Carly Simon defends Sabrina Carpenter's controversial album cover, says it's not ‘outrageous'

New York Post

20-06-2025

Carly Simon is coming to Sabrina Carpenter's defense.
During a recent interview, Simon reacted to Carpenter's album cover that caused quite a stir.
Carpenter's album artwork for 'Man's Best Friend' showed a photo of the singer on her hands and knees, as a man appeared to be grabbing her by the hair.
The 'Busy Woman' singer wore a black mini dress and matching heels in the photo.
Simon argued the current outrage surrounding Carpenter's album is relatively mild, compared to past examples of bold artistic expression in the music industry.
'She's not doing anything outrageous,' the 'You're So Vain' singer said in an interview with Rolling Stone. 'It seems tame.'
'There have been far flashier covers than hers,' Simon said. 'One of the most startling covers I've ever seen was [The Rolling Stones'] 'Sticky Fingers.' That was out there in terms of sexual attitude. So I don't know why she's getting such flak.'
6 Sabrina Carpenter on her album cover for 'Man's Best Friend.'
Sabrina Carpenter
Once Carpenter shared her latest album cover of 'Man's Best Friend,' fans were quick to comment.
'This cover makes me uncomfortable…' one person wrote.
Another comment read, 'That's disgusting!!'
Other fans enjoyed Carpenter's album and wrote, 'Sue her she wants to be iconic.'
While Simon is no stranger to pushing the envelope herself, the singer reacted to the similar criticism she received for her famous 1975 'Playing Possum' album.
'Everybody looked at it, and people definitely had a reaction to it,' Simon told Rolling Stone of her own cover at the time. 'But they wouldn't have told me what they really thought.'
6 Carly Simon poses for a portrait in New York City in 1981.
Getty Images
6 Carly Simon performs onstage at Radio City Music Hall on April 19, 2017.
Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival
The 'You Belong To Me' singer famously posed in a lacy black dress with matching leather boots. Simon's face wasn't shown, but she was photographed on her knees for the album cover.
That photo was shot by Norman Seeff, who still remembers the stir it caused.
'Suddenly, I'm getting calls from 'Time' and 'Newsweek,' saying, 'This is one of the sexiest covers that has ever [been] known,'' Seeff recalled.
'There's this whole controversy around what did it represent? It felt very much like that energy in a woman, but I just thought of it as a beautiful shot.'
6 Sabrina Carpenter shares a photo celebrating her number-one debut album.
sabrinacarpenter/Instagram
Meanwhile, the former Disney star has been known for her racy performances and turning heads.
In March, Carpenter shocked fans with her explicit dance moves at her concert in Paris.
During every show on her 'Short n' Sweet' world tour, the singer simulates a different sexual position while performing her hit 'Juno.'
Carpenter shows off each move when she sings the lyrics, 'Wanna try out some freaky positions? / Have you ever tried this one?'
6 Sabrina Carpenter performs onstage during her Short and Sweet tour at Barclays Center on Sept. 30, 2024.for AEG
6 Sabrina Carpenter performs at Madison Square Garden on Sept. 29, 2024.
Rolling Stone via Getty Images
At her Paris performance, Carpenter paid tribute to the City of Lights when she and two male backup dancers simulated a three-way sex act, known as the Eiffel Tower.
In a photo from the performance that the account Buzzing Pop posted on X, Carpenter, who donned a sparkly green and silver halter top with a matching miniskirt, was seen bending over between the two dancers who leaned into her and held hands above her.
The position is meant to emulate the structure of Paris' famed historical landmark.
The post divided fans when it went viral on social media, with some fans slamming Carpenter's performance as too inappropriate for the younger members of her fan base, while others contended that she had the right to evolve as an artist after transitioning to adulthood.