POLL: The Essential Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel

Betting "The Sound of Silence" takes it by a nose.

yup

hmmmmm "Cecilia" vs. "I Am A Rock" vs. "My Little Town" vs. "The Boxer" for me

and then I remembered that my car is named Cecilia and made my decision.

"Fakin' It," dude. LP or 45 version.

45 label timing reads "2:74"!

cecilia

a solo simon poll would be much, much harder.

cecilia so so easily for me also.

cecilia

"The Boxer"

"The Only Living Boy In New York" just ahead of "America"

"the boxer". just fucking awesome.

Only 40 options huh? Not much of a poll.

No "Silent Night/7 O'Clock News," no cred.

they say that richard cory owns one half of this whole town

"Betting "The Sound of Silence" takes it by a nose."

i took mrs. robinson at three to one.

on the pool table.

Bridge Over Troubled Water.

At the Zoo!

It's like a children's song but even so Paul couldn't resist sticking in a drug reference

"Hazy Shade of Winter." I like the fuzzed out rockers that they do.
Would've voted "Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine" were it included.

?? that song is Simon at his sub-Dylan worst

oh wait I was thinking of "A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission)".

The Only Living Boy In New York but would have voted for April Come She Will if it were available, because I am soppy.

My favorite is "Save the Life of My Child" on Bookends which actually ....er.... rocks. Failing that, I'd have to go with "The Only Living Boy in New York."

America.

impulse vote for 'i am a rock'

Sole vote for 'For Emily...' ? I think it's their prettiest song.

No "Save The Life Of My Child" means I go for "Old Friends" instead. The "Bookends" album represented the pinnacle of their work.

so many of these songs are terrible. I vastly prefer Paul Simon.

oh wait I was thinking of "A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission)".

-- Shakey Mo Collier, Monday, June 30, 2008 1:37 PM (25 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

i thought he was clowning dylan here

"The Boxer."

Which songs particularly do you think terrible, Alfred?

I resisted Simon and Garfunkel for years because of how square they seemed, but came to love the last two albums. About a month ago I listened to the whole oeuvre in one sitting: (challop alert) I was struck at how bad Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme was, but I forgive them, they were writing too many songs at that point, and even the Beatles couldn't manage that kind of pace.

But good grief, the last two albums are terrific, save "Baby Driver" and that awful cover of "Bye Bye Love".

i thought he was clowning dylan here

if so, clowning failed

Baby Driver is a great song! that shit swings

if so, clowning failed

-- Shakey Mo Collier, Monday, June 30, 2008 2:09 PM (37 seconds ago) Bookmark Link

true but that also means 'sub dylan' is unfair cuz it was aiming for parody

Which songs particularly do you think terrible, Alfred?

Lots of'em. At random: "El Condor Pasa," "The Dangling Conversation," "The Sounds of Silence," "Richard Cory,' and I'll take the Bangles' version of "Hazy Shade of Winter." Most S&G songs are exercises he had to eliminate before moving on to the leanness of the solo year (and even then there was lots of bad poetry).

Lots of'em. At random: "El Condor Pasa," "The Dangling Conversation," "The Sounds of Silence," "Richard Cory,'

these are all great songs. ban

You only like them cuz Obama's got'em in his iPod.

when I was in Bolivia a few years back all the pan flute guys played "El Condor Pasa", which I gather is a local melody, but I wouldn't have known it except for S&G, so for that alone, classic.

"The Dangling Conversation" is terrible for the "can analysis be worthwhile? is the theater really dead?" line alone.

I resisted Simon and Garfunkel for years because of how square they seemed

SQUARE?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4b/Soundofsilence.jpg

wtf at all the live versions on this collection? are they any good?

xpost lol; my wife is thoroughly square, e.g. when I met her owned one pop cd, a Peter Paul and Mary collection---but she knew the lyrics to most Simon and Garfunkel songs.

Simon to Garfunkel: I have a great idea for the cover of our next single. OK, first, sit on this stool. Good. Now crouch a little, just lean forward, that's fine. (SNAP) Ha ha I am taller than you!

xpost

I guess I'll be the only one voting for this (haven't read the thread, mind you), but I'd say The Only Living Boy In New York.

I really have no time for Simon & Garfunkel, but it's hard to deny the power of some of their better material.

"Bridge Over Troubled Water" is going to last 1,000 years. It's easy to forget that Paul Simon made up these phrases: bridge over troubled water! crazy after all these years! here's to you, mrs. robinson! slip-sidin' away! They didn't exist before he wrote these songs!

Still, I'm gonna vote for "America": a perfect song that is completely a two-character conversation.

"The Only Living Boy In NY" or "America"

America

"It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw"

OK, it's not all dialogue.

"Toss me a cigarette,
I think there's one in my raincoat."
"We smoked the last one
An hour ago."

So I looked at the scenery,
She read her magazine;
And the moon rose over an open field.

you're breaking my heart

I don't understand, Alfred. You claim you like music, but prove the contrary given every opportunity!

I don't like bad music.

Good music is good. Bad music is bad.

am i the only one voting "so long frank lloyd wright"? i looooove that song. that whole album (BOTW) is great, wonderful songs, wonderful production, wonderful vocals. as good as swan songs get.

That was in my Top 5. Great song, and a good example of what Simon & Garfunkel did well (e.g., delicate -- almost fragile -- harmonies).

"The Dangling Conversation" is terrible for the "can analysis be worthwhile? is the theater really dead?" line alone.

You know that line is supposed to be pretentious and ridiculous, right? He's speaking in the voice of the characters of the song (who have 'dangling conversations and superficial sighs').

still terrible

Terrible even in context? Because I think if you're trying to mock a persona, a terrible line is appropriate.

I mean the POV being expressed ("look at these losers with their conversations about robert frost and freud how, sad they are") is so smug and condescending AND the lines are totally clunky. Its like Paul Simon is trying to rebuke the popular image of himself as a serious, tea-drinking folkie by creating a character that matches that image and then heaping scorn and pity on it - its just sorta sad and pointless.

the sentiment expressed is basically "Don't you see? I'm not like those people! I think they're a joke them too!"

them

For Emily......

I always loved their version of ' Big A Little A' - Crass too

Ok. It doesn't seem that bad to me, but my mother played P,S,R+T all while I was growing up. So maybe I've been inoculated to its horrorcharms.

I don't know whether to choose the song that captured my imagination at the age of four (Homeward Bound) or the song that was played at my friend's funeral (Bridge Over Troubled Water).

...

...

Has to be Homeward Bound. Genuinely formative, that was.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

"It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw"

my dad sez he and his college buddies (who had all done some hitchhiking) thought that line was funny because to take 4 days to hitchhike from saginaw to pittsburgh (370 miles) you'd have to be a really bad hitchhiker. or never actually hitchhiked at all.

Yeah, I think he's pissed about it.

don't like bad music.

-- Alfred, Lord Sotosyn

PRESS TO PLAY, Alfred. PRESS TO PLAY.

anyway I agree that lots of simon lyrics during the S&G years are undergrad poetry gone amok but he kind of exemplifies that. I mean I'd rather listen to his bad poetry than Joni Mitchell.

obviously 'the dangling conversation' is the worst example of any of this, 'you read your emily dickenson/and i my robert frost' blah blah but I really like it, I mean, it absolutely typifies some kind of woodsy mid-60's northwestern liberal arts college mindset that I still find stupidly romantic and that I wanted for myself and didn't have.

dissing Joni not acceptable

"Bridge Over Troubled Water"
Boring, I know.

It would have been "For Emily..." if it were the studio version. "Only Living Boy in New York" would also be a temptation. Or maybe "Old Friends" too. Dammit!

what I wouldn't give for a Simon and Garfunkel lyric as direct and vulgar as "Tell me to PRESS/Right THERE that's it YES."

Bridge Over Troubled Water, not my favorite song necessarily, but my favorite recording, performance, etc

hazy

god, the Bangles version kills.

S&G are great. Most of these songs are classic, despite the occasional clunker. I voted for "America" though. So majestic and wondrous, yet also weirdly subtle.

"My Little Town" is my favorite. I would appreciate it if someone would provide a thoughtful explanation ("because it sucks" doesn't explain anything, plus it doesn't suck) for why "My Little Town" only crawled to number nine on the chart, considering the enduring and even increasing popularity of S & G after they split?

I voted "My Little Town" because I was afraid no one else would, but am now thinking I should've gone with "America."

As to why it didn't chart higher, I've wondered about that too. Maybe small-towners didn't like the sentiment?

No love for Punky's :(

"my little town"? what album is that on?

Both Still Crazy ... and Breakaway, their respective solo albums in '75.

alfred you nut, solo paul simon is dreadful!

i saw the second episode of SNL the other week, the one that's basically an all-simon marathon, and i was just cringing at every moment that didn't include garfunkel. (well, ok, except for "weekend update")

priceless:

Playing "Leaves that are green" to a Billy Bragg fan who doesn't know.

"My Little Town" wasn't a hit in the UK at all but Art had a solo number one in Britain at the same time with "I Only Have Eyes For You." I still can't quite figure that out.

la la la la la

America

That was a different one.

alfred you nut, solo paul simon is dreadful!

You haven't heard the eponymous solo album in years then.

"It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw"

my dad sez he and his college buddies (who had all done some hitchhiking) thought that line was funny because to take 4 days to hitchhike from saginaw to pittsburgh (370 miles) you'd have to be a really bad hitchhiker. or never actually hitchhiked at all.

-- tipsy mothra, Thursday, July 3, 2008 12:33 AM (Thursday, July 3, 2008 12:33 AM)

Yeah, I think he's pissed about it.

-- Steve Shasta, Thursday, July 3, 2008 12:36 AM (Thursday, July 3, 2008 12:36 AM)

Yeah, it would be a bit boring remarking on it if he'd done it in a reasonable amount of time. Like singing "it took me ten minutes to finish the quick crossword" or something.

alfred you nut, solo paul simon is dreadful!

uhhh no ... in fact, i'm going to go on record right now saying PAUL SIMON HAS NEVER MADE A BAD POST-S&G ALBUM. They're all good people. Even Surprise. Even Capeman.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

deeply odd

i saw the second episode of SNL the other week, the one that's basically an all-simon marathon, and i was just cringing at every moment that didn't include garfunkel. (well, ok, except for "weekend update")

aw c'mon the game against Connie Hawkins is priceless!

also opening with "Still Crazy..." alone on a barstool, with that mustache, is some kind of classic

Haven't seen that bit in 20+ years (it was an old repeat even then) but wasn't he dressed like a bee when he sang that (by way of demonstrating his kraziness)?

i think he was dressed like a chicken

alfred you nut, solo paul simon is dreadful!

i think if i made a list of my 20 favorite paul simon songs less than 5 of them would be s&g-era.

I mostly like these results.

"Song For The Asking" 0

fuck all y'all...

I wonder how much of "America"'s win had to do with Almost Famous. It never really stood out to me on Bookends, but then it was used in that film and kind of earned a new heightened status.

prob right about that

it was always my favourite song on Bookends. I haven't seen Almost Famous but I would have voted "America" in this poll.

Right result.

My favourite S&G era Simon tune is America and I want to pass through the New Jersey Turnpike once before I die. On a bus.

Have never/will never see Almost Famous, "America"'s always been a massive tune. See also Yes cover version.

Yeah, I don't remember it in Almost Famous, probably voted for it here judging by my lyric quote.

I like "America," but I don't think it's worth more votes than their most brilliant pop stuff: "Mrs. Robinson" + "At the Zoo" + "The 59th Street Bridge Band Song (Feelin' Groovy)" (a live version, mind you, so maybe it's not all that good) = 10 votes.

Artie says his role in Mike Nichols' Catch-22 adap speeded up the split. (Who was Simon gonna play??)

http://www.salon.com/2013/02/12/forty_years_later_garfunkel_explains_troubled_waters_with_simon/

On which not, what's up with the 69 people who didn't vote for The Only Living Boy in New York?

America? what the fuck people?

in what context, as if i can't guess

o i c, u r reacting to results 8 years later

Sanders used it in an ad this year tho

Here is my schlong for the asking

I like many other songs but if I had to pick the absolute best, "America" and "Only Living Boy", might be my favourite songs of theirs.
The former is simple yet so poignant. the latter simply sounds amazing.
The only problem I have with them is that there are too many fillers/duds on all their albums. which makes it difficult to listen to a full album. a playlist with all their best songs is perfect.

not many duds or fillers on Bridge IMO

I'd never heard 'America' before. It's okay but nothing remarkable compared to many of their other songs.

congratulations, you have won our Rongest Post of the Day award!

Save the Life of My Child is only one song earlier than that on Bookends and it's a much cooler song.

music isn't Top Trumps but there's a sensible reason why so many people love "America"

Ah, well I only just heard (of) it. Didn't know it was a big one for them.

it's the most introspective epic or the epic-est introspection idk

counting the cars on the New Jersey turnpike

this song painted the most vivid pictures in my head since as long as I can remember being alive

not saying I'd always vote it "best" because polls and voting are stupid as

for reasons that escape me now, I was interested in whether Simon & Garfunkel had ever been polled on ILX last night.
and I found this. making said thread revival superfluous.

I think I need a poll. put another way, I would like to cast an 8 year old vote for "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her"

'America' is a wonderful song, lyrically and musically, and probably my second favourite Simon & Garfunkel song after 'The Only Living Boy In New York' ... when Yes covered it, they gave it a radical re-working which is decent in its own way, but at the same time they completely missed the point of the song.

I like the Yes cover of America

I like it as an exercise in progging it up and turning it into a Yessong, but it doesn't resonate on an emotional level for me like the original does.

Bowie, Concert for NYC, 10/20/01 at MSG:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8s3su_david-bowie-simon-and-garfunkel-ame_music

(sorry, not on youtube)