Carly Simon Songs Ranked
Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children’s author. She first rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include “Anticipation” (No. 13), “You Belong to Me” (No. 6), “Coming Around Again” (No. 18), and her four Gold-certified singles “Jesse” (No. 11), “Mockingbird” (No. 5, a duet with James Taylor), “You’re So Vain” (No. 1), and “Nobody Does It Better” (No. 2) from the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. Over the course of her career, Simon has amassed 24 Billboard Hot 100 charting singles, 28 Billboard Adult Contemporary charting singles, and won 2 Grammy Awards, from 14 nominations. AllMusic called her “one of the quintessential singer-songwriters of the ’70s”. She has a contralto vocal range and has cited Odetta as a significant influence. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994. In 1995 and 1998, respectively, she received the Boston Music Awards Lifetime Achievement and a Berklee College of Music Honorary Doctor of Music Degree. She was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for “You’re So Vain” in 2004 and awarded the ASCAP Founders Award in 2012. Here are all of Carly Simon’s songs ranked.
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20. Legend in Your Own Time (Anticipation, 1971)
“Carly takes another pop at an inflated ego, this time one in the music business by the sound of things, rumoured at the time to be Cat Stevens. Her withering delivery is borne on desultory acoustic guitar strummings but although it brightens up a little and has its moments it’s not in the class of “You’re So Vain”, probably to the relief of Mr Stevens, I don’t doubt.”
19. The Right Thing to Do (No Secrets, 1972)
“A flowing, indeed glowing, love song to her then husband James Taylor (it didn’t last) by Carly Simon. From the tumbling piano intro, it swings along easily in a typically lush and layered Richard Perry, discreetly adding elements as it goes. Not sure what James would have made of that line about his former lovers driving him crazy, given his earlier history of mental illness but either I’m reading too much into a possibly throwaway line or he was okay with it”
18. Vengeance (Spy, 1979)
“Not a new work at all, obviously, but I recalled it the other day and decided to download it since I always liked it. Frankly I don’t understand why it is not more popular; while it is not happy like some other Carly Simon standards, or melancholy like others, it is somewhat similar in style. I would love to hear this song covered by someone, like maybe The Band Perry, in the somewhat edgier style of ‘Done’.”
17. Better Not Tell Her (Have You Seen Me Lately, 1990)
“When I heard this song for the first time they played it non-stop on the radio and I forgot about it but then I looked up the words online and found it again…I can’t get enough of it.”
See more: Carly Simon Albums Ranked
16. Attitude Dancing (Playing Possum, 1975)
“Attitude Dancing” is a well-produced mid-70’s pop song with a heavy soul influence, so it’s basically right up my alley. It starts to get a little half-assed towards the end, but the good lyrics coupled with Simon’s hypnotic voice makes the single a winner. I’m still stunned by how this was randomly selected!”
15. Tired of Being Blonde (Spoiled Girl, 1985)
“I’m hit and miss with Carly Simon and this song and others on the LP might have been the last ones appealing to me and is where she and I parted company. Just tossed two of her more recent LPs than the one this is on.”
14. All I Want is You (Coming Around Again, 1987)
“Probably could have made better use of some of those metaphors. But maybe earns a point for being kind of goofy by late ’80s adult contemporary standards.”
13. Jesse (Come Upstairs, 1980)
“Jesse tells a story that will be appreciated by any woman who’s ever loved a bad boy and couldn’t kick the habit, in spite of her better judgment!”
12. The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of (Coming Around Again, 1987)
“Love this song. The words are like poetry. They remind you to be thankful for all the blessings in your life. A beautiful song! The lady is a legend. Always loved her music and she’s one of those artist that will always be a classic.”
11. Give Me All Night (Coming Around Again, 1987)
“I like this song Give Me All Night because it is direct and easy to listen to. I would recommend this song to anyone who is a fan of Carly Simon’s music.”
10. Haven’t Got Time for the Pain (Hotcakes, 1974)
“Carly’s in love again on this sunny number with a verse whose melody echoes the Beatles’ “Fool On The Hill”, an uplifting chorus and a killer strings outro orchestrated by the excellent Paul Buckmaster who’d done similarly stellar work earlier with Elton John (“Tumbleweed Connection” and more), the Stones (“Moonlight Mile”, “Sway”) and indeed Simon’s own “You’re So Vain”. He almost deserves a co-write credit here, he so elevates the end result but it’s a good song just the same.”
9. You Belong to Me (Boys in the Trees, 1978)
“Carly Simon’s version of this song, co-written, as if you couldn’t tell, with Michael McDonald (and three others!) was actually recorded after the Doobie Brothers version the year before but became a top 10 hit Stateside helped by a lush Arif Mardin production and Simon’s plaintive vocal. David Sanborn contributes a de-facto saxophone solo just as you’d expect.”
8. Mockingbird (Hotcakes, 1974)
“Carly and hubby James have a rocking good time reviving the old Charles and Inez Fox hit in a production which is the epitome of L.A. laidback A.O.R. right down to the inevitable sax solo. I still like it though, although it goes on too long after the final chorus.”
7. Let the River Run (Working Girl, 1988)
“This is my go-to song for pumping myself up and also releasing stress. Singing along at the top of my lungs during my commute feels amazing. Thank you Carly Simon!!”
See more: Thomas Rhett Albums Ranked
6. Nobody Does It Better (The Spy Who Loved Me, 1977)
“Classy Bond number written by Broadway composer Marvin Hamlisch with lyrics by Carole Bayer-Sager for the 1977 Roger Moore-starring “The Spy Who Loved Me” feature. That’s the one with the breathtaking opening sequence where James escapes his skiing pursuers by executing a sky-dive off an Alpine mountain with his Union Jack parachute billowing above him. Picture that and the immediately following tinkling piano intro here and you’re right into the movie as voice-for-hire Carly Simon adoringly delivers Bayer-Sager’s pithy lyric (there’s not much doubt as to what the “it” in the title refers) and she even gets the distinctly unmusical movie title in there too somehow.”
5. You Know What to Do (Hello Big Man, 1983)
“The songs are surprisingly literate and sharp, but the backing and production are wearying — this is when synths start taking over. Really, a good remix might add another star to my rating.”
4. Anticipation (Anticipation, 1971)
“Anticipation works as a great follow-up to Carly Simon by continuing the soft rock style that she started with and expanding on it. The production here is much better than her debut and her abilities as a songwriter are ever-improving.”
3. That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be (Carly Simon, 1971)
“In which Carly ponders her impending marriage with her insistent fiancé by recollecting her observations on the failed and failing marriages of her parents and college friends. Her heart tells her no but she gives in to peer pressure at the last gasp in a song that seems to go against the emerging woman’s lib viewpoint of the day. Written a bit later I wonder if she’d change that last line. Regardless of which, the song has a lovely if delicate melody and production and a nicely pitched vocal encompassing the singer’s confusion and ultimate obeisance to society’s expectations of her.”
2. Coming Around Again (Coming Around Again, 1987)
“Surprisingly good, considering Simon hadn’t done anything relevant in years and by most accounts it should probably not be anything more than a throwaway late ’80s soft rock track. Instead, the strong melody and vocal performance carry it straight to the top of the 1986 Adult Contemporary totem pole.”
1. You’re So Vain (No Secrets, 1972)
“I tend to like songs that are resplendent with imagery and meta-contextual, this is a good example of both, becoming such an appeal that it’s self-referential meta-ness could be about almost anything of your choice and thus universal in it’s mockery of naivete. Far more so than then, music of the now has become a vehicle for personal grievances and vanity projects, becoming also a vehicle for paranoia and pettiness, like a prediction of the future, a Warholian testimony to the world of sound where everyone thinks at least one song surely must be about them. But you’re just vain.”
