Jesse (song)

"Jesse" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon. Produced by Mike Mainieri, the song served as the lead single from Simon's ninth studio album, Come Upstairs (1980).

"Jesse"
Single by Carly Simon
from the album Come Upstairs
B-side"Stardust"
Released9 July 1980[1]
Recorded1980
GenrePop, Rock
Length4:15
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Carly Simon
Producer(s)Mike Mainieri
Carly Simon singles chronology
"Vengeance"
(1979)		 "Jesse"
(1980)		 "Why"
(1982)

The song is told in first-person about the narrator's disdain for her former lover, Jesse, 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 end up letting her guard down and fall back under his spell. She ends up going back on her promise to herself and the two rekindle their romance. "Jesse, quick come here, I won't tell a soul", "Jesse, that you've come back to me, my friends will all say 'She's gone again'", she sings. She then 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.[2]

Simon's then-husband, James Taylor, and their daughter, Sally Taylor, sing backup vocals. The single has a country-pop flair, unlike the rest of the album, which is more rock oriented.

Chart performance and critical reception

"Jesse" was a major success, staying on the US charts for six months; it peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 8 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.[3] The single was certified Gold by the RIAA, Simon's fourth single to achieve this feat, signifying sales of one million copies in the US.[4] The single was also a hit in Australia, peaking at No. 4 on the Kent Music Report, becoming Simon's biggest hit there since "You're So Vain."[5] It also peaked at No. 12 in Canada, making it her 11th Top 40 hit there.[6]

AllMusic reviewer William Ruhlmann retrospectively called the track "the album's highlight" and declared it "Simon's best-written pop/rock song since ‘You're So Vain’ and a Top Ten hit to boot."[7] According to Billboard Magazine, "the melody is simple yet powerful, the words are complex and Simon's voice has never been better."[8] Cash Box said that the song "embodies the push and pull of love, the ailment and the cure - the person we try to resist but cannot."[9]

One of her biggest hits, Simon included the single on her 3-disc box set Clouds in My Coffee (1995), the 2-disc retrospective Anthology (2002), and the single disc Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits (2004).[10]

Track listing
7" single[11]
  • "Jesse" – 4:15
  • "Stardust" – 4:13

Personnel

Charts

Live performances

An official video was not made for the song. Simon has performed it in many of her concerts, including two in which it was filmed: Live at Grand Central in 1995,[14] and A Moonlight Serenade on the Queen Mary 2 in 2005.

References
  1. "Carly Simon - Jesse".
  2. SongMeanings.com. "Jesse". Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  3. "Carly Simon - Chart history | Billboard". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  4. "American certifications – Carly Simon". Recording Industry Association of America.
  5. David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. "CAN Charts > Carly Simon". RPM. Archived from the original on 2015-01-04. Retrieved 2015-01-11.
  7. AllMusic. "Come Upstairs". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  8. "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. July 26, 1980. p. 70. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  9. "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. July 26, 1980. p. 13. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  10. "Carly Simon Official Website - Jesse lyrics". Archived from the original on April 14, 2005. Retrieved 2014-05-05.
  11. Discogs. "Jesse 7" single". Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  12. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  13. The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1980
  14. "Anthology". carlysimon.com.
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