Carly Simon “You Belong to Me”
K: Carly Simon. And… go.
A: There are a couple of things that pop into my head when I think about Carly Simon. I remember listening to “You're So Vain” when I was a kid. My dad had her album in his eclectic record collection that also included Black Sabbath, CCR, and “Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison.”
As I grew older, I learned to appreciate the joke Johnny Fever made in an episode of WKRP talking about going into the back to look at some Carly Simon album covers.
And as I got older still and started playing the song in the radio, I grew to truly appreciate what an incredible songwriter she was:
"You're so vain you probably think this song is about you."
Seems like such an obvious and simple lyric. But it's not. It's complicated and deep and real. Your turn.
K: “You Belong To Me” was my musical litmus test for the CJRN Saturday Morning Top 40 Countdown. It was a favourite on the CKGM Top 40 too — and it was a relief to hear the song in a similar position on the charts when we moved from Montreal to Niagara Falls in 1978. As important as it was back then, I appreciate the song a lot more 37 years later.
A: It had a slicker funkier feel to it than a lot of the stuff she was doing in the mid-seventies. Great bass lines. Great horns. How was it that this song became the standard that all others were measured?
K: It was important for gauging the radio station.
A: Beyond finding a good radio station, what do you remember the song meaning to you then?
K: Then it was a catchy romantic song. I think my 14 year old self heard the passion in the way she sang it.
A: Was it a ‘Carly Simon’ thing back then or did you recognize the song from the year before when it was a hit for The Doobie Brothers? (Michael McDonald co-wrote the song with Carly.)
K: The Doobie Brothers version was never on my radar. Still isn't. I love the song but it's the way Carly Simon’s version is produced that makes it stand out to me. Production value is something new to me. Until recently I wasn't consciously aware of liking or not liking a song because of the way it's produced. Listening to the last Fiona Apple release made me start thinking about it. I don't know if she used a different producer but to me, it sounded like she did. Listening to the free U2 release that found its way onto my iPhone, I felt like the production was superior to the songs themselves.
A: Is Carly a one hit wonder to your ears?
K: Not at all. “Coming Around Again” is another favorite. “Better Not Tell Her” is a huge fav.
A: What is it about her? Her writing? Her voice? Her style? Her smile? The people she worked with like ex-husband James Taylor?
K: Yes. I can even listen to the songs that don't blow my hair back as much because of her voice and her style.
A: Describe her voice. Describe her style.
K: Sexy. Sultry. Smoky. Sincere. Sophisticated. Sensual. I'm running out of S-words.
A: Simon?
