Released November 28, 1972 Length 35:58 Artist Carly Simon Producer Richard Perry | Recorded September–October 1972 No Secrets
(1972) Hotcakes
(1974) Release date 28 November 1972 Label Elektra Records | |
 | ||
Studio Trident Studios;
(London, England) Genres Rock music, Pop music, Pop rock, Soft rock, Folk rock Similar Carly Simon albums, Rock music albums | ||
Carly simon the right thing to do for you jack
No Secrets is the third studio album by American singer and songwriter Carly Simon, released on November 28, 1972 by Elektra Records.
Contents
- Carly simon the right thing to do for you jack
- Carly simon 1972 recording no secrets in london
- Recording and packaging
- Reception
- Awards
- Track listing
- Side one
- Side two
- Personnel
- Additional personnel
- Production
- Songs
- References
The album was Simon's commercial breakthrough. It spent five weeks at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart and quickly went Gold, as did its lead single, "You're So Vain", which remained at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks, and topping on the Adult Contemporary chart for two weeks. 25 years after its initial release, the album was officially certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on December 12, 1997.
Carly simon 1972 recording no secrets in london
Recording and packaging
At the invitation of producer Richard Perry, Simon recorded the album at Trident Studios in London, where Perry was keen for Simon to work with engineer Robin Cable. Trident Studios had previously been the venue for the recording of notable albums including The Beatles' White Album, David Bowie's Space Oddity and Elton John's second album.
The photograph for the cover, taken by Ed Caraeff, was shot in front of the Portobello Hotel, on Stanley Gardens in London's Notting Hill.
Reception
Initial reviews for No Secrets were mixed to positive. Robert Christgau, writing in Creem, rated the album a B- and stated that "if a horse could sing in a monotone, the horse would sound like Carly Simon, only a horse wouldn't rhyme 'yacht', 'apricot', and 'gavotte'. Is that some kind of joke?" Stephen Holden in Rolling Stone concluded that "what finally makes No Secrets so refreshing is her singing, which conveys the finest spirit of patrician generosity."
More recent reviews have been much more positive. For example, AllMusic's William Ruhlmann gave the album four-and-a-half stars (out of five). Ruhlmann noted that "You're So Vain", "set the album's saucy tone, with its air of sexually frank autobiography and its reflections on the jet-set lifestyle." He also stated that "now that she felt she had found true love, she was as willing to acknowledge her own mistakes and regrets as she was to point fingers." He concluded that "Perry paid particular attention to Simon's vocals and gave her music a new pop/rock 'buoyancy that previous albums lacked'."
"You're So Vain" is ranked at number 72 on Billboard's Greatest Songs of All-Time. The song was also voted number 216 in RIAA's Songs of the Century. It remains Simon's biggest hit and is considered her signature song.
Awards
Grammy Awards
Track listing
All songs written by Carly Simon, unless otherwise noted.
Side one
- "The Right Thing to Do" – 2:57
- "The Carter Family" (Simon, Jacob Brackman) – 3:29
- "You're So Vain" – 4:17
- "His Friends Are More Than Fond of Robin" – 3:00
- "We Have No Secrets" – 3:57
Side two
- "Embrace Me, You Child" – 4:06
- "Waited So Long" – 4:14
- "It Was So Easy" (Simon, Brackman) – 3:06
- "Night Owl" (James Taylor) – 3:47
- "When You Close Your Eyes" (Simon, Bill Mernit) – 3:05
Personnel
Additional personnel
Production
Songs
1The Right Thing to Do3:00
2The Carter Family3:30
3You’re So Vain4:19