Carly Simon had a remarkable way of making the personal feel universal. Her songs could be confessional without becoming overly precious, sophisticated without losing their pop appeal and sometimes just sly enough to keep listeners guessing for decades. By the time she reached the top of the charts, Simon, born June 25, 1943, had already established herself as one of the most distinctive singer-songwriters of the early 1970s.

Over the years, the settings changed—from intimate relationship songs to blockbuster movie themes—but the gift for melody and sharply observed storytelling remained. These 13 tracks trace that career, from her startling 1971 debut through one of the most celebrated songs ever written for a film.

“That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be”—Carly Simon (1971)

What a way to introduce yourself! The opening single from Simon’s debut turned marriage and domestic expectations into surprisingly sophisticated pop, reaching #10 on the Hot 100. Her breakout success and the success of her self-titled debut album also earned her the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

“Anticipation”—Anticipation (1971)

The title track reportedly came together while Simon was waiting for Cat Stevens to pick her up for a date. That nervous feeling of waiting became something much bigger: a #13 hit and one of her signature songs.

“The Carter Family”—No Secrets (1972)

A deeply personal album had room for a song that felt almost like a family photograph. “The Carter Family” is one of the quieter, acoustic-driven treasures on No Secrets, the landmark album that turned its creator into a superstar.

“You’re So Vain”—No Secrets (1972)

Then came the song that changed everything. It topped the Hot 100 for three weeks, featured Mick Jagger on backing vocals and inspired an endless guessing game about its subject. Simon has confirmed Warren Beatty as the man referenced in the second verse, while maintaining that the song concerns three different men.

Related: How “You’re So Vain” came to be

“The Right Thing to Do”—No Secrets (1972)

There is a lovely warmth to this one, a quality that helped make it a natural companion to the more provocative material surrounding it. Released as a single in 1973, it reached #17 on the Hot 100 and became one of the album’s enduring highlights.

“Mockingbird”—Hotcakes (1974)

Simon and James Taylor turned Inez and Charlie Foxx’s 1963 R&B hit (which was originally adapted from the traditional nursery rhyme “Hush, Little Baby”) into a vibrant husband-and-wife showcase. Their exuberant version reached #5 on the Hot 100, making it one of the couple’s biggest chart successes together.

“Haven’t Got Time for the Pain”—Hotcakes (1974)

Co-written with Jacob Brackman, this track finds a rather wonderful reason to stop dwelling on misery: there are simply better things to do. It reached #14 on the Hot 100 and an impressive #2 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

“Attitude Dancing”—Playing Possum (1975)

There was considerably more rhythmic swagger in the mid-1970s than the standard singer-songwriter tag might suggest. Released as the album’s lead single, this Richard Perry production reached #21 on the Hot 100.

“Nobody Does It Better”—The Spy Who Loved Me Soundtrack (1977)

The James Bond film franchise had already accumulated an impressive collection of theme songs, but this one became a pop classic on its own terms. Written by Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager, and with Perry’s magnificent production, it reached #2 on the Hot 100 and became one of the most recognizable 007 anthems of all time.

“You Belong to Me”—Boys in the Trees (1978)

Co-written by Simon and Michael McDonald (with Simon writing the lyrics and McDonald composing the music), this sophisticated slice of late-1970s pop gave her another Top 10 hit. Though recorded earlier by the Doobie Brothers in 1977, Simon’s own single version reached #6 on the Hot 100.

“Jesse”—Come Upstairs (1980)

The arrival of the 1980s brought a noticeable change in texture, but the storytelling remained unmistakably hers. This tale of an old lover suddenly returning reached #11 on the Hot 100 and became one of the high-water marks of this album.

“Coming Around Again”—Coming Around Again (1987)

Originally written for the 1986 film Heartburn, the song became the centerpiece of a major career resurgence. Its combination of domestic observation, wit and hard-earned perspective helped carry the album to platinum status and took the single to #18 on the Hot 100.

“Let the River Run”—Working Girl Soundtrack (1988)

Few career moments could provide a more fitting finale. Written for the box-office smash romcom Working Girl, this sweeping anthem won both the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Original Song in early 1989, followed by a Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television in early 1990. It remains one of the rare movie tracks that feels every bit as large as the film it accompanied.

Simon’s recordings are available here.