People are making a huge fuss about * The Beatles, as a group, and individually; * The Beach Boys; * Billy Joel; * James Taylor; * Dolly Parton; * Barbra Streisand; and so many others, but I think Paul Simon needs to be celibrated more.
Just when I had got into college, the Sounds of Silence was getting to be popular, shortly followed by Mrs. Robinson, and Scarborough Fair, and The Boxer, not to mention Bridge over Troubled Waters.
I did not know the names of thr albums; I do know thrm now, but not so much the songs that happened to be in the albums. As soon as I got the chance, I bought a sort of Greatest Hits collection, and it contained Bookends, Cecilia, Kathy's Song, The Boxer, and many others; and then I bought Wednesday Morning, 3 AM, which contained one of my favorite songs: Last night I had the strangest dream, a beautifully sardonic protest song.
Then Simon and Garfunkel split up, and There Goes Rhyming Simon came out, and there were lots of solo Paul Simon songs (Kodschrome; Still Crazy after All These Years; Me and Julio; Loves me Like a Rock; American Tune, etc.)
There were several other albums, and hit songs, Graceland, and Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes, and so on; featuring Mombasa choir.
Simon was both an amazing tunesmith, as well as a wonderful lyricist, even if the songs had a bit of an intellectual edge that might have repelled the—soon to be—MAGA populace away.
Anyway, even if no-one else does this, I'm going to try to remember to post on Simon songs.
Archie
No comments:
Post a Comment