Vengeance (Carly Simon song)

"Vengeance"
Single by Carly Simon
from the album Spy
B-side"Love You By Heart"
Released1979
Recorded1979
GenreRock, disco
Length4:14
LabelElektra
Songwriter(s)Carly Simon
Producer(s)Arif Mardin
Carly Simon singles chronology
"Devoted to You"
(1978) 		"Vengeance"
(1979) 		"Jesse"
(1980)

"Vengeance" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon. Produced by Arif Mardin, the song served as the lead single from Simon's eighth studio album, Spy (1979).

Simon made a music video for the song,[1] and she became the second female solo artist to be featured on MTV's first day of the air.[2] MTV later used a clip from the video in a commercial to entice viewers to get stereo sound on their Television sets.[3] The promotional clip was also chosen by Pioneer Electronics to be part of their first demo disc for its then-new LaserDisc player.

Reception

Cash Box said that the song has "an urban rock feeling, with ominous guitar chording and touches of syndrums," saying that "Simon's vocals are...sharp and bold" but "less restrained than usual."[4] The single was a moderate success on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, peaking right under the Top 40 at No. 48.[5] It also hit No. 52 on the Cash Box top singles chart.[6]

Simon received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female at the 1980—the first year to feature the new category.[7] She included the track on her two-disc career compilation set Anthology (2002),[8] as well as the three-disc special edition compilation Carly Simon Collector's Edition (2009).[9]

Track listing

7" single[10]
  • "Vengeance" – 4:14
  • "Love You By Heart" – 3:55

Charts

Chart (1979) Peak
Position
Australia (ARIA Charts) 90
Canada (RPM Charts) 94
US Billboard Pop Singles (Hot 100) 48

Awards

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
1980 Grammy Awards Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female "Vengeance" Nominated [11]

References

  1. ^ "Vengeance - Carly Simon". YouTube. 11 July 2009. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  2. ^ "MTV: The First Four Hours (12am Saturday, August 1, 1981)". Wayback Machine. August 1981. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  3. ^ "Carly Simon - (1981) MTV In Stereo Commercial". YouTube. 29 October 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  4. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. June 2, 1979. p. 20. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  5. ^ "US Albums and Singles Charts > Carly Simon". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  6. ^ "Cash Box Top Singles". Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  7. ^ "Rock On The Net: Grammy Awards: Best Rock Vocal Performance - Female". Rock on the Net. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  8. ^ "Vengence lyrics". Carlysimon.com. Archived from the original on April 14, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  9. ^ "Collector's Tin Edition - Carly Simon". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  10. ^ Discogs (1979). "Vengeance 7" single". Discogs. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  11. ^ "Carly Simon". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2018.