Come Upstairs
Studio album by
Carly Simon
ReleasedJune 16, 1980
RecordedOctober 1979 – May 1980
StudioPower Station, New York City
GenreRock
Length38:56
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerMike Mainieri
Carly Simon chronology
Spy
(1979)		 Come Upstairs
(1980)		 Torch
(1981)
Singles from Come Upstairs
  1. "Jesse"
    Released: 1980
  2. "Take Me As I Am"
    Released: 1980

Come Upstairs is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Warner Bros. Records on June 16, 1980.

It was the first of her three albums for Warner Bros. and it has a harder, more rock-oriented sound than her previous albums.[1] Whereas those earlier records were prime examples of the singer-songwriter genre, with soft-rocking arrangements primarily built around piano and/or acoustic guitar accompaniment, Come Upstairs uses electric guitars and synthesizers prominently. The album was a commercial success; it reached No. 36 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for eight months.[2]

The first single released from the album was "Jesse", an acoustic ballad that was more in the style of Simon's earlier work rather than an example of her new sound. "Jesse" became a major hit, remaining on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for over six months, peaking at No. 11,[2] and was certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of more than 1,000,000 copies in the United States alone.[3] It also reached No. 12 in Canada,[4] and No. 4 in Australia, becoming Simon's biggest hit there since "You're So Vain" in 1973.[5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]

AllMusic reviewer William Ruhlmann retrospectively called "Jesse" the album's highlight and declared it "Simon's best-written pop/rock song since 'You're So Vain' and a Top Ten hit to boot." He additionally singled out the title track as "frisky and seductive", referred to "Take Me as I Am" as "an upbeat raver", and compared the track "Them" to the band Devo. Ruhlmann stated "Simon's emotions were unusually close to the surface throughout, 'James' was a final plea to her soon-to-depart husband, and 'In Pain' was the brutal cry of someone who sounded like she was."[6]

Reviewing the single "Jesse", Billboard wrote that "the melody is simple yet powerful, the words are complex and Simon's voice has never been better. She croons an enriching country-ish melody which perks up at the end with the addition of electric guitar, and complements it with a sensitive story."[7] Cash Box said that the song "embodies the push and pull of love, the ailment and the cure - the person we try to resist but cannot."[8]

Reviewing the single "Take Me As I Am", Record World said that "Carly is distraught over a lover with a wandering heart" and praised the hook.[9] The magazine also called the title track a "saucy invitation [that] is full of lyrical nocturnal delights."[10]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[11]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Come Upstairs"Carly Simon4:18
2."Stardust"Simon4:13
3."Them"Simon3:44
4."Jesse"Simon4:15
5."James"Simon2:28
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."In Pain"
6:10
2."The Three Of Us in the Dark"Simon4:14
3."Take Me As I Am"
4:50
4."The Desert"Simon4:44
Total length:38:56

Personnel

Musicians

  • Carly Simon – lead vocals, backing vocals (1–4, 7, 8, 9), acoustic guitar (4)
  • Billy Mernit – electric piano (1, 9)
  • Mike Mainieri – acoustic piano (1, 5, 7, 8, 9), Oberheim synthesizer (1), Prophet-5 (2), Oberheim OB-X (2), Yamaha CS30 (3), backing vocals (3), synthesizers (8, 9), marimba (9)
  • Ed Walsh – Oberheim OB-X (1), synthesizer programming (1, 8), Oberheim 8 Voice (2)
  • Ken Landrum – Prophet-5 (1)
  • Larry Fast – synthesizers (3)
  • Don Grolnick – acoustic piano (4, 6)
  • Pete Hewlett – electric guitar (1, 2, 3, 6), backing vocals (3, 4), acoustic guitar (4, 8)
  • Sid McGinnis – lead guitar (1, 2, 3), guitar solo (2, 6), backing vocals (3, 4), electric slide guitar (4), electric guitar (7, 8, 9), acoustic guitar (9), 12-string guitar (9)
  • Tony Levin – bass guitar (1–4, 6, 7, 8), fretless bass (5, 9)
  • Steve Gadd – drums (1)
  • Rick Marotta – drums (2–9)
  • Jerry Grossman – cello (5)
  • James Taylor – backing vocals (2, 3, 4)
  • Mariah Aguiar – backing vocals (3)
  • Christine Martin – backing vocals (3)
  • Laraine Newman – backing vocals (3)
  • Hugh Taylor – backing vocals (3, 4)
  • Alex Taylor – backing vocals (3, 4)
  • Sally Taylor – backing vocals (4)
  • Gail Boggs – backing vocals (4)

Production

  • Producer – Mike Mainieri
  • Production Coordination – Christine Martin
  • Engineered and Mixed by Scott Litt
  • Assistant Engineers – James Farber, Jeff Hendrickson, Lucy Laurie and Raymond Willard.
  • Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk (New York, NY).
  • Art Direction – Peter Whorf
  • Design – Bill Gerber
  • Photography – Mick Rock
  • Hand Lettering – Susan Turner

Charts

Album – Billboard (United States)[2]

Year Chart Position
1980 Billboard 200 36

Album – International

Year Country Position
1980 Australia[5] 43
1980 Canada[4] 86

Singles – Billboard (United States)[2]

Year Single Chart Position
1980 "Jesse" Adult Contemporary 8
Hot 100 11
"Take Me As I Am" 102

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Come Upstairs". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Carly Simon – Chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  3. ↑ "American certifications – Carly Simon". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "CAN Charts > Carly Simon". RPM. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  5. 1 2 David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. 1 2 Ruhlmann, William. "Come Upstairs". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 22, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
  7. ↑ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. July 26, 1980. p. 70. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  8. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. July 26, 1980. p. 13. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. November 29, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. March 21, 1981. p. 12. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  11. ↑ Come Upstairs (booklet). Carly Simon. Warner Bros. 1980.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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