1972 Soft Rock Hit Was Written in 15 Minutes-Then Became a Classic Commercial Jingle
In 1972, Carly Simon had a hit with the song "Anticipation." Known for its acoustic guitar intro and lyrics about embracing the present moment, the lead single from the album of the same name peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in Feb. 1972. "Anticipation" remains one of Simon's most beloved songs nearly 55 years later.
Simon penned "Anticipation" spontaneously as she fought off nervous energy while waiting for a date with music legend Cat Stevens.
Speaking with the Grammy Foundation, Simon recalled, "I invited Cat Stevens over for dinner at my house…. And so I was waiting for him to show up at my little apartment on 35th Street, and I was very nervous. He was late, and I was very nervous and I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is really too scary that he's coming for dinner, what's gonna happen?' ...And so I picked up my guitar and said, ‘Okay I'm just gonna keep on writing a song until he arrives.' So I picked up the guitar, and I imitated him. I started doing Cat Stevens lunges, you know, into the air with my notes."
"The whole song was done so immediately because I was afraid of losing the song before he came because I liked it," she shared. "I liked it from the first verse on. And so I finished it by the time he arrived."
According to Songfacts, "Anticipation" was written in early June 1971, just before Simon opened for Stevens at Carnegie Hall.
In the book Anthems We Love, she explained that she was "anticipating his arrival" for their dinner date a few days before the show, but Stevens was late. "So I just started the song, and I wrote the whole song, words and music, before he got there that night," she shared. "So in about 15 minutes, I wrote the whole song. Three verses, the choruses, and the outro. That's only one of three times that that's ever happened to me. That I just sat down and wrote the whole song in just one stretch."
Simon told NPR she was in a "very nervous state" when she penned the song. "I was so nervous about his arriving at the door that I wasn't living in the moment," she explained. "And so, I wrote the song called 'Anticipation,' which is about the fact that anticipation makes you late, it keeps you waiting."
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Not only was "Anticipation" a radio hit, but it found new life in an ad campaign. Simon, who married singer James Taylor in 1972 and had their first child, Sally, in January 1974, licensed her song to Heinz Ketchup for a series of commercials.
Simon once explained, "I thought I would never record again due to the demanding and precious little sweet Sally I was taking care of (in the jolliest possible way), and so I was talked into selling my song 'Anticipation' to Heinz Ketchup for a commercial. I wasn't at all displeased with the results. It was well done and funny."
Heinz showcased the brand's slow pour from the bottle with the tagline "The taste that's worth the wait" in a series of commercials featuring Simon's hit. The ads featuring "Anticipation" aired throughout the late 1970s.
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This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 3:04 AM.