''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. 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 reached No. 36 on the
''Billboard'' 200.
The first single released from the album was "
Jesse
Jesse may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible.
* Jesse (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Jesse (surname), a list of people
Music
* ''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,
and was certified
Gold by the
RIAA for sales of more than 1,000,000 copies in the United States alone. It also reached No. 12 in Canada,
and No. 4 in Australia, becoming Simon's biggest hit there since "
You're So Vain".
Reception
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
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 "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."
Reviewing the single "Jesse", ''
Billboard Magazine'' 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."
''
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."
Track listing
Credits adapted from the album's
liner notes.
Personnel
Musicians
Production
Charts
Album –
''Billboard'' (United States)
[
Album – International
Singles – ''Billboard'' (United States)]
See also
* List of Top 25 singles for 1981 in Australia
References
External links
Carly Simon's Official Website
{{Authority control
1980 albums
Carly Simon albums
Warner Records albums
Albums with cover art by Mick Rock