Simon’s self-titled 1971 debut album placed her firmly in the confessional singer-songwriter camp, addressing the same emotional concerns as her soon-to-be husband James Taylor and Carole King. There was, however, arguably an even more nakedly honest exploration of adulthood on the relationship doubts of That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be and the disillusionment of an affair in Dan, My Fling.
Anticipation, released later the same year, echoed much of its predecessor’s hybrid of vulnerability and strong-willed feminism (The Girl You Think You See, Julie Through The Glass), but the major breakthrough came with the urbane sophistication of 1972’s No Secrets, propelled by the evocative put-downs in You’re So Vain and the forthright sentiments of Waited So Long and When You Close Your Eyes.
A more blissful Simon was in evidence on 1974’s Hotcakes, its loose concept celebrating her marriage to Taylor (who guests on a duet of Mockingbird) on tracks such as Think I’m Gonna Have A Baby and Safe And Sound. The following year’s Playing Possum suffered from a dip in quality control, with only the sassy Attitude Dancing making an impression amid the sleek generic pop.
