A couple of nights ago, I played You’re So Vain by Carly Simon, and Clive commented that while he liked the song fine, his favourite by Ms. Simon is Anticipation.  And so tonight … this one’s for you, Clive!

In an interview with National Public Radio (NPR), Carly said she wrote this song about Cat Stevens while she was waiting for him to pick her up for their first date. Simon was opening for Stevens at the Troubadour in Los Angeles; she invited him to come by her apartment for their date after the show, and he accepted. As time ticked by, Simon got peeved and vented her frustration by writing this song.

When Stevens did show up, it marked the beginning of a loving relationship Simon spoke of fondly many years later. She ended up marrying James Taylor in 1972.

This song was revived in a series of Heinz ketchup commercials in the late ’70s, including one starring a young Corey Feldman. Heinz ketchup is thick and pours very slowly. In the commercials, a person would be shown waiting for the ketchup to come out of the bottle as the chorus of Anticipation played in the background. For this reason, many people (myself included) think of this song as “The Ketchup Song.”

Anticipation is one of Simon’s biggest hits. It has been included on several compilations of her work, including The Best of Carly Simon (1975), Clouds in My Coffee (1995), The Very Best of Carly Simon: Nobody Does It Better (1999), Anthology (2002), and Reflections: Carly Simon’s Greatest Hits (2004).

Released in 1971, this song reached the #13 spot in the U.S. and #9 in Canada, but did not chart in the UK.

Anticipation
Carly Simon

We can never know about the days to come
But we think about them anyway
And I wonder if I’m really with you now
Or just chasin’ after some finer day

Anticipation, anticipation
Is makin’ me late
Is keepin’ me waitin’

And I tell you how easy it feels to be with you
And how right your arms feel around me
But I, I rehearsed those words just late last night
When I was thinkin’ about how right tonight might be

Anticipation, anticipation
Is makin’ me late
Is keepin’ me waitin’

And tomorrow we might not be together
I’m no prophet and I don’t know nature’s ways
So I’ll try and see into your eyes right now
And stay right here ’cause these are the good old days

And stay right here ’cause these are the good old days
(These are the good old days)
(These are the good old days)
(These are the good old days)
(These are the good old days)

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Carly Simon
Anticipation lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group