Carly Simon: Body and Soul
A Journey Through the Music and Career of a Legendary Singer-Songwriter
Carly Simon is one of the most successful and enduring singer-songwriters of our time. With a career spanning more than five decades, she has sold over 100 million records worldwide and won numerous awards, including two Grammy Awards and an Academy Award.
Simon’s music is known for its confessional lyrics, which often explore themes of love, loss, and heartbreak. She is also a gifted storyteller, and her songs often paint vivid pictures of her own life and experiences.
Early Life and Career
Carly Simon was born in New York City on June 25, 1945. Her father was Richard L. Simon, co-founder of the publishing house Simon & Schuster, and her mother was Andrea Heinemann Simon. Simon began playing the piano and singing at a young age, and she wrote her first song, “Winkin’, Blinkin’, and Nod,” when she was just 10 years old.
Simon attended Sarah Lawrence College, where she studied music and English. She began her professional music career in the early 1960s, when she signed a contract with Elektra Records. Her first album, Carly Simon, was released in 1971 and featured the hit singles “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be” and “Anticipation.”
Breakthrough Success
Simon’s breakthrough success came in 1972 with the release of her album No Secrets. The album featured the hit singles “You’re So Vain” and “The Right Thing to Do,” and it won Simon her first Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Simon continued to release successful albums throughout the 1970s, including Hotcakes (1974), Playing Possum (1975), and Another Passenger (1976). She also wrote the theme song for the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), which became one of her biggest hits.
Personal Life and Relationships
Simon has been married twice, first to James Taylor from 1972 to 1983 and then to Jim Hart from 1987 to 2007. She has two children, a son named Ben and a daughter named Sally.
Simon’s personal life has been the subject of much speculation and gossip over the years. She has been linked to a number of high-profile men, including Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, and David Geffen. However, Simon has always been private about her relationships, and she has never publicly confirmed or denied any of the rumors.
Later Career
Simon’s career continued to thrive in the 1980s and 1990s. She released a number of successful albums, including Come Upstairs (1980), Torch (1981), and Have You Seen Me Lately (1990). She also wrote the theme song for the film Working Girl (1988), which won her an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
In recent years, Simon has continued to tour and record music. She released her most recent album, Never Been Gone, in 2019. She has also written two memoirs, Boys in the Trees (1994) and Touchtone (2015).
Legacy
Carly Simon is one of the most successful and enduring singer-songwriters of our time. Her music has touched the lives of millions of people around the world, and she has inspired countless other artists. She is a true icon of the music industry, and her legacy will continue to live on for generations to come.
