That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be (1971) 8/4/20

It's interesting to note that the emotionally complex lyrics to today's “Great Song of the '70s” were NOT written by Carly Simon.

Carly did indeed write the music for “That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be,” but the lyrics were written by her MALE collaborator, Jacob Brackman. In 1971, this was amazing in the sense that it reflected a certain feminist mindset that was only beginning to be vocalized in America, and RARELY by men.

This was a problem for the folks at Carly's label, Electra Records. The song was scheduled to be the first single release from her debut album, and the “suits” felt the material wasn't mainstream enough to be a hit and make Carly a star.

As so often happens, they were wrong. With great reservations, they released the single, and watched in amazement as the song resonated with millions of radio listeners—reaching #6 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and #10 on the Hot 100. In Canada, the song went to #15 on the Top 40.

As for making Carly a Star? Well, she was nominated for a Grammy (“Best Female Pop Performance”), and WON the Grammy for “Best New Artist. :-)

A Great start for a Great singer with a “Great Song of 1971.” “That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be.”