Maps of Music

Moonlight Serenade (2005)

Where the lyrics of Moonlight Serenade take you, and where it was really made.

Carly Simon's fourth standards album was also her first US Top 10 album since Boys in the Trees (1978), 27 years earlier.

Key places

Recorded at Fox Force Five in Hollywood (2005)

Recording site The Music Grinder (Hollywood) — The album's recording history lists Fox Force Five in Hollywood, California as one of its recording locations. The map point is set at the city centre of Hollywood. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Westlake Studios in Los Angeles (2005)

Recording site Westlake Recording Studios — The recording history lists Westlake Studios in Los Angeles, California as a place where the album was recorded. The point marks the studio building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at The Cutting Room in New York City (2005)

Recording site The Cutting Room — The recording history lists The Cutting Room in New York City, New York as one of the album's recording locations. The point marks the venue building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Moonlight Serenade is the 20th studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon
• Released on July 19, 2005 by Columbia Records
• It is Simon's fourth album of standards
• Her earlier standards albums are Torch (1981), My Romance (1990), and Film Noir (1997)
• Released in both regular and DualDisc formats
• The DualDisc version added an interview with Simon and Perry, behind-the-scenes footage of the recording sessions, and the full album in surround sound
• The UK release came on October 10, 2005, and included two extra tracks, "My Foolish Heart" and "Let It Snow"

Background

• Producer Richard Perry is the same producer Simon worked with in the 1970s
• The two had made songs together such as "You're So Vain" and "Nobody Does It Better"
• Moonlight Serenade marks their reunion on this album
• In September 2005, Simon performed two concerts aboard the RMS Queen Mary 2
• The concerts took place on a transatlantic trip from New York City to Southampton
• In October 2005, Simon announced the Serenade Tour, which included older hits and songs from this album
• Her children, Sally Taylor and Ben Taylor, joined her on the tour

Recording

• Recording sites listed for the album include Fox Force Five in Hollywood, Westlake Studios in Los Angeles, and The Cutting Room in New York City
• The album was recorded in several studios on the West Coast and in New York
• Simon's fourth standards album continued her work with the American songbook

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

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Sources: musicbrainz.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

• AllMusic: calls this Simon's fourth collection of standards, one that digs a little deeper than her previous outings
• AllMusic: says her smoky voice suits "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "My One and Only Love"
• AllMusic: calls the reworking of "I Only Have Eyes for You" a radical change that actually works
• AllMusic: says the album isn't for everyone but is a winner nonetheless
• Rolling Stone: David Wild rated the album 3 out of 5 stars
• Rolling Stone: says Simon remains an assured and expressive stylist on her fourth standards album
• Rolling Stone: notes that Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald got there first, but Simon was still ahead of the curve for the rock generation
• Rolling Stone: notes the reunion with producer Richard Perry

Records

• Debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 with 58,000 copies sold in its first week
• Stayed on the chart for 10 weeks
• First US Top 10 album for Simon since Boys in the Trees (1978)
• Nominated for the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

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

Trivia

• Barnes & Noble sold a special copy of the album with a bonus track, "My Foolish Heart"
• The DualDisc edition included an interview with Simon and Perry along with the full album in surround sound
• The Queen Mary 2 concerts were later released as a DVD, and an edited version was broadcast on various PBS stations during their December 2005 pledge drives
• Simon's Serenade Tour announced in October 2005 was joined by her children, Sally Taylor and Ben Taylor
• Perry had worked with Simon in the 1970s on songs such as "You're So Vain" and "Nobody Does It Better"

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

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