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Legend in Your Own Time

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"Legend in Your Own Time"
Song
B-side"Julie Through The Glass"

"Legend in Your Own Time" is a song written and performed by Carly Simon, from her 1971 album Anticipation. It was also issued as the second single from the album, following up on "Anticipation." It did not achieve the same popular success as "Anticipation," reaching only #50 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1] But it reached the Top 20 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, peaking at #11.[1]

"Legend in Your Own Time" has been included on several Carly Simon compilation albums, including The Best of Carly Simon (1975), Clouds in My Coffee (1995), The Very Best of Carly Simon: Nobody Does It Better (1999), Anthology (2002), Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits (2004) and Carly Simon Collector's Edition (2009).[2]

Critical reception

According to Rolling Stone Magazine critic Stephen Davis, the song is about those who have been trying to become famous since being young and eventually achieve their goal, at least to some degree.[3] Author Sheila Weller describes the song as a "sarcastic takedown of an arrogant man."[4] Rolling Stone Album Guide critic Bart Testa describes it as a "pop star snapshot."[5] The song, like its preceding single "Anticipation," was reportedly written about fellow singer Cat Stevens.[6][7][8] Author Richard Pfefferman relates "Legend in Your Own Time" and Simon's next single "You're So Vain" to the movement during the early 1970s towards pop songs taking moral stances.[9] In particular, these two Carly Simon songs "degraded fame and fortune."[9] Rolling Stone Album Guide critics Mark Coleman and Ben Edmunds describe how "Legend in Your Own Time" is similar to Simon's two previous singles, "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" and "Anticipation," matching their "lush, musing tone" and the way they seem to sigh, "positioning Carly as a natural singles artist and a (mild) feminist presence."[10] Musicologist Walter Everett describes how this song, as well as other of Simon's songs from this period, including "Anticipation," "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" and "You're So Vain," alternate major and minor keys to contrast dreams against reality.[11] Instrumentation includes bongo drums, which play a syncopated rhythm.[4]

According to Allmusic critic William Ruhlmann, "Legend in Your Own Time" extends "the gutsy persona" Simon had established on her previous album, her self-titled debut album.[12] Fellow Allmusic critic Joe Viglione describes it as a "great and haunting moment."[13] Author Jay Warner describes "Legend in Your Own Time" as "powerful" and suggests that its lack of chart success was due to poor promotion rather than fault with the song.[14] Davis notes that Simon "convinces the listener that her story is a personal one rather than a generalization," even though the idea that " the most famous folks are often the loneliest" is somewhat cliched.[3] Testa considers it as one of the two songs on Anticipation with any "thematic redemption," the title track being the other.[5]

Charts

Chart (1975) Peak
Position
Australia (KMR Charts) 86
Canada (RPM Charts) 39
US Billboard Pop Singles (Hot 100) 50
US Billboard Adult Contemporary 11

References

  1. ^ a b "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard Magazine. May 6, 1972. Retrieved 2014-05-15.
  2. ^ "Legend in Your Own Time". Allmusic. Retrieved 2014-05-15.
  3. ^ a b Davis, S. (December 23, 1971). "Anticipation". Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
  4. ^ a b Weller, S. (2008). Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon--And the Journey of a Generation. Simon & Schuster. p. 358. ISBN 9780743491471.
  5. ^ a b Testa, B. (1983). Marsh, D. & Swenson, J. (ed.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2nd ed.). Rolling Stone Press. p. 461. ISBN 0394721071.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
  6. ^ Simpson, P., ed. (2003). The Rough Guide to Cult Pop. Rough Guides. p. 282. ISBN 9781843532293.
  7. ^ Tallent, B. (November 29, 2013). "Cat Stevens - Yusuf Islam Biography". Digital Print News. Retrieved 2014-05-15.
  8. ^ Hermawan Aksan (2008). From Cat Stevens to Yusuf Islam: kisah perjalanan spiritual seorang superstar musik dunia yang meninggalkan dunia glamour untuk menjadi muslim dan aktivis kemanusiaan. Mizan Pustaka. p. 18. ISBN 9786028236225.
  9. ^ a b Pfefferman, R. (2013). Strategic Reinvention in Popular Culture: The Encore Impulse. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 49. ISBN 9781137373199.
  10. ^ Coleman, M. & Edmonds, B. (2004). Brackett, N. & Hoard, C. (ed.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Fireside. p. 735. ISBN 0743201698.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Walter Everett (2000). Walter Everett (ed.). Expression in Pop-rock Music: A Collection of Critical and Analytical Essays. Taylor & Francis. p. 326. ISBN 9780815331605.
  12. ^ Ruhlmann, W. "Anticipation". Allmusic. Retrieved 2014-05-15.
  13. ^ Viglione, J. "Anticipation". Allmusic. Retrieved 2014-05-15.
  14. ^ Warner, J. (2008). Notable Moments of Women in Music. Hal Leonard. p. 182. ISBN 9781423429517.
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