Why (Carly Simon song)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"Why", by Carly Simon, was one of a string of film-inspired singles from a less successful period in her career (specifically in the US). Following her much publicized break-down on stage in 1980, it was recorded for the movie Soup For One in 1982. The movie flopped but the soundtrack was a success.
The song, like all of the soundtrack; was produced by Edwards & Rodgers of Chic fame. This was a move away from the usual guitar-based hits of Simon's past, and many saw it as an ill-fated attempt at disco as musical tastes changed in the 80's. However, the bittersweet reggae-tinged ballad became quite a huge hit in Europe, hitting #10 in the UK and Germany and staying on the British charts for 18 weeks. By contrast, the song stalled at a dismal No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song is centered around the phrase "Why does your love, hurt so much?", and Simon sings perhaps, one of her most heartfelt and yearning vocals to date on the track. However, despite this sad subject matter, the song also became well known for its catchy refrain "La di-da, di-da".
In 1989 the song re-surfaced on the Ibiza "Hacienda" scene, and cemented its status as a mellow classic. Known for its bass-line and funky drums it was then that the growing hip-hop scene in the USA began to pick it up, 7 years after the original release. The song re-entered the UK charts the same year, charting at #56.
After its initial failure in the US, surprisingly it became well-known enough, not through Simon, to be featured on Carly Simon's Greatest Hits collection. This is due to the popularity of the song as part of the Soup For One soundtrack, its European success and its sampling on many further songs.
This song should not be confused with the early 1960 Frankie Avalon single of the same name.
Cover versions and samples
An extremely rare version of the song performed by Chic themselves circulates in Ibiza.
In 1990, A Tribe Called Quest sampled the whole instrumental version of the song for their hit "Bonita Applebum".
In 1999, UK reggae artist Glamma Kid covered most of the song, interspersed with rap, taking it back up to #10 on the UK charts.
Danish artist Natasha Thomas, covered the song too, in 2003, using the title "Why (Does Your Love Hurt So Much)".
