Maps of Music

Hello Big Man (1983)

Where the lyrics of Hello Big Man take you, and where it was really made.

The title comes from the reply Simon's mother gave her father when they first met, and the album became Simon's last for Warner Bros.

Key places

Recorded at Power Station, New York City (1983)

Recording site Power Station Studio — Power Station in New York City is one of the two studios the album was recorded at. The point marks the studio's city-level listing only. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Village Recorders, Los Angeles (1983)

Recording site Village Recorders — The Village Recorder in Los Angeles is the other studio named as a recording location for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood (1983)

Recording site Ocean Way Recording — Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood is listed among the recording studios connected with the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Hello Big Man: 11th studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon
• Released 31 August 1983 by Warner Bros. Records
• Simon's last album for Warner Bros.
• Ten tracks on the standard track listing
• Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare play on a number of tracks
• Includes one Bob Marley cover, "Is This Love"
• Lead single "You Know What to Do"; the title track is the second single

Background

• Title refers to the reply Simon's mother, Andrea Simon, gave to her father, Richard Simon, when they first met
• Her father said "hello little woman" and she replied "hello big man"
• Simon also spent time with Elektra Records before the Warner Bros. period
• The label lineage of Warner Bros. later became part of the Warner Music Group
• The album was a commercial disappointment on release, despite a positive reception from critics

Recording

• Recorded at Power Station in New York City and at Village Recorders in Los Angeles, California
• Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood is also listed among the recording studios
• Personnel list includes Mike Mainieri, Peter Wood, Tony Levin, Rick Marotta and Michael Brecker
• Robbie Shakespeare plays bass and sings backing vocals on the record

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

Artist

Formation

• Born June 25, 1943 in New York City; American singer-songwriter and author.
• In 1963 began performing as the Simon Sisters with sister Lucy Simon; released Meet the Simon Sisters, which produced the minor hit "Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod".
• Signed to Elektra Records in 1970 and went solo.

Career

• Debut album (1971) won the Grammy for Best New Artist; "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" was her first top 10 single.
• No Secrets (1972) topped the Billboard 200 for five weeks; "You're So Vain" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Recorded "Nobody Does It Better" for the 1977 Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me.
• Won an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Grammy for "Let the River Run" from Working Girl (1988).
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone's Don Shewey called the album the best Carly Simon record in years
• Shewey said the album returned Simon to the beautiful, folk-based singing and songwriting that first made listeners fall for her
• Shewey singled out "It Happens Everyday" and the title track as two of the album's best songs
• Shewey also praised the Bob Marley cover "Is This Love", especially the way Simon's soprano mixes with the Sly and Robbie funk foundation
• Critics gave the album a positive reception on release
• The album was a commercial disappointment on release

Reappraisal

• AllMusic's William Ruhlmann wrote a retrospective review
• Ruhlmann described the album as a return to the style of Anticipation and No Secrets after years of following trends
• Ruhlmann said the songs were romantic, with the erotic edge that had charged much of Simon's best material
• Ruhlmann said the album was typically uneven but also typically personal and compelling
• Ruhlmann singled out the title track as a winning account of her parents' courting

Records

• Last album released by Simon on Warner Bros.
• Commercial result below the label's expectations, despite critical praise

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The video for "You Know What to Do" was filmed on location in Martha's Vineyard, at Simon's home and in the surrounding woods.
• The "You Know What to Do" video received moderate airplay on MTV in the autumn of 1983.
• The "Hello Big Man" video features photos and film footage of Simon's parents, and her mother appears at the end.
• Al Corley, who was on the cover of Simon's previous album Torch, appears in the "Hello Big Man" video; the two had a brief romance.
• The "It Happens Everyday" video was produced by Music Motions and played in sixty movie theaters during coming attractions.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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