''Torch'' is the 10th studio album 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 ...

, released by

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

, on August 1, 1981. It was Simon's first album devoted to

standards Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

, namely

torch song A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affecte ...

s, relating unrequited love or rejection. The album also features one Simon original, "From the Heart". The album was recorded during her marriage break up to

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 ...

, which was announced shortly after the release of the album.

Reception

Writing in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'',

Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...

called the album "a gorgeous throwback", stating Simon's "magnificent alto, with its rough-and-tumble lows and wistful highs, has never sounded better." He singled out the track "Not a Day Goes By" as "''Torch's'' moment of truth", a "big, direct ballad", and "Simon's vocal makes you feel each stab of pain." He concluded "though ''Torch'' may be too sophisticated to storm the charts, it's nevertheless a superb example of modern mood music, performed with grace, gusto, sensuality and intelligence." In a retrospective review from

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 similarly singled out the track "Not a Day Goes By", stating that Simon delivers it "with heartbreaking conviction."

Cover artwork

The man whose arm Simon is tugging on the cover is American actor

Al Corley Alford Corley (born May 22, 1956) is an American actor, singer and producer. Corley is best known as the first actor to play Steven Carrington in the 1980s soap opera ''Dynasty'' and for his 1984 hit single " Square Rooms". Career In the late 19 ...

, known for playing

Steven Carrington Steven Daniel Carrington is a fictional character on the American prime time soap opera ''Dynasty''. Steven is noteworthy as one of the earliest gay main characters on American television. Despite identifying as homosexual, Steven has relationship ...

on the 1980s soap opera ''

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

''. The photographer was

Lynn Goldsmith Lynn Goldsmith (born 1948) is an American recording artist, film director, celebrity portrait photographer, and rock and roll photographer. She has also made fine art photography with conceptual images and with her painting. Books of her work hav ...

Singles

"Hurt" was the only single released from the album. It just missed the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at No. 106 on the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart. "Not a Day Goes By" was included on Simon's 2002 career spanning collection ''Anthology''. "From the Heart" was included on Simon's 2015 career retrospective '' Songs From The Trees (A Musical Memoir Collection)''.

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

. Notes * signifies a writer by additional lyrics

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Charts

Album – ''Billboard'' (United States) Album – International Singles - ''Billboard'' (United States)

References

External links

Carly Simon's Official Website
{{Authority control 1981 albums Carly Simon albums Albums conducted by Marty Paich Albums conducted by Don Sebesky Warner Records albums Traditional pop albums