), awestruck ("Stardust," "Touched by the Sun"). reflective ("Playing Possum," "We Just Got Here") or simply a girl in love ("Just Like You Do," "Tonight and Forever," "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of"), she knows what to do to me, better than all the rest.
Beautiful new photo on Instagram of Carly Simon, reminding me a bit of my mom in their septuagenarian frailness. Also just discovered this cute video she made in quarantine for an old song of hers from 1968.
P.S.
My Tori Amos-loving guy came across this (unintentionally) hilarious clip of Tori and Carly presenting the Grammy for best rock performance in 1995. The antiquated nominees -- during the height of the return of rock -- and the winner's reaction to the presenters (excited about one, dismissive of the other) are worth a view!
OK, confession time: Before his death I had never so much as heard the name John Prine. If you don't count anything after 2000, I think I have a fairly diverse knowledge of music. I know Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Jimmy Webb, John Hiatt and Greenwich/Barry, to name a few others known more for writing than performing. But to say I was thrown by the outpouring of love, respect and admiration for Prine is to put it mildly. After much digging, it turns out I do know one song of his, a good one that (ironically?) was omitted from an album I own. RIP.
Got quite a lively debate about Bond theme songs going on over on my Facebook page, but the most important thing I learned is this: Sophie Ellis-Baxter covered my favorite!
Thought it was fun that GQ decided to rank every Bond theme until I began to disagree with it so fervently. Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only" is near the bottom -- hell, Blondie's "For Your Eyes Only" is better than many of these! -- and Carly Simon's iconic "Nobody Does It Better" (from "The Spy Who Loved Me") barely made the Top 10.
If it were up to me, the latter would have been No. 1 and the former would have been Top 5. I agree with "Let and Let Die" by Wings at No. 2. But sorry, GQ: Shirley Bassey's "Goldfinger" is fabulous, but it still doesn't have a chorus. And I love Rita Coolidge's "All Time High"!
It's commonly accepted that Carly Simon had found a peaceful, happy place when she made 1974's platinum-selling "Hotcakes." That she'd evolved from her jet-setting lifestyle into one marked by domestic bliss thanks to her recent marriage to James Taylor and decision to have children and settle down. But as her "Boys in the Trees" memoir reveals, James was a distant husband from the get-go, wrapped up in his heroin addiction and womanizing ways. "Forever My Love" would prove to be a foreboding title, however, as Carly still pines for her true love to this day, as painfully outlined in her recent memoir about her friendship with Jackie O.
I read Carly Simon's "Touched by the Sun: My Friendship With Jackie" on the plane to Argentina and am still reeling. It's a slight book -- and is as much about her relationships with James Taylor and second hubby Jim Hart (who turned out to be gay) -- yet surely would have been her "Answered Prayers" if any of the principals were still with us. (That's the trick, Truman.) Its release is what has people revisiting the 1995 concert she did at Grand Central Terminal, as a posthumous favor to the former first lady who saved it from demolition. Carly wrote this song for her friend shortly before her death from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1994.
1. Patrick Rafter: Always the most likable and lickable player on the circuit, it only makes me want to be this Aussie...
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My blog is featured in Susan Olsen's tell-all about the ill-fated "Brady Bunch Variety Hour"!
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The Web leads to an unexpected return to a house I grew up in.
Oceans 11
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1983
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A Death in the Family
Little Larry left us too soon.
Once I Had a Love
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'Jungle' Fever
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Roger & Me
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My blog is featured in Susan Olsen's tell-all about the ill-fated "Brady Bunch Variety Hour"!
Growing up in Madison Heights, Mich.
The Web leads to an unexpected return to a house I grew up in.
Carlsbad, Calif. (2008)
Go Behind the Music of my high-school band, A La Plage
Little Larry left us too soon.
With Debbie Harry
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