Why Carly Simon And James Taylor's Beloved 1974 Duet Mockingbird Is More Meaningful Than You Realize
The life and career of Carly Simon collided in the sweetest way possible in 1974 when she released the cute and playful duet "Mockingbird," recorded with her then-husband and fellow singer-songwriter James Taylor. While both musicians can claim important careers full of milestones — Simon is a classic rock star who won an Oscar for best original song, and Taylor wrote and performed the iconic "Fire and Rain" — "Mockingbird" was just plain special to the couple and their fans. The song peaked at No. 5 in 1974, making it one of Simon's biggest hits, and Taylor's too for that matter.
"Mockingbird" is a good showcase for the talents of Simon and Taylor. It's a wordy song with two major vocal parts, and it requires singers to volley words back and forth, complementing each other, finishing each other's lines, and cutting each other off at just the right time. It's complicated and ultimately happy, descriptors that could also apply to a blissful long-term relationship. That made "Mockingbird" a perfect fit for the place where it debuted: "Hotcakes," Simon's 1974 collection of songs about family and other such intimate relationships. Making it all the more appropriate of a choice: Simon was pregnant when "Mockingbird" came together.
Carly Simon and James Taylor were awaiting the arrival of their daughter when they recorded Mockingbird
While prepping a new album, it was Carly Simon's idea to collaborate with James Taylor, and it was Taylor's idea to cover "Mockingbird," according to Simon's Memoir, "Boys in the Trees." It's a playful song that requires agile vocal interplay, and it's a brighter, sunnier take on the maudlin and necessarily plodding lullaby "Hush, Little Baby." The song was a Top 10 hit in 1963 by sibling duo Inez & Charlie Foxx, but an uptempo duet between a just-married couple that reinvented a childhood classic was the right call for Simon's 1974 "Hotcakes" LP, as many of its songs are about the pleasures and challenges of family life.
The original cover art for "Hotcakes" hints as to what kind of music resided on the vinyl within: It's a photograph of Simon, demonstrably pregnant. When the picture was taken and "Mockingbird" was getting recorded and finished, Simon and Taylor were awaiting the birth of their daughter, Sarah, whom they call Sally, born on January 7, 1974. The album which bore an image of Simon in the midst of pregnancy reflecting on the family experiences that lay in front of her, was released just four days later.