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PLUS: Finance department mess, and jazz singer Stephanie Spruill shares Black women's reaction to feminist anthem 'You're So Vain,' which she covered.
Jazz singer on ‘elite’ Saratoga section of her ‘You’re So Vain’ cover
Jazz singer Stephanie Spruill tells author Will Levith what the feminist anthem meant to Black women when she sang a soulful version of it on David Axelrod’s 1974 album ‘Heavy Axe.’
Stephanie Spruill was just 24 or 25 when she stepped into the recording studio to belt out Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” for David Axelrod’s 1974 album, Heavy Axe.
“I really didn’t understand everything [about the song], because I had never been on a private jet — I didn’t get on a G4 until I was singing with Julio Iglesias, you know?” she tells author Will Levith, in an interview he released earlier today about what it was like for a young Spruill to sing about the “elite” — as Spruill calls Simon and her rich and famous friends and boyfriends.
“Uncovering the Forgotten Soul Jazz Cover of Carly Simon’s ‘You’re So Vain’” is part of Levith’s reporting for his upcoming book, Spa Rock City. The music history deep-dive digs into Saratoga’s moments in the limelight, including the famous Saratoga line “I hear you went up to Saratoga / And your horse naturally won” in “You’re So Vain.”
The verse meant nothing to Spruill when she was tapped to sing it. But then she was deeply moved after learning the intent of the song.
“I think I did it in one take,” she says.
The breakup anthem became a defining feminist moment decrying male entitlement, and Levith asks Spruill, “Do you feel that revolution extended to African-American women, too?”
“No, not really,” she says. “Carly Simon is [the daughter of the co-founder of] Simon & Schuster…it’s all about the elite…So, it wasn’t like Gloria Steinem. However, she was speaking her truth, now that I reflect on it. It was good for her, because that’s where she was. She wasn’t where African Americans were at that time. The ’70s, ’60s, we were just still fighting for our rights, and many of our leaders were assassinated. So, that song didn’t affect me as far as my liberation as an African American; it may have been for Caucasian women. But for me, personally, no.”
Will Levith, who grew up in Saratoga Springs, publishes overflow interviews and unfinished excerpts on Drafts + Cuts. His interview with Spruill took place by phone in October 2023.
Did you know?
Did you know that the only time infamous mobster Meyer Lanksy spent behind bars was at the Saratoga County Jail? Saratoga Arms Hotel did! “Hidden inside four showers are special tiles, each with its own story or secret about our historic hotel, a little surprise waiting to be discovered mid-shampoo,” the stunning Broadway hotel shared to Instagram. “Have you stayed in one of these rooms yet?”
Welcomed back
Congrats to Saratoga High alum Anthony Weaver, the Baltimore Ravens’ new defensive coordinator. Weaver was drafted by the team in 2002 and played defensive end for four years. In 2021, he coached for three seasons as defensive line coach, run game coordinator, and assistant head coach. Following two seasons in sunny Miami with the Dolphins, he’s now returned to where his career began.
A mess in the finance department
At last night’s City Council meeting, the new Commissioner of Finance called out the former Director of Finance for subpar record-keeping — egregious enough to need a “pause” and publicly read out a long list of missteps.
But first: Flag Day Parade help
Robert Millis (of past New Year’s Fests) is now on deck to “Save the Parade” with the local Elks Club — which made an emotional announcement of the Flag Day Parade’s cancellation at a Council meeting last month. “The mayor got me involved,” Millis said during the Public Comment portion of the meeting. “He knows I kind of do this turnaround thing for a living around the country with music festivals, and so on.” Of special concern was that the Flag Day Parade wouldn’t happen during this year of all years, our country’s 250th anniversary celebration. “In 20 minutes,” Millis said, “John [Safford, Mayor] and I mapped out a plan that answers all the objections the Elks had, as far as money, staff, and so on. We have a plan.”
Onto the Finance Department…
After reading my AI-generated summary of last night — thanks to a new partnership with Saratoga Civic Pulse — I “soberly” listened to what the Substack referred to as Commissioner of Finance JoAnne Kiernan’s “sobering update following the departure of the Director of Finance.” (Kiernan said during her update that the former Director departed “without notice,” which made my ears perk right up — what’s going on over there?)
She went on to say that a preliminary review uncovered “incomplete reconciliations, insufficient backup documentation,” missing backup documentation and mis-posted financial info. “Most notably,” says Civic Pulse, “auditors informed the city that its books are currently ‘not in an auditable position.’ The Commissioner requested a ‘pause’ on all new first-quarter hirings and initiatives until the city’s cash flow and ledger integrity are restored.”
That’s a whole mess to (publicly) blame on someone who’s no longer there. (You know who was there? The former Commissioner of Finance, Minita Sanghvi, having already given her report as one of the new Supervisors. I’d love to know what she was thinking…)
Whatever happened behind the scenes, I hope the current powers-that-be get everything running smoothly again very soon.
This story was brought to you via a partnership with Saratoga Civic Pulse:
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