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Anticipation (song)

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This article is about the Carly Simon song. For the Blonde Redhead song, see Misery Is a Butterfly.
"Anticipation"
Side A of US single
Single by Carly Simon
from the album Anticipation
B-side"The Garden"
ReleasedNovember 25, 1971
Recorded1971
StudioMorgan Studios
GenreRock
Length3:19
LabelElektra
Songwriter(s)Carly Simon
Producer(s)Paul Samwell-Smith
Carly Simon singles chronology
"That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be"
(1971) 		"Anticipation"
(1971) 		"Legend in Your Own Time"
(1972)

"Anticipation" is a song written and performed by Carly Simon, and the lead single as well as the opening track from her 1971 album of the same name. The song peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard pop singles chart and at No. 3 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.[1] The song also ranked No. 72 on Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1972, while the Anticipation album garnered Simon a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Female Vocalist.[2] Simon wrote the song on the guitar in 15 minutes, as she awaited Cat Stevens to pick her up for a date.[3]

One of Simon's biggest hits, the song has been included on several compilations of her work, including The Best of Carly Simon (1975), Clouds in My Coffee (1995), The Very Best of Carly Simon: Nobody Does It Better (1999), Anthology (2002), and Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits (2004).[4] A live version from her 1988 album Greatest Hits Live was included on Sony BMG/Legacy's 2014 compilation release Playlist: The Very Best of Carly Simon. In 2018, the song was also used in a teaser advertisement for the ABC series The Conners.[5]

The song was used in commercials for Heinz Ketchup through the late 1970s into the 1980s.[6] Simon later stated: "I wasn't at all displeased with the results. It was well done, and funny."[7] Saturday Night Live used the song in a similar fashion for its mock commercial for "Swill Mineral Water."

Critical reception

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Billboard called it "a blockbuster rock ballad that will spiral [Simon] right up the chart."[8] Record World said it "is more 'up' than was 'That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be' and should do even better."[9] Cash Box called it "strong material."[10] AllMusic reviewer Joe Viglione said of the track, "In retrospect the song (and the album) are among Carly's finest." He concluded, "'Anticipation' was more than a great melody and performance, it became a pivotal bridge and foundation for fifteen years of hits."

Stephen Davis, writing for Rolling Stone, stated: "Anticipation" is a spirited examination of the tensions involved in a burgeoning romantic situation in which nobody has any idea of what's going on or what's going to happen." He continued, "Carly's fine, aggressive vocal is complemented by Paul Glanz' lyrical piano comping, and drummer Andy Newmark's rhythms are to the point. The cut winds up with a surprising coda crescendo that pithily wraps up the premise of the message about anticipating things to come–Stay right here, 'cause these are the good old days."[11]

In addition, Simon's performance of the song in New York City at the 1971 Schaefer Music Festival was filmed for the ABC television special Good Vibrations from Central Park. Simon performed on the 2nd and 3rd of July. ABC broadcast its special on August 19, 1971. In 2009, video of Simon's performance was posted to the official Carly Simon YouTube channel, where, as of 2023, it is still available.[12]

Track listing

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7" single[13]
  • "Anticipation" – 3:19
  • "The Garden" – 4:08

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ "Carly Simon - Chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  2. ^ "Awards". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2007. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  3. ^ "Anticipation". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  4. ^ "Anticipation lyrics". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on April 14, 2005. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  5. ^ "The Conners Season 1 Teaser". YouTube. 6 September 2018. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ^ "Carly Simon Had a Hard Time Living This Down". 94.5 Kool FM. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  7. ^ "Timeline 70's". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2007. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  8. ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. November 27, 1971. p. 63. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  9. ^ "Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. November 27, 1971. p. 1. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  10. ^ "Cashbox Single Picks" (PDF). Cash Box. November 27, 1971. p. 20. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  11. ^ Davis, Stephen (23 December 1971). "Anticipation review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on Aug 7, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  12. ^ "Carly Simon - Anticipation - 1971". YouTube. 7 October 2009. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ "Anticipation". Discogs. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  14. ^ David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  15. ^ "CAN Charts > Carly Simon". RPM. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  16. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  17. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles". February 12, 1972. Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  18. ^ "Billboard Year-End Hot 100 chart for 1972". Archived from the original on April 27, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  19. ^ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1972". Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
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