Honestly, if you were around in 1972, you couldn't escape Carly Simon. She was everywhere. Her face, that iconic smile, and the mystery of who she was singing about defined a whole era of pop culture. But while everyone was busy obsessing over the "Vain" guy, a much more intimate, vulnerable story was playing out in the track right next to it. Carly Simon The Right Thing to Do wasn't just another radio hit; it was a snapshot of a woman falling in love with a man who was, by all accounts, a beautiful mess.
That man was James Taylor.
The London Fog and the Trident Sessions
The song was born during a wild creative burst in London. Carly had decamped to Trident Studios, the same place where Bowie was conjuring up Ziggy Stardust and the Beatles had cut "Hey Jude." You can almost smell the cigarette smoke and expensive perfume in the recordings. Producer Richard Perry, known for his "slick" touch, was actually pushing Carly toward something grittier.
It worked.
The piano on the track has this bouncy, gospel-adjacent energy, but the lyrics? They're heavy. People often forget that when she wrote this, she and James Taylor had only been together for about three months. It’s a "honeymoon phase" song written by someone who already knew the honeymoon might have a high cost.
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Why Carly Simon The Right Thing to Do is Brutally Honest
Most love songs are about how perfect the other person is. Carly didn't do that. She looked at James—his addiction issues, his "bad days," his reputation—and basically said, "I see the red flags, and I'm staying anyway."
"There's nothing you can do to turn me away / Nothing anyone can say."
That’s not just romantic fluff. It’s a defense of a relationship that her friends and the press were probably side-eyeing. James even helped her tweak the lyrics. Imagine that: sitting at a piano, helping your new girlfriend finish a song about how complicated it is to love you.
The title itself actually has a cinematic origin. She lifted the phrase "loving you is the right thing to do" from the 1971 film The Last Picture Show. It’s a bit of trivia that changes the vibe of the song once you know it. It turns the sentiment into something more deliberate, almost a moral choice rather than just a feeling.
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The Mystery of the Backing Vocals
One of the coolest things about the No Secrets album—and this track in particular—is the "who's who" of 70s rock hanging out in the hallways. While Mick Jagger famously snuck onto "You're So Vain," the sessions for the whole album were a revolving door of legends.
For Carly Simon The Right Thing to Do, the production is layered with this sophisticated, breathy vocal arrangement that became her trademark. You’ve got Jimmy Ryan on bass and Andy Newmark on drums, creating a pocket that feels effortless.
It peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, which is respectable, but it lived forever on Adult Contemporary radio. Why? Because it’s a grown-up song. It’s about the "redemptive power of love," as critics often say, but it's also about the stubbornness of the heart.
The James Taylor Factor
You can't talk about this song without talking about the "Royal Couple of Rock." Their marriage lasted a decade, ending in 1983, and it was famously tumultuous. Knowing how it ended makes the song hit different in 2026.
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When you hear her sing "I'll never keep you in the dark," it feels poignant. They tried for total transparency—the album was literally called No Secrets—but as we all know, total honesty in a marriage is harder than it sounds in a three-minute pop song.
- The Hook: That opening piano riff is instantly recognizable.
- The Vulnerability: She admits her "fading value in the sex-and-love marketplace" (as biographer Sheila Weller noted).
- The Production: Richard Perry’s decision to keep her voice front and center was a game-changer for female solo artists.
What Most People Get Wrong
People often lump this song in with "You're So Vain" as if they're about the same guy. They aren't. While "Vain" was a composite of men like Warren Beatty, Carly Simon The Right Thing to Do was 100% James. It was her "I'm all in" anthem.
If you're looking to really feel the 70s, don't just put on the greatest hits. Find a high-quality vinyl press of No Secrets. The way the congas (played by Ray Cooper) sit in the mix on this track is a masterclass in analog recording.
Actionable Insights for Music Fans
If you want to go deeper into the lore of this track, here’s how to do it properly:
- Listen to the "Live at Grand Central" version. It’s more stripped back and shows how well the melody holds up without the studio polish.
- Read "Boys in the Trees." Carly’s memoir gives the "behind the scenes" of her mindset during the London sessions. It’s raw.
- Compare it to James Taylor’s "Night Owl." He recorded his version for the same album, and you can hear the musical conversation happening between the two of them.
The song remains a staple because it captures a universal truth: sometimes, loving someone isn't easy, and it isn't "logical," but it's the only thing that feels right. Carly Simon didn't just write a hit; she wrote a manifesto for the complicated heart.
Check out the original 1972 studio master on a high-end audio setup to hear the subtle string arrangements by Kirby Johnson that often get lost on cheap speakers.