| "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Carly Simon | |
| from the album Carly Simon | |
| Released | 1971 |
| Format | Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM |
| Genre | Pop rock |
| Length | 4:15 |
| Label | Elektra |
| Writer(s) | Carly Simon |
| Producer | Eddie Kramer |
"That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" is a 1971 single written by Carly Simon and Jacob Brackman and performed by Simon, released from her self-titled debut album. It reached number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number six on the Easy Listening chart [1]
An art song with a semiclassical melody in the style of Gabriel Fauré,[2] Elektra staffers were worried the single was too emotionally complex to be released as Simon's first single. With subject matter that includes "the parents' bad marriage; the friends' unhappy lives; the boyfriend's enthusiasm for marriage but controlling nature; the woman's initial resistance and ultimate capitulation."[3]
Simon was quoted as saying, "When I first wrote it I thought it was an unusual thing for people to break up, and now all my friends are divorced."[4]