Film Noir is the 17th studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Arista Records, on September 16, 1997.
| Film Noir | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 16, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1996–7 New York City | |||
| Studio | Right Track Studios, The Warehouse, Clinton Studios and National Edison (New York, NY); Snowbound Sound (Pawling, NY); Capitol Studios (Hollywood, CA). | |||
| Genre | Standards | |||
| Length | 42:26 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Producer | Carly Simon, Jimmy Webb and Arif Mardin | |||
| Carly Simon chronology | ||||
| ||||
It is Simon's third album devoted to standards,[1] following Torch (1981) and My Romance (1990). Jimmy Webb co-produced the album and contributed his vocals, orchestration and piano skills to the project which was filmed for an AMC documentary entitled Songs in Shadow: The Making of Carly Simon's Film Noir (which premiered in September 1997). He also co-wrote the title song "Film Noir" with Simon. John Travolta duets with Simon on the song "Two Sleepy People". Film director Martin Scorsese provided liner notes in the fold out booklet.[2] The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance in 1998.[3]
Promotion and reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Uncut | [5] |
Songs in Shadow: The Making of Carly Simon's Film Noir aired as a special presentation on AMC. This documentary also features footage of Jimmy Webb, Arif Mardin and Van Dyke Parks in the studio recording the album with Simon.[6] Simon made and released a music video for "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye".[7] She also performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno[8] and The Late Show with David Letterman.[9] In addition to appearances on The View and CBS This Morning, she performed "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year" with Jimmy Webb on The Rosie O'Donnell Show.[10]
AllMusic rated the album 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Using smoky saloon songs like "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" as a blueprint, Simon and producer Jimmy Webb create a seductive, intimate atmosphere."[4]
Awards
edit| Year | Award | Category | Work | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Grammy Awards | Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance | Film Noir | Carly Simon | Nominated | [3] |
| Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals | "Laura" | Arif Mardin | Nominated | [11] |
Track listing
editCredits adapted from the album's liner notes.[12]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You Won't Forget Me" |
| 2:52 |
| 2. | "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" | Cole Porter | 4:33 |
| 3. | "Lili Marlene" |
| 3:41 |
| 4. | "Last Night When We Were Young" | 4:42 | |
| 5. | "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year" | Frank Loesser | 3:34 |
| 6. | "Film Noir" | 3:35 | |
| 7. | "Laura" | 4:44 | |
| 8. | "I'm a Fool to Want You" |
| 3:32 |
| 9. | "Fools Coda" | Torrie Zito | 1:13 |
| 10. | "Two Sleepy People" | 3:37 | |
| 11. | "Don't Smoke in Bed" | Willard Robison | 2:54 |
| 12. | "Somewhere in the Night" |
| 3:29 |
| Total length: | 42:26 | ||
Personnel
editMusicians
edit- Carly Simon – lead and backing vocals
- Teese Gohl – keyboards
- Jimmy Webb – acoustic piano, organ, arrangements and conductor, lead vocals (5)
- Russ Kassoff – acoustic piano
- Michael Kosarin – acoustic piano, piano arrangements
- Mindy Jostyn – accordion, guitars, violin
- Peter Calo – guitars
- Jeff Pevar – mandolin
- David Finck – acoustic bass
- Billy Ward – drums
- Van Dyke Parks – arrangements and conductor
- Torrie Zito – arrangements and conductor
- Elena Barere – concertmaster
- Barry Finclair – concertmaster
- Dick Berkhe – vocal arrangements
- Al Dana – backing vocals
- Kevin DiSimone – backing vocals
- Kevin Osborne – backing vocals
- Lenny Roberts – backing vocals
- Ben Taylor – backing vocals
- Darryl Tookes – backing vocals
- John Travolta – lead vocals (10)
Production
edit- Carly Simon – producer (1–6, 8–12)
- Jimmy Webb – producer (1–6, 8–12)
- Arif Mardin – producer (7)
- Frank Filipetti – engineer, mixing
- Al Schmitt – engineer
- Billy Eric – additional engineer
- Brian Faehndrich – additional engineer
- Roy Hendrickson – additional engineer
- Michael O'Reilly – additional engineer
- Craig Boyce – assistant engineer, mix assistant
- Peter Doell – assistant engineer
- Joe Lizzi – assistant engineer
- Jim Murray – assistant engineer
- Yvonne Yedibalian – assistant engineer
- Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
- Jill Dell'Abate – production manager
- Nancy Roof – production coordination
- Mark Burdett – art direction
- Rita Karidis – design
- Marlo Viscel – design
- Greg Gorman – photography
- Martin Scorsese – liner notes
- Bill Zimmerman – research
Charts
editAlbum – Billboard (United States)[13]
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Billboard 200 | 84 |
References
edit- ^ "Usher Scores Billboard Hit; Bieber Could Outsell Madonna". Voice of America. June 26, 2012. Archived from the original on June 28, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
- ^ "Film Noir". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
- ^ a b "Carly Simon". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Film Noir". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
- ^ Roberts, Chris (December 1997). "Carly Simon: Film Noir". Uncut. No. 7. p. 85.
- ^ "Carly Simon – Songs In Shadow – The Making Of Film Noir". YouTube. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
- ^ "Carly Simon – Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
- ^ "Carly Simon – Jay Leno show Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
- ^ "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye – Carly Simon". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
- ^ "Carly Simon – SPRING WILL BE A LITTLE LATE". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
- ^ "40th Annual Grammy Awards". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
- ^ Film Noir (booklet). Carly Simon. Arista. 1997.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Carly Simon – Chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2015.