"Jesse" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Thin ...
. Produced by
Mike Mainieri
Michael T. Mainieri Jr. (born July 4, 1938) is an American vibraphonist, known for his work with the jazz fusion group Steps Ahead. He is married to the singer-songwriter and harpist Dee Carstensen.
Biography
Mainieri was born in The Bronx, Ne ...
, the song served as the lead single from Simon's ninth studio album, ''
Come Upstairs
''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 ...
'' (1980).
The song is told in first-person about the narrator's disdain for her former lover, Jesse, who has just moved back to town. She vows to have nothing to do with him, "Don't let him near me, don't let him touch me, don't let him please me," she sings. She asks her friends to remind her of how he has wronged her, because she fears she'll end up letting her guard down and fall back under his spell. She ends up going back on her promise to herself and the two rekindle their romance. "Jesse, quick come here, I won't tell a soul", "Jesse, that you've come back to me, my friends will all say 'She's gone again'", she sings. She then seeks to comfort her friends because they don't approve. "My friends, let's comfort them, they're feeling bad, they think I've sunk so low," she sings.
Simon's then-husband,
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...
, and their daughter,
Sally Taylor, sing backup vocals. The single has a
country-pop
Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...
flair, unlike the rest of the album, which is more
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
oriented.
Chart performance and critical reception
"Jesse" was a major success, staying on the US charts for six months; it peaked at No. 11 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 8 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Adult Contemporary chart
The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...
.
The single was officially certified
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA), Simon's fourth single to achieve this feat, signifying sales of one million copies in the US. The single was also a hit in Australia, peaking at No. 4 on the
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July ...
, becoming Simon's biggest hit there since "
You're So Vain
"You're So Vain" is a song written in 1971 by American singer and songwriter Carly Simon and released in November 1972. It is one of the songs with which Simon is most identified, and upon its release, reached No. 1 in the United States, Canada, ...
." It also peaked at No. 12 in Canada, making it her 11th
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
hit there.
One of her biggest hits; Simon has included the song on several of her compilations, including the three-disc box set ''
Clouds in My Coffee
''Clouds in My Coffee: 1965-1995'' is a three-disc box set by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Arista Records, on November 7, 1995.
A full career retrospective at the time of its release, it contains 58 songs spanning Simon's ...
'' (1995), the 2-disc retrospective ''
Anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
'' (2002), and the single-disc ''
Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits'' (2004).
According to ''
Billboard Magazine
''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...
'', "the melody is simple yet powerful, the words are complex and Simon's voice has never been better." ''
Cash Box
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' said that the song "embodies the push and pull of love, the ailment and the cure - the person we try to resist but cannot."
In a retrospective review for
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 databas ...
, William Ruhlmann called the track "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."
Track listing
;7" single
* "Jesse" – 4:15
* "Stardust" – 4:13
Personnel
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Live performances
An official video was not made for the song. Simon has performed it in many of her concerts, including two in which it was filmed: ''
Live at Grand Central'' in 1995, and ''
A Moonlight Serenade on the Queen Mary 2'' in 2005.
References
External links
Carly Simon's Official WebsiteYouTube - Simon performing Jesse on the Queen Mary 2 in 2005
{{Authority control
1980 songs
Songs written by Carly Simon
Carly Simon songs
Warner Records singles