Carly Simon Biography

Carly Simon was born in New York City in 1945, to rather famous parents; her father was the co-founder of Simon & Schuster and a gifted pianist, and her mother was a talented vocalist. Needless to say, both parents influenced Carly’s love of music and attraction to the arts.

Carly Simon began her music career with her sister, and the Simon Sisters even had a hit in 1964 with the single “Winkin’ Blinkin’ and Nod.” In 1971, Carly’s self-titled debut album was released, and featured her first immediate hit, “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be.” Anticipation followed, earning Simon a Grammy for Best New Artist, and No Secrets came next in 1972.

A string of successful albums and singles followed: Top Ten Hotcakes (1974), Playing Possum (1975), and Another Passenger (1976), featuring the hit singles "You're So Vain," "Mockingbird," "Haven't Got Time for the Pain," and "Attitude Dancing.” Then, in 1977, Carly Simon recorded the theme song for The Spy Who Loved Men, “Nobody Does it Better,” which became one of the biggest hits of her career. Boys in the Trees (1978), Spy (1979), Come Upstairs (1980),  Torch (1981), Hello Big Man (1983), and Spoiled Girl (1985) followed with the hits "You Belong to Me," "Devoted to You," “Jesse,” and "Why," before Carly Simon returned with another hit movie theme, this time “Coming Around Again” from the movie Heartburn. She followed up with another hit movie theme, “Let the River Run” from Working Girl (1988.) The albums My Romance and Have You Seen Me Lately? followed in 1990, and then Carly Simon scored the film This is My Life (1992.) Letters Never Sent and Clouds in My Coffee came in 1995, and then in 2000, Simon released The Bedroom Tapes.

The second half of the millennium’s first decade saw Moonlight Serenade (2005), Into White (2006), This Kind of Love (2008), and Never Been Gone (2009.) In 2010, Carly Simon performed in the UK for the first time, coinciding with the release of her album from the previous year. She also appeared on BBC Breakfast and The One Show to further promote the album. Most recently, Simon performed alongside Taylor Swift, singing “You’re So Vain” with the artist while on her Red Tour in 2013.

Carly Simon’s career has garnered her Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture. She has earned both an Academy Award and Golden Globe for “Let the River Run,” and she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994. Carly Simon continues to write, record, and perform, and her classic hits continue to delight her fans with constant airplay. Carly Simon’s autobiography, Boys in the Trees: A Memoir, arrived in 2015.