Torch (Carly Simon album)
Torch | ||||
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Studio album by Carly Simon | ||||
Released | August 1981 | |||
Studio | Power Station, New York City | |||
Genre | Traditional pop | |||
Length | 35:02 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Producer | Mike Mainieri | |||
Carly Simon chronology | ||||
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Singles from Torch | ||||
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Torch is the 10th studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Warner Bros. Records, in August 1981.
It was Simon's first album devoted to standards, namely torch songs, relating unrequited love or rejection. The album also features one Simon original, "From the Heart".[1] The album was recorded during her marriage breakup to James Taylor, which was announced shortly after the release of the album.
Reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Writing in Rolling Stone, Stephen Holden called the album "a gorgeous throwback", stating Simon's "magnificent alto, with its rough-and-tumble lows and wistful highs, has never sounded better." He singled out the track "Not a Day Goes By" as "Torch's moment of truth", a "big, direct ballad", and "Simon's vocal makes you feel each stab of pain." He concluded "though Torch may be too sophisticated to storm the charts, it's nevertheless a superb example of modern mood music, performed with grace, gusto, sensuality, and intelligence."[3]
In a retrospective review from AllMusic, William Ruhlmann similarly singled out the track "Not a Day Goes By", stating that Simon delivers it "with heartbreaking conviction."[2] Simon later included the track on her two-disc career spanning collection Anthology (2002).[4]
"Hurt" was released as the albums lead single; it just missed the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 106 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
"From the Heart" was included on Simon's 2015 career retrospective Songs From The Trees (A Musical Memoir Collection).[5]
Cover artwork
The man whose arm Simon is tugging on the cover is American actor Al Corley, known for playing Steven Carrington on the 1980s soap opera Dynasty. The photographer was Lynn Goldsmith.[6]
Track listing
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[7]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Blue of Blue" |
| 3:38 |
2. | "I'll Be Around" | Alec Wilder | 2:30 |
3. | "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" | 3:46 | |
4. | "I Get Along Without You Very Well" | Hoagy Carmichael | 3:23 |
5. | "Body and Soul" | 4:12 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Hurt" | 3:21 | |
2. | "From the Heart" | Simon | 2:47 |
3. | "Spring Is Here" | 3:02 | |
4. | "Pretty Strange" | 2:59 | |
5. | "What Shall We Do with the Child" |
| 2:44 |
6. | "Not a Day Goes By (from the Broadway show Merrily We Roll Along)" | Stephen Sondheim | 2:40 |
Total length: | 35:02 |
Notes
- ^a signifies a writer by additional lyrics
Personnel
Musicians
- Carly Simon – lead vocals
- Warren Bernhardt – acoustic piano (1, 3, 5–9, 11), synthesizers (4), arrangements (8)
- Mike Mainieri – arrangements (1–7, 9, 10, 11), acoustic piano (4), vibraphone (5), marimba (10)
- Hugh McCracken – guitar (1, 2, 6), acoustic guitar (7)
- Lee Ritenour – guitar (2, 3, 9)
- Jay Berliner – classical guitar (10)
- Anthony Jackson – bass guitar (1, 3, 6, 9)
- Eddie Gomez – acoustic bass (5)
- Rick Marotta – drums (1, 3, 9)
- Grady Tate – drums (5)
- Jerry Marotta – drums (6)
- David Sanborn – alto saxophone (1, 3)
- Phil Woods – alto saxophone (5)
- Michael Brecker – tenor saxophone (6)
- Randy Brecker – trumpet solo (9)
- David Nadien – violin solo (8)
- Don Sebesky – orchestration arrangements (1, 9, 11)
- Robert L. Freedman – orchestration arrangements (2)
- Marty Paich – orchestration arrangements (3, 4, 5, 8)
Production
- Producer – Mike Mainieri
- Production Coordination – Christine Martin
- Engineer – Scott Litt
- Second Engineer – Garry Rindfuss
- Mixing – Scott Litt (Tracks 1–7, 9, 10 & 11); Tony Bongiovi (Track 6).
- Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk (New York, NY).
- Art Direction – Bill Gerber and Simon Levy
- Design – Bill Gerber
- Photography – Lynn Goldsmith
Charts
Album – Billboard (United States)[8]
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1981 | Billboard 200 | 50 |
Album – International
Year | Country | Position |
---|---|---|
1981 | Australia[9] | 77 |
Canada[10] | 50 | |
Japan[11] | 56 |
Singles - Billboard (United States)[8]
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|---|
1981 | "Hurt" | Hot 100 | 106 |
References
- ^ "From The Heart lyrics". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
- ^ a b Ruhlmann, William. "Torch". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
- ^ a b Holden, Stephen (December 10, 1981). "Torch". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 25, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
- ^ "Anthology". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
- ^ "Songs from the Trees". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ "Carly Simon, Torch by Lynn Goldsmith". San Francisco Art Exchange. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
- ^ Torch (booklet). Carly Simon. Warner Bros. 1981.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b "Carly Simon – Chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
- ^ David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "CAN Charts > Carly Simon". RPM. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
External links
- Carly Simon's Official Website
- v
- t
- e
- Carly Simon
- Anticipation
- No Secrets
- Hotcakes
- Playing Possum
- Another Passenger
- Boys in the Trees
- Spy
- Come Upstairs
- Torch
- Hello Big Man
- Spoiled Girl
- Coming Around Again
- My Romance
- Have You Seen Me Lately
- Letters Never Sent
- Film Noir
- The Bedroom Tapes
- Moonlight Serenade
- Into White
- This Kind of Love
- Never Been Gone
- The Best of Carly Simon
- Clouds in My Coffee
- The Very Best of Carly Simon: Nobody Does It Better
- Anthology
- Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits
- Carly Simon Collector's Edition
- Original Album Series
- Playlist: The Very Best of Carly Simon
- Songs from the Trees (A Musical Memoir Collection)
- These Are the Good Old Days: The Carly Simon and Jac Holzman Story
- Greatest Hits Live
- Live at Grand Central
- Working Girl
- This Is My Life (Music from the Motion Picture)
- Piglet's Big Movie (soundtrack)
- The Best of Pooh and Heffalumps, Too
- No Nukes: The Muse Concerts for a Non-Nuclear Future
- In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record
- In Harmony 2
- Romulus Hunt: A Family Opera
- Live from Martha's Vineyard
- Carly in Concert – My Romance
- Live at Grand Central
- A Moonlight Serenade on the Queen Mary 2
- "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be"
- "Anticipation"
- "Legend in Your Own Time"
- "You're So Vain"
- "The Right Thing to Do"
- "Mockingbird"
- "Haven't Got Time for the Pain"
- "Attitude Dancing"
- "Waterfall"
- "It Keeps You Runnin'"
- "Half a Chance"
- "Nobody Does It Better"
- "You Belong to Me"
- "Devoted to You"
- "Vengeance"
- "Jesse"
- "Hurt"
- "Why"
- "Kissing with Confidence"
- "You Know What to Do"
- "Tired of Being Blonde"
- "My New Boyfriend"
- "Coming Around Again"
- "Give Me All Night"
- "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of"
- "All I Want Is You"
- "Let the River Run"
- "Better Not Tell Her"
- "Love of My Life"
- "Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)"
- "Let It Snow"
- "Angel from Montgomery"
- "We Have No Secrets"
- "Night Owl"
- "You Can Close Your Eyes"
- "When Manhattan Was a Maiden"
- Meet the Simon Sisters
- Cuddlebug
- The Simon Sisters Sing the Lobster Quadrille and Other Songs for Children
- Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod: The Kapp Recordings
- Boys in the Trees: A Memoir
- Touched by the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie
- Richard Simon (father)
- Andrea Heinemann Simon (mother)
- George Simon (uncle)
- Joanna Simon (sister)
- Lucy Simon (sister)
- James Taylor (ex-husband)
- Sally Taylor (daughter)