Flashback Soul: Carly Simon Says “You Belong to Me”
As soul/R&B increasingly occupied more of the charts in the 1970s, all manner of vocalists from other genres of music made a run at recording songs in that style, including Carly Simon, who earlier that decade had established herself as an acoustic folk/rock star with hits like “You’re So Vain” and “Anticipation,” among several others.
Carly first dipped her toes into R&B in 1976 with her graceful cover of “It Keeps You Running” by The Doobie Brothers, which failed to capture much attention; but she struck gold the second time, both literally and figuratively, with her cover of “You Belong to Me,” the first single from her 1978 album Boys in the Trees. Co-written by Simon and Michael McDonald and produced by Arif Mardin, the track reached # 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Simon was nominated for a Grammy for her performance. The track has since been covered by Anita Baker and Chaka Khan, but Carly’s remains the definitive version. Enjoy.
By Robb Patryk
