Boys in the Trees
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
Boys in the Trees is the seventh studio album (eighth overall) by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released in 1978.
Boys in the Trees included "You Belong to Me", which reached number six on the Pop Singles chart and became Simon's fifth top ten pop hit. Another track, a remake of The Everly Brothers' 1958 hit "Devoted to You", sung as a duet with then-husband James Taylor, also made the top forty at number thirty-six.
The photo featured on the front cover of the album was expertly airbrushed to paint a Danskin top on what was a topless photo of Carly. The album won a Grammy for Best Album Package, the Grammy went to Johnny Lee and Tony Lane.
Reception
Janet Maslin, writing in Rolling Stone, stated "Boys in the Trees is Carly Simon's most serene accomplishment to date, but its moods vary dramatically enough to indicate that peace of mind comes at a high price." When praising the single You Belong to Me, Maslin went on to write, "It's a number that could easily have been belted out or growled à la "You're So Vain," but this time Simon prefers to sound more like a cat who's been dining on canary. Somehow, she's a lot more compelling using a gently chiding tone than she is striking a come-hither-or-else pose."
Allmusic's William Ruhlmann rated the album a three out of five, writing "...what really made the album a winner was that Simon had had a couple of years to write some strong songs in her unflinching, reflective style, and she continued to explore the loves and mores of her age and class movingly." Since the album's release, it has been certified Platinum by the RIAA, for sales of over 1,000,000 copies in the United States alone.
Awards
- 1978 Grammy (Nominated) Best Pop Female Vocalist: You Belong To Me
- 1978 Grammy (Won) Best Album Package: Johnny Lee and Tony Lane.
Cover versions
- "You Belong to Me" was covered by Anita Baker for the 1990 compilation album Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary (later included on Baker's Rhythm of Love album). Jennifer Lopez covered the song on her 2002 album This Is Me... Then. More recently, Chaka Khan remade the song as a duet with its co-writer Michael McDonald on her Grammy Award-winning 2007 album Funk This from which it was also released as a radio single.
- "Boys in the Trees" is often played live by Tori Amos.
Track listing
All songs composed by Carly Simon except where indicated.
Side one
- "You Belong to Me" (Simon, Michael McDonald) – 3:52
- "Boys in the Trees" – 3:13
- "Back Down to Earth" – 3:08
- "Devoted to You" (Boudleaux Bryant) – 2:29
- "De Bat (Fly in Me Face)" – 2:28
- "Haunting" – 2:28
Side two
- "Tranquillo (Melt My Heart)" (Simon, James Taylor, Arif Mardin) – 4:02
- "You're the One" – 3:38
- "In a Small Moment" – 3:08
- "One Man Woman" (James Taylor) – 3:39
- "For Old Times Sake" (Simon, Jacob Brackman) – 3:41
Personnel
- Carly Simon - guitar, piano, vocals
- James Taylor - guitar, background vocals
- Luther Vandross - background vocals
- Eddie Bert - tombone
- Phil Bodner - oboe
- Michael Brecker - tenor saxophone
- Ronnie Cuber - baritone saxophone
- Don Grolnick - keyboards
- David Sanborn - alto saxophone
- George Young - alto saxophone
- John Hall - guitar, background vocals
- Gloria Agostini - harp
- Rubens Bassini - percussion
- Errol "Crusher" Bennett - percussion
- Ken Bichel - keyboards
- Randy Brecker - trumpet
- James Buffington - French horn
- David Carey - marimba
- Cissy Houston - background vocals
- Cornell Dupree - guitar
- Gordon Edwards - bass
- Harvey Estrin - recorder
- Joe Farrell - flute
- Steve Gadd - drums
- Eric Gale - guitar
- Jaroslav Jakubovic - baritone saxophone
- Will Lee - bass
- Tony Levin - bass
- Alex Ligertwood - background vocals
- George Marge - recorder
- Hugh McCracken - guitar
- Onnie McIntyre - guitar
- Jeff Mironov - guitar
- Barry Rogers - trombone
- Margaret Ross - harp
- Stuart Scharf - guitar
- Lucy Simon - background vocals
- Hamish Stuart - guitar, background vocals
- Richard Tee - keyboards
- Brooks Tillotson - French horn
- Steven Dickson, Marc Embree, Ruderick George, Alyia Orme, Joanna Simon, Ken Williams - background vocals
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Pop Albums | 10 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "Devoted to You" | Adult Contemporary | 2 |
| 1978 | "Devoted to You" | Country Singles | 33 |
| 1978 | "Devoted to You" | Pop Singles | 36 |
| 1978 | "You Belong to Me" | Adult Contemporary | 4 |
| 1978 | "You Belong to Me" | Pop Singles | 6 |