Thirty seven Decembers ago, pop songstress Carly Simon tore up the record charts with her single "You're So Vain." The song captured the number-one slot on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Adult Contemporary charts, and to this day remains one of the most popular classic rock songs of all time.
from a Carly Simon press release, qed
― Euler, Saturday, 19 July 2014 19:51 (nine years ago) link
Yup: Billboard Hot 100 x Adult Contemporary.
― Doctor Casino, Saturday, 19 July 2014 20:38 (nine years ago) link
I've heard it on classic rock radio before, for sure.
― how's life, Saturday, 19 July 2014 20:52 (nine years ago) link
I never have, I don't think--which is not to say CR stations elsewhere don't play it. Great song, but it doesn't really fit my amorphous definition of CR; for one thing, my guess is it would have been considered pop by Creem readers at the time (as they lusted after Carly herself...).
― clemenza, Saturday, 19 July 2014 20:58 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, I think that's OTM. Singer-songwriter, not noted as an instrumentalist as such, James Taylor connection, other hits are all definite AM pop stuff, and...a girl?!! Feel like the deck woulda been stacked against her. I'm totally down with the idea that some CR stations could have gone with it though. It does basically rock, kinda. And it's undoubtedly classic.
― Doctor Casino, Saturday, 19 July 2014 21:03 (nine years ago) link
fwiw this was *precisely* why I didn't nominate any Carole King
― Ismael Klata, Saturday, 19 July 2014 21:17 (nine years ago) link
I would've voted for You're So Vain til the cows came home though
― Ismael Klata, Saturday, 19 July 2014 21:20 (nine years ago) link
yeah there's a lot of '70s soft rock that's borderline classic rock, and where you put the border is subjective. speaking of James Taylor, i definitely would've nominated "Fire And Rain" if i'd thought about it, although it's in that gray area where i doubt it would've gotten many votes.
― some dude, Saturday, 19 July 2014 21:28 (nine years ago) link
There will be a singer-songwriter poll one sweet day, and Kris Kristofferson will get the acclaim he deserves
― Ismael Klata, Saturday, 19 July 2014 21:36 (nine years ago) link
I heard "You're So Vain" on a car radio (*) the other day and the solo + 70s Stones subtext made me think it HAD to have been a CR staple, like in between "Beast of Burden" and "Rock and Roll Never Forgets"
(*) counterpoint: I was in Britain
― Euler, Saturday, 19 July 2014 21:42 (nine years ago) link
It could fit, musically, but, yeah, I don't hear it on CR radio, even though I hear it a tonne or other formats. Doesn't turn up on the couple all-time lists I checked.
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Saturday, 19 July 2014 21:50 (nine years ago) link
don't get me wrong, ysv wouldn't have made my first round of cuts itp.
― how's life, Saturday, 19 July 2014 22:06 (nine years ago) link
I've heard more Joni* than Carly on CR radio.
*Court and Spark singles.
― Incident At Spanish Harlem (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 19 July 2014 22:47 (nine years ago) link
tonne or other formats
"on other formats"
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Saturday, 19 July 2014 22:48 (nine years ago) link
Adult Contemporary at the time of You're So Vain would have meant the much less hip Easy Listening. Classic Rock at the time would have been AOR. Nice spin by Simon's publicist though.
― campreverb, Saturday, 19 July 2014 22:57 (nine years ago) link
Joni gets a lot of CR airplay here. It's hard to say how of that has to do with Cancon requirements. Absent that, she'd still have gender bias and the singer-songwriter tag to contend with, but not as much as King or Simon, probably. Think she was more accepted by the rock audience back then.
A singer-songwriter poll down the road with a window from about '68 to '72 would be great.
― clemenza, Saturday, 19 July 2014 23:20 (nine years ago) link
i was going to vote for Donovan's "Season of the Witch" but it was not nominated either.
― Bee OK, Sunday, 20 July 2014 00:10 (nine years ago) link
Really? I don't hear her much on CR. "Big Yellow Taxi" does turn up at #482 on the Q107 list.xpost
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Sunday, 20 July 2014 00:10 (nine years ago) link
yeah...the classic rock canon is funny, women were allowed in, but they had to rock pretty hard most of the time, whereas there's lots of mellow acoustic staples by the guys. some of the mellower Fleetwood Mac hits probably the most significant exception.
― some dude, Sunday, 20 July 2014 00:19 (nine years ago) link
I've been hearing the Court and Spark singles semi-regularly on Q-107 for years, Sund4r. I can only seem to find the 2007 list online, which has "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Raised on Robbery."
― clemenza, Sunday, 20 July 2014 00:26 (nine years ago) link
I can believe it. CHEZ has become pretty limited even compared to the Q, probably.
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Sunday, 20 July 2014 00:45 (nine years ago) link
I think Joni has more CR street cred via her Zeppelin endorsements over the years (plus more shared Zep DNA if you consider her influence on III and IV).
― Darin, Sunday, 20 July 2014 05:16 (nine years ago) link
^^Not to mention the CSNY connections.
― Incident At Spanish Harlem (C. Grisso/McCain), Sunday, 20 July 2014 05:24 (nine years ago) link
ICYMI, the results have begun: CLASSIC ROCK TRACKS POLL: THE RESULTS
― some dude, Sunday, 27 July 2014 18:30 (nine years ago) link