Moonlight Serenade
Studio album by
Carly Simon
ReleasedJuly 19, 2005
Recorded2004–2005
GenrePop standards
Length41:42
LabelColumbia
ProducerRichard Perry
Carly Simon chronology
Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits
(2004)		 Moonlight Serenade
(2005)		 Into White
(2007)

Moonlight Serenade is the 20th studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Columbia Records, on July 19, 2005.

Simon's fourth album of standards, following Torch (1981), My Romance (1990), and Film Noir (1997), it debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, selling 58,000 copies in its first week, and remained on the chart for 10 weeks.[1] It was Simon's first US Top 10 album since Boys in the Trees (1978). The album was produced by Richard Perry, with whom Simon had worked with in the 1970s on songs such as "You're So Vain" and "Nobody Does It Better".

Moonlight Serenade was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in 2006.[2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[4]
Rolling Stone[5]

AllMusic wrote "Carly Simon's fourth collection of standards digs a little deeper than her previous outings... She delivers these songs with panache, savvy, and just a touch of sass," continuing "Her smoky voice lends itself well to "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "My One and Only Love", and her sense of theatrics is drop-dead gorgeous on "I Only Have Eyes for You", which is a bit of a radical reworking that actually works. The slippery delivery on these songs is what lends them their unique, sexy character. This isn't for everyone, but it's a winner nonetheless."[3]

Writing for Rolling Stone, David Wild rated the album 3 out of 5 stars and stated "Let no one ever accuse Carly Simon of jumping on the current standards bandwagon. Though Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald beat her to the punch, Simon was still way ahead of the curve for the rock generation. Torch, the singer-songwriter's first album of songs from the American songbook, came out back in 1981. Simon demonstrates on her fourth album of standards that she remains an assured and expressive stylist, quite comfortable with the exquisite melodic and lyrical subtleties of material like "All the Things You Are", "How Long Has This Been Going On?" and "Moonglow". Moonlight Serenade also marks Simon's reunion with producer Richard Perry... It's nice to see these two back together and still holding themselves to a high standard."[5]

Awards

Grammy Awards
Year Work Award Recipient Result Ref
2006 Moonlight Serenade Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Carly Simon Nominated [2]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[6]

Barnes & Noble exclusive bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."My Foolish Heart"
3:28
Total length:45:10
International version
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."My Foolish Heart" 3:28
13."Let It Snow"
3:07
Total length:48:17

Formats and alternate versions

The album was released in both regular and DualDisc formats, the latter which included an interview with Simon and Perry, as well as behind the scenes footage of the recording sessions and the entire album in surround sound.[7]

  • A special copy of the album was released by Barnes & Noble with a bonus track, "My Foolish Heart".[8]
  • The album was released in the United Kingdom on October 10, 2005. It included "My Foolish Heart" and another track, "Let It Snow".[9]

Transatlantic concert

A Moonlight Serenade on the Queen Mary 2 (DVD)
cover

In September 2005, Simon performed two concerts aboard the RMS Queen Mary 2, on a transatlantic trip from New York City to Southampton. A DVD of the concerts was released as A Moonlight Serenade on the Queen Mary 2 on November 22, 2005, and an edited version was broadcast on various PBS stations during their December 2005 pledge drives. Simon performed many songs from the album, along with some of her biggest hits.[10]

DVD Track listing

Ballroom set

Acoustic Set

Special Features

  • "Let It Snow" (Bonus performance)
  • "You're So Vain" (Karaoke version)
  • Photo Gallery

Concert tour

In October 2005, Simon announced her "Serenade Tour" which was to include older hits and songs from Moonlight Serenade. Her children, Sally Taylor and Ben Taylor, joined her on the tour.[11]

Credits

Musicians

  • Carly Simon – vocals
  • Michael Thompson – acoustic piano (1, 3, 4, 7-10), synth strings (1, 4, 5, 7-10), arrangements (1, 3, 4, 5, 7-10), additional synthesizers (2, 6), synth vibraphone (4), Fender Rhodes (5)
  • Andy Chukerman – synth strings (2, 11), arrangements (2), additional synthesizers (6)
  • Jim Cox – acoustic piano (2, 6, 11)
  • Alex Navarro – synth strings (3, 6, 9), additional synthesizers (7)
  • Vin D'Onofrio – guitars, guitar solo (8)
  • Chris Golden – bass
  • John Ferraro – drums (1-4, 6-11)
  • Sammy Merendino – drum programming (5), percussion (5)
  • Doug Webb – saxophone (1, 11), clarinet (1, 11), sax solo (2), clarinet solo (4), "stritch" sax solo (5), flute (6), arrangements (11)
  • Tom Evans – sax solo (3)
  • Lee Thornburg – trombone (1), trumpet (1), flugelhorn solo (10)
  • Larry Lunetta – trumpet solo (7)
  • William Galison – harmonica solo (9)
  • Richard Perry – arrangements
  • Lauren Wild – arrangements

Live String Section

  • Michael Thompson – arrangements (1, 4, 7, 8, 10)
  • Alex Navarro – arrangements (3, 6, 9)
  • Victor Lawrence – cello
  • Danny Seidenberg – viola
  • Sam Fischer, Samuel Formicola, Alyssa Park, Mark Robertson and Shalini Vijayan – violin

Production

  • Richard Perry – producer
  • Lauren Wild – associate producer
  • Bobby Ginsburg – track recording, strings recording, mixing
  • Carter William Humphrey – track recording
  • Dylan Margerum – vocal recording
  • Marcos González – additional engineer, Pro Tools technician
  • Jimmy Paar – additional engineer, Pro Tools technician
  • Jeff Phurrough – additional engineer, Pro Tools technician
  • Nick Sample – additional engineer, Pro Tools technician
  • Phil Carbo – assistant engineer
  • Anthony Gallo – assistant engineer
  • Cesar Ramirez – assistant engineer
  • Robert Hadley – mastering
  • Ben McCarthy – production coordinator
  • Shauna Krikorian – production assistant
  • Lauren Dooreck Camara – art direction, design
  • Bob Gothard – photography
  • Kerri Brusca – management
  • Denise Searle – personal assistant

Studios

  • Recorded at Fox Force Five (Hollywood, CA); Reagan's Garage and Westlake Recorders (Los Angeles, CA); The Cutting Room (New York, NY).
  • Mixed at Reagan's Garage
  • Mastered at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, CA).

Charts

Album – Billboard (United States)[1]

Year Chart Position
2005 Billboard 200 7
Top Internet Albums 7

References

  1. 1 2 "Carly Simon – Chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Carly Simon". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Jurek, Thom. "Moonlight Serenade". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
  4. ↑ Pastorek, Whitney (July 18, 2005). "Moonlight Serenade". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  5. 1 2 Wild, David (August 25, 2005). "Moonlight Serenade". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 5, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  6. ↑ Moonlight Serenade (booklet). Carly Simon. Columbia. 2005.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ↑ "Moonlight Serenade". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2007. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  8. ↑ "My Foolish Heart lyrics". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2005. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Let It Snow lyrics". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2006. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  10. ↑ "A Moonlight Serenade on the Queen Mary 2". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  11. ↑ "The Serenade Tour 2005". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2007. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
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