Peak
10
Weeks
17
Score
2,332
Chart Year
1971
This was Carly Simon's first single, appearing just as the singer-songwriter era was coming to fruition. The song shows a family life in shambles underneath its affluent veneer, with the singer fearing that her own future holds more of the same. >> A journalist/screenwriter named Jacob Brackman wrote the lyrics. He and Simon met when they were counselors at a summer camp in 1967; they wrote several songs together, including "Haven't Got Time For the Pain," "Attitude Dancing," and "All I Want Is You." Simon cites Brackman as a major influence in her development as a songwriter; she was amazed at his ability to fit lyrics to a melody without using clichés. It's hard to believe that a man wrote the lyrics, which are clearly from a woman's point of view, but the song came out of a conversation Simon had with Brackman. He was going through some relationship troubles that were very similar to Simon's: His girlfriend moved in with him and he was worried about giving up some of his identity and personal space as he felt an infringement on his territory. Simon reflected on this caustic look at marriage in an interview with The Independent, March 11, 2010. She said: "When I first wrote it I thought it was an unusual thing for people to break up, and now all my friends are divorced." This was the only single released from Simon's self-titled debut album. She followed up with Anticipation later in 1971, scoring another modest hit with the title track. Her career went stratospheric with her third album, No Secrets, which contained the #1 hit "You're So Vain."
My father sits at night with no lights on His cigarette glows in the dark The living room is still I walk by, no remark I tiptoe past the master bedroom where My mother reads her magazines I hear her call sweet dreams But I forget how to dream (How to dream, how to dream) But you say it's time we moved in together And raised a family of our own, you and me Well, that's the way I've always heard it should be You want to marry me My friends from college, they're all married now They have their houses and their lawns They have their silent noons Tearful nights, angry dawns Their children hate them for the things they're not (things they'll never be) They hate themselves for what they are And yet they drink, they laugh Close the wound, hide the scar But you say it's time we moved in together And raised a family of our own, you and me Well, that's the way I've always heard it should be You want to marry me You say we can keep our love alive Babe, all I know is what I see The couples cling and claw And drown in love's debris You say we'll soar like two birds through the clouds But soon you'll cage me on your shelf I'll never learn to be just me first By myself Well okay, it's time we moved in together And raised a family of our own, you and me Well, that's the way I've always heard it should be You want to marry me We'll marry
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 17, 1971 | 98 | 28 |
| 2 | Apr 24, 1971 | 95 | 31 |
| 3 | May 1, 1971 | 71 | 55 |
| 4 | May 8, 1971 | 64 | 62 |
| 5 | May 15, 1971 | 51 | 75 |
| 6 | May 22, 1971 | 44 | 82 |
| 7 | May 29, 1971 | 43 | 83 |
| 8 | Jun 5, 1971 | 35 | 91 |
| 9 | Jun 12, 1971 | 31 | 95 |
| 10 | Jun 19, 1971 | 27 | 99 |
| 11 | Jun 26, 1971 | 19 | 107 |
| 12 | Jul 3, 1971 | 16 | 110 |
| 13 | Jul 10, 1971 | 10 | 116 |
| 14 | Jul 17, 1971 | 10 | 116 |
| 15 | Jul 24, 1971 | 12 | 114 |
| 16 | Jul 31, 1971 | 20 | 106 |
| 17 | Aug 7, 1971 | 35 | 91 |