Carly Simon
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Year:
2022
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Inducted by:
Sara Bareilles
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Category:
Performers
In the early 1970s, singer-songwriter Carly Simon emerged as a gifted storyteller and lyricist who broke established narratives, writing exquisite songs about modern women’s lives. Her confessional balladry, gorgeous melodies, and catchy choruses made her a captivating voice among a new generation of singer-songwriters.
Sara Bareilles Inducts Carly Simon
at the 2022 Induction Ceremony-
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Sara Bareilles Inducts Carly Simon00:03:10 -
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Carly Simon Acceptance Speech read by Sara Bareilles00:00:48 -
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Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better" performed by Sara Bareilles00:02:08 -
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Carly Simon's "You’re So Vain" performed by Olivia Rodrigo00:04:31
HALL OF FAME ESSAY
2022
Over twenty years ago, a television host introduced Carly Simon with such words as “exploded onto the charts” and “one of the most prolific singer-songwriters.” Simon shunned those descriptions, calling them too hyperbolic. Her rejection of such praise is a significant clue as to who she really is. More importantly, it reveals her great creative gift, which is consummate honesty.
Simon’s musical gift of creative honesty began almost as a parable on how an impediment can be transformed into magical artistry. When she was around 8, she developed an intense stutter. In her 2015 memoir, Boys in the Trees, she recalled that “if up until that point words and life were easy, and limitless, my stammer made me aware that life could also be tough. There was very little it would not affect about me.”
