Today’s classic song of the day is “The Right Thing to Do” by Carly Simon. This single was released in March of 1973 and rose to #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, #10 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #4 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Chart.
“The Right Thing to Do” was written by Ms. Simon and included on her third album, 1972’s No Secrets. It’s a love song, written for her then-boyfriend and soon-to-be-husband James Taylor, about three months into their relationship. (According to Carly, James helped a little with refining the lyrics, too.) The song describes a less-than-perfect relationship, although the singer ultimately decides that loving him is the right thing to do.
There’s nothin’ you can do to turn me away
Nothin’ anyone can say
You’re with me now and as long as you stay
Lovin’ you’s the right thing to do
Lovin’ you’s the right thing
The band on this one is small, with just Carly herself on piano, Jimmy Ryan on bass, Ray Cooper on congas, and Andy Newmark on drums. Vicki Brown and Liza Strike provide backup vocals. The production’s the big thing on this one, with the strings and horns playing a key role; Kirby Johnson did the arrangements.
No Secrets is the album with the sexy picture of Carly in a floppy hat and tight blue top that left nothing to the imagination. As a 14 year-old boy at the time, it was somewhat appealing. I’d been a Carly Simon fan since her first single, “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be.” That was from her first, self-titled album; her second album, Anticipation, had a hit single with the title tune, and No Secrets included both today’s classic song of the day and the monster hit, “You’re So Vain.” Not a bad start for what would be a long and successful career.
Carly Simon and James Taylor married on November 3, 1972 and had two children, Ben and Sally. The couple had a tumultuous relationship, due in no small part to James’ continuing drug addiction, and divorced in 1983. Carly is still with us today, 80 years old, although she hasn’t recorded or performed in a few years. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, just two weeks after losing both her sisters (Joanna and Lucy) to cancer within a day of each other.
