More Room In A Broken Heart The True Adventures of Carly Simon – Review
I’ve just finished reading the unauthorized biography of Carly Simon, “More Room In A Broken Heart The True Adventures of Carly Simon” by Stephen Davis.
When I first put a hold on this book at the library, I did not realize that it is an unauthorized biography. I was just curious to read about Caryl’s life, marriage to James Taylor and her music.
It’s an easy read, although lengthy at (409 pages) with short digestible chapters. I swear as I was reading it all I heard was the narrator of VH-1′s Behind The Music voice in my head (yes, saying that probably dates me, if my interest in Carly’s life didn’t).
First off I had no idea that Carly Simon’s father was Richard (Dick) Simon one of the co-founders of Simon and Schuster Publishers! It was interesting to read about her family background (with a little about the publishing business) and her life of privilege and exposure to such musical greats as George Gershwin and Rogers & Hammerstein and baseball great Jackie Robinson.
As I started getting into the book I noticed that several people including Carly Simon were quoted but there was no attribution to where the quote was coming from (clearly it was from a prior interview or article magazine). There were no footnotes or bibliography, which I found to be a little weird and not quite right for the amount of quoting that was going on.
I went and did a little research and found on CarlySimon.com an article, You’re So Wrong: New Carly Simon Book Is More Like Fiction which claims there are serious mistakes and even possible plagiarism.
I found it interesting to read about all the history of each song and the recording process, including who played what instrument, sang vocals etc and the time it took to record and distribute. With all the changes in how music is purchased these days I wonder how much the process to record and distribute has changed. Yes we buy music online now, but does it still take weeks and months to record a song?
Along with the albums and songs she has written and recorded, I learned she has also authored several children’s books.
So I’m not sure what is truth and what is fiction now but I do know that I’ve been a fan of Carly Simon for years, (okay, really it’s decades).
My favorite Carly Simon album (CD) is Reflections: Carly Simon’s Greatest Hits. I just love it and can listen to it for hours.
I thank her for her courage, for the sacrifices she has made, for her talent and the many songs she has written and sang that have been the soundtrack to my life.
Sabrina Weston
P.S. What musical artis(s)t have written songs that have been the soundtrack to your life?
