Jesse (song)
 |
| "Jesse" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Stardust" |
"Jesse" is a song written and performed by Carly Simon and produced by Mike Mainieri. The song was the lead single from Simon's ninth studio album Come Upstairs.
The song is told in first-person about the narrators disdain for her former lover, who has just moved back to town. She vows to have nothing to do with him, "Don't let him near me, don't let him touch me, don't let him please me", she sings. She asks her friends to remind her of how he has wronged her, because she fears she'll fall back under his spell. She ends up letting her guard down and the two rekindle their romance, and she seeks to comfort her friends because they don't approve. "My friends, let's comfort them, they're feeling bad, they think I've sunk so low", she sings. Simon's then-husband James Taylor and their daughter Sally Taylor sing backup vocals. The single has a country-pop flare, unlike the rest of the album, which is more rock oriented.
"Jesse" was a major success, staying on the US charts for 6 months, it peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 8 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts. The single was certified Gold by the RIAA, Simon's third single to achieve this feat, for sales of over 1,000,000 copies. The single was also a hit in Australia, peaking at number 4 on the ARIA Charts, becoming Simon's biggest hit there since "You're So Vain". It also peaked at number 12 in Canada.
Simon included the single on her complications Clouds in My Coffee (1995), Anthology (2002), and Reflections (2004).
Track listing
- 7" single
- "Jesse" – 4:15
- "Stardust" – 4:13
Charts
| Chart (1980) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA Charts) | 4 |
| Canada (RPM Charts) | 12 |
| US Billboard Pop Singles | 11 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary | 8 |
Live performances
Despite the success of the single, Simon has never made a music video. She has performed the song in many of her concerts, including two in which it was filmed, Live at Grand Central in 1995, and A Moonlight Serenade on the Queen Mary 2 in 2005.