pmills1210's Full Review: No Secrets by Carly Simon
I remember the first time I saw the cover for Carly Simon's 1972 album, "No Secrets." I was just entering my teens, and my sister owned a vinyl copy of the album. The cover remains one of the more memorable ones I have ever seen. Simon is wearing light purple pants, a matching hat, and a blue top. It was clear then (and remains clear, even on my CD of the title) that Simon wasn't wearing anything underneath that top. She may have claimed no secrets as an album title and in her apparel, but the songs are full of secrets. It's not that the songs on "No Secrets" advocate against openness. The tracks were, in fact, very open about the good things young adults experience, and the nostalgia they sometimes feel about childhood. The main secret is that people like to make their lives seem better than they are, relegating any sort of negative feelings to the background when they're not at home.
Around that time, Simon had reason to feel particularly upbeat, for she had just married James Taylor. The opening track, "The Right Thing To Do," was the second single from the album, and inspired by the life she had begun with her fellow singer-songwriter. The mid-tempo, piano-driven ballad is as beautiful as song as I've heard from Simon -and one of my favorite love songs. She sings of love in its most unconditional form. It's about forgetting about the loves and other relationships that have gone wrong in the past and living in a here and now where life comes close to perfection. It's a tune of unbridled optimism, and a celebration that the days of dating have come to an end, as single life can make a person feel "a little too free." It's a love that promises to remain strong from one day to the next, and will have as much staying power as the partner wants.
Simon also tells stories about the past, and how the past can look better in hindsight. "The Carter Family" looks at a friend, a family member, and a lover who didn't always make life easy. Yet, they are missed because of that very quality, as well as the good times that they provided. "It Was So Easy" is a reminiscence about the games children play, and the way games too often become more difficult situations come adulthood. "Night Owl" is the only song Simon had no hand in writing. It's a song her husband wrote when he was a teenager in the band The Flying Machine. The song is about being so free and single, one lives by night and sleeps by day. It's about breaking away from the norms simply to be different. Still, the lyrics make it clear that any night owl needs a light in the darkness. This song is clearly the most uptempo, as the guitars and piano create an atmosphere of lively times following sunset.
The bulk of "No Secrets," though, is about romance, and growing to love a partner, in spite of their past and their faults. "When You Close Your Eyes" is the wish for sweet dreams, and to not forget that the best dreams happen as one lives life with a special someone. It's an assurance that the worries of the day no longer matter when sleep comes. "We Have No Secrets" shows a light humorous side to Simon as she talks about the openness of her love, yet adds that she wished she didn't know "some of those secrets of yours." At the end, she happily concedes that answers to questions don't necessarily answer her prayers. She knows no man will live up to every expectation of hers, but at least she has found someone willing to make some sort of effort.
That humor is on its biggest display with the album's first single. To this day, Simon remains secretive about the man who inspired her to write "You're So Vain." Whenever she is asked, Simon never names names, but sometimes she'll jokingly tell the interviewer that the song is about them. The song, most likely, is a composite of the men she had dated. Before Simon married Taylor, she was involved with a number of men, including Warren Beatty and Mick Jagger, who sings uncredited harmony vocals on the track. The man in her song wants to be the center of the universe and the king of all he surveys. Simon looks back on that man, and sees him as a buffoon. He is about himself, and is described in egotistical detail by Simon: "You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself gavotte." Simon chooses not to be bitter about the way they ended, as she has better things to do with her life. She just wishes her ex the best and hopes he finds his true happiness should he stop admiring his own image. The song struck a chord with listeners, and gave Simon her first #1 hit.
Vanity of any sort, however, would have to be put aside in 1997, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent successful surgery and treatment, which kept her away from recording for three years. She has recorded four albums since her diagnosis, including "This Kind Of Love" in 2008. "No Secrets," though, remains a highlight in Simon's career. In addition to the top-selling single, she scored her only #1 album when "No Secrets" topped the album charts early in 1973. The warmth of Simon's voice and Richard Perry's production emanates from every note of the ten tracks. These are the words and music of a performer riding on the wave of an unabashed emotional high. In her tone, Carly Simon may have kept some things secret, but she was searching for the answer to another secret. She wanted the secret to making the good feelings last for as long as they could. Part of the answer lies in this enduring album of songs and stories that capture some special moments and the optimism and positive feelings that accompany those moments.
Tracks: 1. The Right Thing To Do 2. The Carter Family 3. You're So Vain 4. His Friends Are More Than Fond Of Robin 5. We Have No Secrets 6. Embrace Me, You Child 7. Waited So Long 8. It Was So Easy 9. Night Owl 10. When You Close Your Eyes
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