Jump to content

Favorite 3 Paul Simon Songs: This is Hard!


Keith Nivan

Recommended Posts

No order:

1. Mother and Child Reunion: Reggae before most of us knew what it was.

2. 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover: The story is well-known. The chorus is Paul teaching his young son to rhyme -- while giving him a bath; the verse has an eaves-dropping intimacy and intensity to it. The "New York" vibe in full-flower.

3. Only Living Boy in New York: (... ... ... Here I Am ... ... ...)

Good Luck!

Artie's best vocal is easy: April Come She Will.

"K"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No order:

1) El Condor Pasa

2) The Boxer

3) America

Tom,

I took my daughter to Harvard to get the train and missed it. I tried to catch it in Woodstock but I could not catch the train. Dang! Finally gave up and left her at Crystal Lake. First time I had been in any of those communities....NICE!

Phil

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I enjoy most of Paul's work after leaving Simon & Garfunkel, I really think his best stuff started in the 1980s.

1. The Boy In The Bubble

2. Rene & Georgitte Magritte With Their Dog After The War

3. The Late Great Johnny Ace

But this list would change every day. Even now, I'm thinking about "Late In the Evening", the terrifc live version of "Cool, Cool River", the simple joy of "You Can Call Me Al", the great music (but terrible lyrics) of "The Vampires"...and, going way back, the great melody (although I think he "borrowed" it) from "American Tune".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At my church, "American Tune" is "Oh Heavenly Head Surrounded". "American Tune" was perfect for '73, and isn't such a bad fit these days either: "We come in the ages most uncertain hour", indeed.

Hollies, S&G songs are eligible! Do tell ...

pierre: Thanks for your choices. I assumed you'd maintain neutrality on the issue. I can't believe I left stuff from "Graceland" and "Saints" off my list.

Too much good stuff!

"K"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In my previous post, I suggested that the live version of "Cool Cool River" was one of my favourites. Actually, pretty much any Paul Simon song live (since he released Graceland) is a treat. It may be hell at times to be in his band (he appears to be very demanding of his musicians), but it really pays off in sterling performances. I saw a couple of shows on the "Saints" tour and they were by far the most professional "rock" (if you can call it that) performances I've ever seen. Songs like "Proof" really shine with a big, diverse collection of musicians.

One of the interesting things about Paul Simon is the wide range of opinions about what is his best work. I would hazard a guess that most people in this forum (and most casual fans) would select his S&G/70s stuff. But there are also quite a few people like myself who, perhaps due to overplay of the earlier material, swear by the later stuff. It hasn't all been good ("You're the One" was kind of turgid after the first few tracks), but I think it is much more interesting. If I had been 14 when "Bridge" was released, my take might well be different!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hard choices, indeed....but did anyone forget "Red Rubber Ball" by the Cyrcle? Simon wrote that one too....and one of his best.

"Saints" is one album that somehow got "under my radar".....seen the cover, heard of it, but quite honestly, haven't herard a single track off it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Saints" is one album that somehow got "under my radar".....seen the cover, heard of it, but quite honestly, haven't herard a single track off it.

By 1990, radio wasn't really interested in Paul Simon anymore. "The Obvious Child" was the first single and is almost entirely percussion. It's a bit like "Late in the Evening", but with the chords de-emphasized. "Proof" was also a single in some places - it reminds a bit of "You Can Call Me Al", with its prominent horn arrangement. While those songs were the obivous choices for singles, the rest of the album is relatively low-key and I think that's what affected the media coverage. If you liked Graceland, "Saints" is definitely worth a listen.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...