No Secrets

No Secrets
Studio album by Carly Simon
Released	November 1972
Recorded	September–October 1972 at Trident Studios, London
Genre	Pop, Vocal
Length	37:23
Label	Elektra
Producer	Richard Perry
Carly Simon chronology
Anticipation (1971) No Secrets (1972) Hotcakes (1974)

No Secrets is pop/folk singer-songwriter Carly Simon's third studio album, released in 1972.

No Secrets was Simon's commercial breakthrough. The album spent five weeks at number 1 on the Billboard charts and quickly went Gold,^[1] as did its leadoff single, "You're So Vain", which remained at number 1 on the Pop charts for three weeks, and at number 1 on the Adult Contemporary charts for two weeks.^[2] 25 years after its initial release, the album was officially certified Platinum on December 12, 1997.^[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
Robert Christgau	B− [4]
Rolling Stone	(positive) [5]

Initial reviews for No Secrets were mixed mostly in an ironically positive vein. Robert Christgau, writing in Creem, rated the album only a B− and stated that "if a horse could sing in a monotone, the horse would sound like Carly Simon, only a horse wouldn't rhyme "yacht," "apricot," and "gavotte." Is that some kind of joke?"^[4] Stephen Holden in Rolling Stone was ironic in his praise concluding that "what finally makes No Secrets so refreshing is her singing, which conveys the finest spirit of patrician generosity."^[5]

A more recent review from Allmusic's William Ruhlmann along with a high rating reflects a more positive regard for the album. Ruhlmann noted that "You're So Vain" "set the album's saucy tone, with its air of sexually frank autobiography and its reflections on the jet-set lifestyle." He also stated that "now that she felt she had found true love, she was as willing to acknowledge her own mistakes and regrets as she was to point fingers." But even he concluded on the note that "Perry paid particular attention to Simon's vocals in a way that made her more engaging (or at least less grating) to listen to."^[3]

You're So Vain is ranked at #72 on Billboard's Greatest Songs of All-Time.^[6] The song was also voted #216 in RIAA's Songs of the Century. It remains Simon's biggest hit and is considered her signature song.

Awards

• 1973 Grammy (Nominated) Best Pop Female Vocalist: You're So Vain
• 1973 Grammy (Nominated) Song Of The Year: You're So Vain
• 1973 Grammy (Nominated) Record Of The Year (Single): You're So Vain
• 2004 Grammy Hall Of Fame (Inducted) You're So Vain - Pop Single

Track listing

All songs by Carly Simon unless otherwise noted.

Side one

1. "The Right Thing to Do" – 2:57
2. "The Carter Family" (Simon, Jacob Brackman) – 3:29
3. "You're So Vain" – 4:17
4. "His Friends Are More Than Fond of Robin" – 3:00
5. "We Have No Secrets" – 3:57

Side two

1. "Embrace Me, You Child" – 4:06
2. "Waited So Long" – 4:14
3. "It Was So Easy" (Simon, Brackman) – 3:06
4. "Night Owl" (James Taylor) – 3:47
5. "When You Close Your Eyes" (Simon, Bill Mernit) – 3:05

Personnel

• Carly Simon – acoustic guitar on 5 6 7 8, piano on 1 2 3 4 10, vocals, backing vocals on 1 7, string arrangements on 3, ARP synthesizer arrangements on 4
• Andy Newmark – drums on 1 2 6 8 10
• Jimmy Ryan – acoustic guitar on 2 3 4 5 10, bass on 1 10, electric guitar on 3 6 7 8 9
• Klaus Voormann – bass on 2 3 5 6 7 8 9

Additional personnel

• Paul Buckmaster – string arrangements on 10, woodwind arrangements on 10, synthesizer arrangements on 6 10, choir arrangement on 6, orchestration on 3 6
• Kirby Johnson – string arrangements on 2 5, woodwind arrangements on 2, electric piano on 5
• Ray Cooper – congas on 1 9
• Jim Gordon – drums on 3 5
• Nicky Hopkins – piano on 7 9
• Jim Keltner – drums on 7 9
• Paul Keough – acoustic guitar on 5 8
• Vicki Brown – backing vocals on 1
• Liza Strike – backing vocals on 1
• Richard Perry – percussion on 3
• David Hentschel – ARP synthesizer on 4
• Peter Robinson – piano on 6
• Lowell George – slide guitar on 7
• Bill Payne – organ on 7
• James Taylor – backing vocals on 7
• Bonnie Bramlett – backing vocals on 9
• Bobby Keys – tenor saxophone on 9
• Linda McCartney – backing vocals on 9
• Paul McCartney – backing vocals on 9
• Doris Troy – backing vocals on 9
• Mick Jagger – backing vocals (uncredited) on 3

Production

• Produced By Richard Perry
• Engineers: Robin Geoffrey Cable,
• Remixing: Robin Geoffrey Cable
• Mastering: Ted Jensen

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)^[7]

Album - Kent Music Report (Australia)

Singles - Billboard (North America)^[8]

Certifications

Notes