Carly Simon Biography

Singer and songwriter Carly Simon’s career rests on the hit songs she had in the early 1970s, including “Anticipation” and “You’re So Vain.” The daughter of publisher Richard Simon (of Simon & Schuster), she and her sister had an act in the 1960s and released two albums. Then Simon was signed to Elektra Records in 1970, and her first album produced the Top Ten hit “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be.” Her second album, Anticipation (1972) included the title track and “You’re So Vain,” staples of adult-oriented pop radio ever since. As a celebrity, she was known for long hair and floppy hats, and boyfriends that included Mick Jagger and Warren Beatty. Simon was married to singer James Taylor from 1972 to 1983, during which time the pair sang duets (“Mockingbird”) and had a famously tumultuous relationship.

Although her records haven’t always topped the charts, she’s had hits and critical praise along the way, including the James Bond theme “Nobody Does It Better” (from 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me) and the Oscar-winning “Let the River Run” (from 1988’s Working Girl). She’s been nominated for more than a dozen Grammys, and the song “You’re So Vain” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004. Her other hit songs include “Haven’t Got Time For the Pain,” “Legend in Your Own Time,” “You Belong to Me” and “Coming Around Again” (from the 1986 movie Heartburn).