Carly Simon (born Carly Elisabeth Simon on 25 June 1945 - New York City, US… Read Full Bio ↴Carly Simon (born Carly Elisabeth Simon on 25 June 1945 - New York City, USA) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work. Throughout her career, she has amassed a total of 13 Top 40 Hits including "You're So Vain", "Nobody Does It Better" and "Coming Around Again".

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.

The Girl You Think You See
Carly Simon Lyrics

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Tell me who you long for
In your secret dreams
Go on and tell me who you wish I was
Instead of me

I'm not necessarily
The girl you think you see
Whoever you want is exactly who

I'm more than willing to be
I'll be carefree
A Peace Corps trainee
Your Gypsy Rose Lee
To please you

Who cares what I might be for real
Underneath my games
I'll let you chose from a thousand faces
And a thousand names

I'm not necessarily
The girl you think you see
Whoever you want is exactly who
I'm more than willing to be
I'll be insane
A mathematical brain
You Tarzan, me Jane
To please you

I'm not necessarily
The girl you think you see
Whoever you want is exactly who
I'm more than willing to be
I'll be a queen
A foul-mouthed marine

Your Mary Magdalene
To please you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Girl You Think You See by Carly Simon speak to the idea of being whoever your partner wants you to be. The singer in the song appears to be asking their partner who they long for in their secret dreams, and is willing to be whoever they want, rather than who they actually are. The singer then provides a list of potential personas they could adopt, including a carefree Peace Corps trainee, a seductive Gypsy Rose Lee, or even a foul-mouthed marine. The common thread between these different personas is that they are all willing to do whatever it takes to please the partner, even if it means hiding their true selves.

The song seems to be commenting on the idea of giving up one's own identity in a relationship, and the lengths some people will go to in order to make their partner happy. The line "Who cares what I might be for real" suggests that the singer doesn't see their true self as important, as long as they are able to make their partner happy. The list of potential personas also speaks to the idea of performing for someone else, rather than being true to oneself. The repeated chorus, "Whoever you want is exactly who I'm more than willing to be" further reinforces this idea of losing one's sense of self in order to please another.

Overall, The Girl You Think You See is a song that speaks to the sacrifices people make in relationships, and the ways in which we can lose sight of our own identity in order to meet the expectations of others.

Line by Line Meaning

Tell me who you long for
Confess to me what kind of person you really want to be with.

In your secret dreams
In the fantasies that you keep hidden from others.

Go on and tell me who you wish I was
Admit who you would prefer to see beside you instead of me.

Instead of me
As a substitute for me.

I'm not necessarily
It's not certain that I truly am.

The girl you think you see
The same person that you believe that I am.

Whoever you want is exactly who
Whoever your heart desires is precisely who I'll pretend to be.

I'm more than willing to be
I'm eager to transform myself for you.

I'll be carefree
I'll exist without a worry in the world.

A Peace Corps trainee
A volunteer for the government organization who assists communities in need.

Your Gypsy Rose Lee
A seductive and provocative performer who entertains men.