Introduction:
In 1971, singer-songwriter Carly Simon emerged onto the music scene with her self-titled debut album. The album, produced by Roy Halee, who had previously worked with artists like Laura Nyro and The Hollies, introduced the world to Simon’s unique brand of introspective pop music. That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be, the album’s lead single, quickly became a signature song for Simon and helped propel her debut album to critical and commercial success.
That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be is a melancholic pop ballad that explores the complexities of navigating young adulthood and romantic relationships. The song’s gentle melody, featuring Simon’s signature breathy vocals and Richard والصياد (Al Sayed)”Richard” on piano, belies the deeper lyrical undercurrents. While the title suggests a surface-level acceptance of societal expectations for love and marriage, the lyrics hint at a more complex internal world. Simon juxtaposes the societal pressure to settle down with a yearning for a more authentic and fulfilling kind of love. The line “And yet they drink they laugh close the wound hide the scars” implies a wariness of the potential pitfalls of conventional relationships, while “you say it’s time we moved in together” suggests a hesitancy, a recognition of the leap of faith that such a commitment entails.
That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be was a critical and commercial success. The song reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 6 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. It earned Simon a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 14th Annual Grammy Awards in 1972, where she also won the prestigious award for Best New Artist. The song’s enduring popularity is a testament to its ability to capture the emotional confusion and uncertainty that many young people face as they navigate love and life’s expectations. That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be cemented Carly Simon’s place as a leading voice in pop music and continues to resonate with listeners today.
Video:
Lyrics:
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