Carly Simon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carly Simon
Simon in 1972
Born	Carly Elisabeth Simon (1943-06-25) June 25, 1943 (age 81) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Singer musician songwriter memoirist author
Years active	1963–present
Spouse(s)	James Taylor ​ ​ (m. 1972; div. 1983)​ James Hart ​ ​ (m. 1987; div. 2007)​
Children	2, including Sally Taylor
Parents	Richard L. Simon (father) Andrea Heinemann Simon (mother)
Relatives	Joanna Simon (sister) Lucy Simon (sister) George T. Simon (uncle)
Musical career
Genres	Soft rock pop rock folk
Instruments	Vocals guitar piano
Labels	Elektra Warner Bros. Epic Arista Rhino Columbia Hear Music Iris
Signature

Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter, and author. She became famous in the 1970s with many hit songs. Some of her most popular songs include "You're So Vain" (which hit No. 1), "Nobody Does It Better" (from the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me), and "Mockingbird" (a duet with James Taylor). She has also written two books about her life and five books for children.

Carly started her music career in 1963 with her sister Lucy Simon in a group called the Simon Sisters. They had a small hit song called "Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod." After her sister left the group, Carly became a very successful solo artist. Her first solo album in 1971 won her a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Her second album, Anticipation, was also a big success.

She became internationally famous with her third album, No Secrets (1972). This album included "You're So Vain," which was a worldwide hit. Carly Simon has won many awards, including two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

Carly Simon's Early Life

Carly Simon was born in New York City on June 25, 1943. Her father, Richard L. Simon, helped start the famous publishing company Simon & Schuster. He was also a classical pianist. Her mother, Andrea, was a singer and worked for civil rights. Carly grew up with two older sisters, Joanna and Lucy, and a younger brother, Peter. All of her siblings have sadly passed away from cancer.

When Carly was eight, she started to stutter a lot. A doctor tried to help her, but it didn't work. Instead, Carly found that she could sing and write songs without stuttering. She also has dyslexia, which she believes helped her songwriting. She said her song "Anticipation" felt like it came to her easily, "bypassing the mind." Carly went to Riverdale Country School and later studied at Sarah Lawrence College and Juilliard School of Music.

Carly Simon's Music Career

Starting with The Simon Sisters

Carly Simon in 1971

Carly began her music journey with her sister Lucy as the Simon Sisters. They sang together, with Lucy singing high notes and Carly singing lower ones. They appeared on TV in 1963 and released two albums. Their song "Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod" was a small hit. They made one more album for children in 1969.

Carly also worked with a band called Elephant's Memory for about six months. She didn't enjoy playing in smoky clubs and often lost her voice, so she left the band. In 1968, she met Jacob Brackman, who became a close friend and helped her write many songs.

Becoming a Solo Star

In 1970, Carly Simon signed with Elektra Records. Her first solo album, Carly Simon, came out in 1971. It reached No. 30 on the music charts. The album included her first big hit, "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be," which reached No. 10. This success led her to win a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Critics praised her voice and the way her songs were arranged.

Her second album, Anticipation, was released later in 1971. It also reached No. 30 on the charts. The song "Anticipation" became a big hit, reaching No. 13. Carly wrote this song in just 15 minutes while waiting for singer Cat Stevens for a date. The album was well-received, with one critic calling the title track "a spirited examination of the tensions involved in a burgeoning romantic situation."

International Fame with "You're So Vain"

Carly Simon in 1972

Carly Simon had her biggest success in 1972 with the song "You're So Vain." It reached No. 1 in the U.S. and sold over a million copies. This song helped her album, No Secrets, stay at No. 1 on the charts for five weeks. The album later became Platinum, meaning it sold over a million copies. "You're So Vain" was nominated for three Grammy Awards.

For over 40 years, the person the song is about was a big mystery. The famous line "You're so vain/I bet you think this song is about you" made everyone wonder. Carly hinted that it might be about several people. In 2015, she finally said that the second verse is about actor Warren Beatty. She added that the rest of the song refers to two other men she hasn't named.

Her next hit single, "The Right Thing to Do," was a love song for her husband at the time, James Taylor. It reached No. 17 on the Pop chart. In 1974, Carly released the album Hotcakes, which quickly became a hit. It reached No. 3 on the charts and included two Top 10 songs: "Mockingbird" (a duet with James Taylor) and "Haven't Got Time for the Pain."

Continued Success and Film Music

Carly's albums Playing Possum (1975) and Another Passenger (1976) continued her success. Playing Possum reached the Top 10 and had a hit song called "Attitude Dancing." Soon after, her first greatest hits album, The Best of Carly Simon, became her best-selling record, selling over three million copies.

Carly Simon and James Taylor performing together in 1975.

In 1977, Carly sang "Nobody Does It Better" for the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me. This song became a huge worldwide hit and was nominated for a Grammy. It's often considered one of the best Bond theme songs. Carly started singing more songs for movies in the 1980s. One of these was "Coming Around Again" for the film Heartburn (1986). The album Coming Around Again was also very popular.

In 1988, Carly Simon won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Grammy Award for her song "Let the River Run" from the movie Working Girl. She was the first artist to win all three major awards for a song she wrote and performed herself.

Later Career and Memoirs

Carly Simon with her Oscar in 1989.

In the 1990s, Carly released more albums, including My Romance (1990), which featured classic songs, and Have You Seen Me Lately (1990), with new original music. She also continued to write music for films like This Is My Life (1992). In 1993, she created an opera for younger people called Romulus Hunt.

In 1994, Carly released Letters Never Sent, an album based on old letters she had written but never mailed. Two songs, "Like A River" and "Touched by the Sun," were written for her mother and friend Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who both passed away from cancer that year.

In 1995, Carly surprised commuters with a performance at Grand Central Terminal in New York, which was filmed for TV. She also released a three-disc collection of her songs called Clouds in My Coffee, covering her career from 1965 to 1995.

Carly was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997 and had surgery and chemotherapy. She recovered well. In 2000, she released The Bedroom Tapes, an album of new songs written while she was recovering. In 2001, she collaborated with Janet Jackson on the song "Son of a Gun," which used parts of "You're So Vain."

She also recorded a Christmas album, Christmas Is Almost Here, in 2002. In the early 2000s, Carly wrote songs for Disney's Winnie the Pooh movies. Her 2004 greatest hits album, Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits, was very successful. In 2005, her album of classic songs, Moonlight Serenade, reached No. 7 on the charts, her first Top 10 album in many years.

In 2007, she released Into White, an album of soothing songs and lullabies, which also did well on the charts. Her 2008 album, This Kind of Love, featured all new songs and was another success. In 2009, she released Never Been Gone, which had acoustic versions of her hits and some new songs.

In 2015, Carly published her memoir, Boys in the Trees: A Memoir, which tells her life story up to 1983. A music collection called Songs from the Trees (A Musical Memoir Collection) was released with the book. In 2019, she released a second memoir, Touched by the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie, about her friendship with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

In 2022, Carly Simon was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She was unable to attend the ceremony, but Sara Bareilles and Olivia Rodrigo performed her songs in tribute.

Carly Simon's Personal Life

Carly Simon married fellow singer-songwriter James Taylor on November 3, 1972. They had two children, Sally (born 1974) and Benjamin "Ben" (born 1977), who are also musicians. Carly and James divorced in 1983. She later married James Hart in 1987, and they divorced in 2007.

Carly has faced health challenges, including breast cancer in 1997. She has also been open about having osteopenia, a condition that affects bone density. Carly has been close friends with James Taylor's brother, Livingston Taylor, for many years, and they have performed together.

In 2022, Carly experienced personal tragedy when both of her sisters, Joanna and Lucy, passed away from cancer within a day of each other. Her brother, Peter, had also passed away from cancer in 2018.

Carly Simon's Achievements and Influence

Awards and Recognition

Carly Simon has received many awards throughout her career. She has won two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. She was also nominated for two BAFTA Awards for her film music.

In 1994, she was added to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1995, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Boston Music Awards. In 2022, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Billboard magazine ranked her among the greatest adult contemporary artists of all time in 2023.

Her song "You're So Vain" was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004. "Nobody Does It Better" and "Let the River Run" were listed among the top 100 songs in American cinema. "You're So Vain" has also been called the "ultimate song of the 1970s" by the UK Official Charts Company.

Impact on Other Artists

Carly Simon's songs have been covered by many other musicians, showing her lasting influence. Artists like Marilyn Manson and Taylor Swift have performed "You're So Vain." Taylor Swift even brought Carly Simon onstage to sing it with her in 2013, calling it "the best song that's ever been written."

Tori Amos has said that Carly Simon's song "Boys in the Trees" inspired her own songwriting. Carly Rae Jepsen also looks up to Carly Simon, admiring her honest songwriting and natural style. Clairo wrote that Carly Simon's music feels like she's "talking to me directly" and that her honesty makes her important. Sara Bareilles, who inducted Carly into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said she felt the "powerful impact of Carly Simon."

Discography

Filmography

Certifications

The years listed are when the albums and singles were first released.

Images for kids

• 

  Carly Simon in 1972

• 

  Carly Simon in a 1971 photo

• 

  Carly Simon in a 1972 press photo

• 

  Carly Simon and James Taylor in concert, 1975

• 

  Carly Simon in a 1978 publicity photo

• 

  Carly Simon with her Oscar in 1989

See also

In Spanish: Carly Simon para niños