Nov. 25, 2009 : Singer Carly Simon

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>> GOOD EVENING.
I'M JARED BOWEN.
WELCOME DO THE BEST OF CENTER
STAGE.
TONIGHT WE'LL REVISIT OUR
FAVORITE ARTS PROFILES AND
PERFORMANCES FEATURED ON
"GREATER BOSTON" THIS YEAR.
WE BEGIN WITH CARLY SIMON.
FOR HER LATEST CD, NEVER BEEN
GONE, THE FAMED SINGER HAS GONE
HOME.
FOR STARTERS SHE RECORDED THE
ALBUM AT HER MARTHA'S VINEYARD
ESTATE, WITH HER SON AS PRODUCER
AND DAUGHTER CONTRIBUTING
VOCALS.
THE CD IS FILLED WITH NEW
ARRANGEMENTS OF MANY OF HER OLD
HITS.
IT'S AN IDEA THAT GAVE HER
PAUSE, BUT SHE SAYS IN THE END
SHE FOUND JUST AS SHE'S CHANGED
SO TOO HAVE HER SONGS, STARTING
WITH "COMING AROUND AGAIN.
>> ß I KNOW NOTHING STAYS THE
SAME ßß
>> RHYTHM GOES OUT OF THE
ROMANCE.
WHEN IN LIFE THAT HAPPENS, YOU
HAVE TO REMEMBER TO BREATHE.
THERE'S A NEW MESSAGE.
YOU JUST HAVE TO REMEMBER TO
BREATHE, EVEN WHEN IT SEEMS TO
BE ALL SHATTERING.
>> ß ANTICIPATION ßß
>> IN HER NEW CD, "NEVER BEEN
GONE," CARLY SIMON HAS
REFASHIONED SOME OF HER BEST
KNOWN SONGS, NEW ARRANGEMENTS
FUELED BY NEW RECOLLECTIONS AND
EMOTIONS.
>> THIS ONE TICK PLACE ON
"ANTICIPATION," WHICH I
RERECORDED FOR THIS ALBUM, WHERE
ALL OF A SUDDEN I'M SINGING
"BECAUSE THESE ARE THE GOOD OLD
DAYS," AND I STOPPED SHORT AS I
WAS SINGING IT.
I THOUGHT, DROP OUT ALL THE REST
OF THE INSTRUMENTS.
>> ß 'CAUSE THESE ARE THE GOOD
OLD DAYS ßß
>> AND WHEREAS WHEN I HAD
WRITTEN IT ORIGINALLY IN 1972,
'71 ACTUALLY, IT WAS, YOU KNOW,
THESE ARE THE GOOD OLD DAYS!
NOW WHEN I'M SINGING IT, IT
FEELS AS IF YOU TURN OVER THE
HOURGLASS, AND THE HOURGLASS IS
NOW HEAVIER ON THE BOTTOM THAN
IT IS ON THE TOP.
AND THERE'S SOMETHING VERY
POIGNANT AND, YOU KNOW,
REMINDING MYSELF THAT MAYBE
THERE WILL ONLY BE ANOTHER 30
SPRINGS FOR ME.
>> SIMON'S SONGS HAVE ALWAYS
BEEN INCREDIBLY PERSONAL.
TRANSPARENCY, SHE CALLS IT.
>> I CAN'T NOT WRITE.
IT'S LIKE ONE OF THOSE THINGS
FOR ME THAT IS LIKE THE WAY I --
THE WAY I ALWAYS RUN UPSTAIRS.
I NEVER WALK UPSTAIRS.
I THINK I WAS BORN WITH A LEAKY
THING IN MY BRAIN, WHICH IS LIKE
A FAUCET, AND IT DRIPS MELODIES.
THEN EVERY DAY AT LEAST 50
TIMES, IF I CHOSE TO PAUSE AND
WRITE THEM DOWN, I WOULD HEAR
SOMEBODY SAYING SOMETHING THAT I
WANT TO USE IN THE SONG.
OR THAT'S A TITLE OF A SONG, AN
IDEA OF A SONG.
>> ß YOU'RE SO VAIN ßß
>> AN EXAMPLE OF THAT IS IN
"YOU'RE SO VAIN."
I HAD A NOTEBOOK, AND I WROTE
DOWN "YOU'RE SO VAIN, YOU
PROBABLY THINK THIS SONG IS
ABOUT" ONE DAY WHEN I THOUGHT OF
IT, YOU KNOW, IN 1970 OR
SOMETHING.
IT JUST SAT THERE.
I DIDN'T CONNECT ANYTHING TO IT.
THEN I WAS AT -- MAYBE A YEAR
LATER -- A PARTY, AND SOMEBODY
WALKED INTO THE PARTY, IN THE
FRONT DOOR, AND A FRIEND OF MINE
TURNED TO ME AND SAID, "DOESN'T
HE LOOK LIKE HE'S WALKING ON TO
THE YACHT?"
A COUPLE MONTHS AFTER THAT I WAS
ON A PLANE, AND SOMEBODY SITTING
NEXT TO ME SAID, LOOK, DOESN'T
IT LOOK LIKE THERE ARE CLOUDS IN
YOUR COFFEE?
THEN DOZING OFF ON THAT FLIGHT,
I SAID THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT LIKE
DREAMS, SO I BIT "I HAD DREAMS,
THEY WERE CLOUDS IN MY COFFEE."
HERE'S THREE UNATTACHED
SENTENCES, IDEAS, AND SO I
BEGAN -- I BEGAN TO CONNECT THE
DOTS.
BUT I WAS AT THE TIME WRITING A
SONG CALLED "BLESS YOU BEN."
THIS WAS WAY BEFORE MY SON BEN
WAS BORN.
BUT IT WAS --
>> ß BLESS YOU BEN
ß YOU CAME IN WHEN NOBODY ELSE
LEFT OFF
ß THERE I WAS ALL BY MYSELF
ß HIDING UP IN MY LOFT
ß TALK AND TROUBLE TOOK MY TIME
ß AND SINGING SOME SAD SONGS
ß I HAD SOME DREAMS THERE WERE
CLOUDS IN MY COFFEE ßß
SO I ADDED IT TO THAT.
I ADDED IT TO THE "BLESS YOU
BEN," WHICH I DIDN'T THINK WAS
GOING ANYWHERE.
THEN IT ALL BEGAN TO COME TO ME.
OKAY, THAT'S WHO AIT'S ABOUT.
THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. REALLY ABOUT.
>> ß YOU'RE SO VAIN
ß YOU PROBABLY THINK THIS SONG
IS ABOUT YOU
>> DOES IT CONFUSE YOU EVER, THE
QUESTION ABOUT WHO YOU WERE
WRITING THE SONG ABOUT?
>> IT IS BEMUSING.
IT IS UNFATHOMABLE TO ME THAT
PEOPLE WOULD BE INTERESTED TO
KNOW WHO THE SONG IS ABOUT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LISTEN TO
THIS VERSION YOU'LL PROBABLY BE
ABLE TO TELL.
>> REALLY?
>> UH-HUH.
>> SO FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN'T PICK
UP THE CLUE, DO YOU WANT TO HELP
A YOUNG JOURNALIST, HIS CAREER,
BY TELLING HIM WHO IT IS?
>> NO, BECAUSE IT'S VERY
OBVIOUS, BUT IF YOU DON'T KNOW
THAT IT'S THERE IT'S NOT OBVIOUS
AT ALL.
>> ßß
YOU'RE SO VAIN ßß
>> BECAUSE SIMON HAS, IN
ESSENCE, CIRCLED BACK TO THE
BEGINNING, IT'S NOT A SIGN THAT
RETIREMENT IS NEAR.
THE MELODY STILL FLOWS, SHE
SAYS.
>> THERE'S NOT ENOUGH TIME IN
THIS LIFETIME TO CONTINUE MAKING
ALBUMS, BUT I DON'T THINK I'LL
EVER STOP EVEN WHEN I SOUND LIKE
THAT.
I JUST WILL ALWAYS THE PROCESS
OF SINGING AND RECORDING AND
WRITING.