In 1989, Carly Simon had a hit single with “Let The River Run”. The song, written solely by Simon, is part of the soundtrack for the blockbuster film Working Girl, starring Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, and Joan Cusack. Directed by veteran director Mike Nichols, it’s Nichols who at least partially inspired “Let The River Run”.
The inspirational anthem says, “We’re coming to the edge / Running on the water / Coming through the fog / Your sons and daughters / Let the river run / Let all the dreamers / Wake the nation / Come, the New Jerusalem / Silver cities rise / The morning lights / The streets that meet them / And sirens call them on / With a song.”
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Simon later said that Nichols became somewhat of an inspiration for both “Let The River Run” and “Coming Around Again”, a song used for his 1986 Heartburn movie.
“Mike and I started not really dating, but we started seeing each other before we started working together,” Simon explains. “He was always going to give you something great every time you talked to him. And I wanted to do the same for him. I wanted to be the same person for him.”
How Mike Nichols Reacted to “Let The River Run” by Carly Simon
Nichols, fortunately, became an instant fan of “Let The River Run”. He wasreportedly “ecstatic” about Simon’s song. Still, Nichols’ affection for the song didn’t make it automatically part of the Working Girl soundtrack. In fact, “Let The River Run” was almost replaced by “Witchy Woman” by Eagles. Fortunately, Nichols had the final say, allowing “Let The River Run” to be part of Working Girl.
“Let The River Run” came towards the end of Simon’s historic career. In 1990, Simon had a Top 5 hit with “Better Not Tell Her”, followed by the Top 40 single, “Holding Me Tonight”. In 1992, Simon had her final Top 20 single, with “Love Of My Life”. That song was also part of a film, This Is My Life, out in 1992.
Simon won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy for “Let The River Run”. The success makes Simon the first female artist to win all three awards as both a performer and composer. A music video for the song was released, featuring Simon along with Griffith and Cusack.
“Let The River Run” is one of Simon’s bigger hits, but it isn’t her most popular. That distinction likely goes to her 1972 single, “You’re So Vain”. That song is her first No. 1 hit.
Photo by Michael Uhll/Redferns