Simon's career began with a short-lived music group with her sister Lucy as The Simon Sisters. They had a minor hit in 1964 called "Winkin', Blinkin', and Nod", and made three albums together before Lucy left to get married and start a family. Later, Carly Simon collaborated with eclectic New York rockers Elephant's Memory for about six months. She also appeared in the 1971 Milos Forman movie Taking Off, playing an auditioning singer, and sang "Long Term Physical Effects", which was included in Taking Off, the 1971 soundtrack for the movie.
Simon's major breakthrough was 1972's No Secrets. The album spawned several successful singles, including Simon's biggest hit, "You're So Vain". Simon continued to produce successful albums through the 1970s and early 1980s, moving into film scores after she was dropped by her record label in 1985. She performed the main title song for the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me - "Nobody Does It Better" which was a worldwide hit in 1977.
Film Noir
Carly Simon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Last car on the train.
Put my hat on the seat,
Wipe the tears from my eyes.
I watched my life go by,
Like a movie in my brain.
Scenes unreeling;
On the window,
and a silver screen of rain!
And the opening title scroll,
and the score comes in and under.
And I'm in the starring role,
in a world of love-struck wonder;
It's a tale full of promise, about two crazy kids;
Falling in love, but in flashback.
And then the music,
that gorgeous music;
And I wake up,
Rattling down the railroad track.
He could be sweet,
But I stayed on my guard.
Just how good a liar
can a decent man be?
I always played my hand
Like I didn't have the cards.
Cause he held them all
So I could never see.
Yes, he played me for a fool,
and I agreed.
And the closing credits roll,
And the waves come in like thunder.
Cause the hero's lost control,
And I made a fatal blunder.
Just another sad story;
Two star-crossed kids,
Racing headlong up a cul-de-sac.
And then that music,
That mournful music.
And the train's disappearing
Down that railroad track.
And the long, slow dissolve,
As we fade to black.
Carly Simon's song "Film Noir" tells the story of a bittersweet love affair that feels like a movie in the mind of the singer. The song opens with the singer boarding the last car on a train in New Haven, wiping tears from her eyes, and placing her hat on the seat next to her. The lyrics set the scene for what is essentially a flashback that plays out as an imagined film. In the singer's mind, her life plays out like a movie, complete with opening title scroll, score, and closing credits.
As the story unfolds, the singer explains that she fell in love with a man who could be sweet, but she always stayed on guard. She describes him as a decent man who was also a good liar. She played her hand "like she didn't have the cards" because he held them all. In the end, she realized she had made a fatal blunder and lost control, narrated through the mournful music and a long, slow dissolve as the train disappears down the railroad track.
Overall, the song portrays a sense of longing and regret. It's a cautionary tale of the heartbreak that can come from a love that feels like it's straight out of a movie.
Line by Line Meaning
Got on in New Haven
I boarded a train in New Haven.
Last car on the train.
I sat in the last car of the train.
Put my hat on the seat,
I placed my hat on the seat beside me.
Wipe the tears from my eyes.
I wiped away my tears.
I watched my life go by,
As I sat in silence, my life flashed before my eyes.
Like a movie in my brain.
It felt like I was watching a movie in my head.
Scenes unreeling;
Scenes from my past played out before me.
In a sceneless chain
The scenes were connected, yet didn't have a clear storyline.
On the window,
Rain drops on the window glass.
and a silver screen of rain!
Blurred vision, looking through a screen of pouring rain.
And the opening title scroll,
The beginning credits played as in a film.
and the score comes in and under.
The music began to play in the background.
And I'm in the starring role,
I am the leading character in this movie.
in a world of love-struck wonder;
I am in an enchanted world of love.
It's a tale full of promise, about two crazy kids;
It's a story filled with hope about two foolish people.
Falling in love, but in flashback.
Their love story is told mainly in flashbacks.
And then the music,
The music begins to play.
that gorgeous music;
The beautiful music fills the air.
And I wake up,
I wake up from my daydream.
Rattling down the railroad track.
The train's noise wakes me up as we are still moving on the railroad tracks.
He could be sweet,
He had a charming personality.
But I stayed on my guard.
I was cautious around him.
Just how good a liar
I questioned how well he could hide the truth.
can a decent man be?
I wondered if a good man could also be a good liar.
I always played my hand
I was careful about my actions and words.
Like I didn't have the cards.
I pretended to be unaware of my situation.
Cause he held them all
He was the one who held all the power.
So I could never see.
I was oblivious to his intentions.
Yes, he played me for a fool,
He tricked me into believing he was someone he wasn't.
and I agreed.
I fell for his lies.
And the closing credits roll,
The end credits of the movie play.
And the waves come in like thunder.
The crashing of waves echoes in my mind.
Cause the hero's lost control,
The hero of the story lost control of the situation.
And I made a fatal blunder.
I made a mistake that affected the outcome of the story.
Just another sad story;
It's just another tragic tale.
Two star-crossed kids,
Two lovers who were never meant to be.
Racing headlong up a cul-de-sac.
Their love story was a dead-end road that led to nowhere.
And then that music,
The sad music begins again.
That mournful music.
The heartbreaking melody that accompanies the sad story.
And the train's disappearing
The train was slowly vanishing.
Down that railroad track.
Leaving me behind on the tracks, hurt and alone.
And the long, slow dissolve,
The movie fading away until it disappears.
As we fade to black.
As the movie ends, everything fades to black.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CARLY SIMON, JIMMY L. WEBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind