Hotcakes (album)
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''Hotcakes'' is the fourth 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
Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...
, on January 11, 1974. Featuring the major hits "
Haven't Got Time for the Pain "Haven't Got Time for the Pain" is a song written by Carly Simon and Jacob Brackman that was first released on Simon's 1974 album '' Hotcakes''. It was also released as a single, reaching No. 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Bil ...
" and " Mockingbird", the latter a duet with her 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 ...
, ''Hotcakes'' became one of Simon's biggest selling albums. Her first
concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
, the autobiographical songs portray Simon happily married and beginning a family. The album's cover photo, taken by Ed Caraeff in late 1973, shows Simon sitting in a maternity dress, pregnant with her first child, Sally. Produced by Richard Perry who had previously helmed '' No Secrets'', the album features Simon on piano, including the final track "Haven't Got Time for the Pain". The string-and-percussion outro at the end of the album was composed by cellist
Paul Buckmaster Paul John Buckmaster (13 June 1946 – 7 November 2017) was a Grammy Award-winning British cellist, arranger, conductor and composer, with a career spanning five decades. He is best known for his orchestral collaborations with David Bowie, Sha ...
and drummer Ralph MacDonald.


Songs

According to
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 ...
critic William Ruhlmann, in "Misfit" "a wife implores her carousing husband to come home." Simon said of "Misfit" that "At times now when I'm at the point of despair I'm not as inclined to write about it as I used to be. That's what the lines mean in 'Misfit'. 'It is hip to be miserable when you're young and intellectual. In a bit you'll admit you're a misfit.' It's making fun of neurotic persons who want to be more neurotic so they can be a real artist. They think the only way they can be a real artist is if they're neurotic." "Think I'm Gonna Have a Baby" is another domestically oriented song in which Simon celebrates the joy of anticipating having a baby. Simon said that "Just Not True" is about herself. She said "'You stick with me when I wish you'd gone.' I've had that experience. I've wanted to obliterate sombody from my thoughts and the more I try to do it the more obvious it becomes I can't. In this case it's about trying to pretend a certain dark side of my own nature is not there and it creeps up from behind and is shouting in my ears." Simon wrote "Forever My Love" together with Taylor. She said "I wrote the music first and James wrote the lyric just before I recorded it. He doesn't sing on that track. He played on most of the cuts on the album. His guitar is a nice feature on the album. He has such a special style. He doesn't sound like anyone else."


Commercial performance

Shortly after its release, ''Hotcakes'' was 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
RIAA 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 ...
, for sales "of one million dollars at manufacturer's level" in the United States. Elektra chose to release two other very prominent albums at the same time:
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
's ''
Planet Waves ''Planet Waves'' is the fourteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on January 17, 1974, by Asylum Records in the United States and Island Records in the United Kingdom. It is also one of only two Dylan albums not or ...
'' and
Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...
's '' Court and Spark''. This decision very likely hurt sales of ''Hotcakes'', and Simon was consequently angry with her label. ''Planet Waves'' hit No. 1 on the
Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of art ...
, ''Court and Spark'' hit No. 2, and ''Hotcakes'' peaked at No. 3. However, ''Hotcakes'' remained on the chart much longer than ''Planet Waves'', and sold many more copies.


Reception

Jon Landau Jon Landau (born May 14, 1947) is an American music critic, manager, and record producer. He has worked with Bruce Springsteen in all three capacities. He is the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and recei ...
, 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 ...
'', stated Simon's ..."Hotcakes is playful-sounding with some serious overtones — a balance that best suits her for the time being." He also stated that "'Think I'm Gonna Have a Baby,' 'Forever My Love' and especially 'Haven't Got Time for the Pain' are substantial songs and performances, superior to almost everything else she has so far recorded."
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
, writing in '' Creem'', said, "
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, ...
" left a nice afterglow--as Ellen Willis says, it proves that rock and roll is so democratic that even a rich person can make a great single. But except for the startling "Mockingbird" (buy the forty-five if you must) the album's most interesting moment occurs when Simon whistles. William Ruhlmann's more recent 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 ...
rated the album 4 out of 5 stars. Ruhlmann said that "''Hotcakes'' was an autobiographical concept album that defined domestic bliss at a time when Simon's listeners also were catching their breath and turning inward."


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

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 ...


Musicians


Production


Charts

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


References


External links


Carly Simon's Official Website
{{Authority control 1974 albums Carly Simon albums Elektra Records albums Albums produced by Richard Perry Albums arranged by Paul Buckmaster Concept albums