Since we recently visited the musical stylings of Simon & Garfunkel, it seems appropriate to take a look this week at Paul Simon’s remarkable solo career. Not only does Paul Simon have a distinctive style, but he also has an impressive range, tying in aspects of jazz, blues, rock, and folk into his music.
Paul is 84 now and has a storied history behind him, as a musician and as a songwriter. Many of the hits he’s known for, as well as the more popular Simon & Garfunkel tunes, he wrote himself. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He’s won 16 Grammys, twice for Album of the Year.
That’s a pretty impressive history. Here are six of my favorites; ask me next week, and I may pick six different ones, but one has to draw the line somewhere.
Mother And Child Reunion (1972): Paul Simon, noting that this was the “first reggae hit by a non-Jamaican white guy outside Jamaica,” wrote and recorded this song as a response to the Jimmy Cliff song “Vietnam.” Simon’s song took a more positive tone, foreseeing perhaps a happier time when a young soldier returned home to his mother, perhaps in this life, perhaps in another – who knows? This was Simon’s first solo release, and it got that solo career started with a bang.
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Kodachrome (1973): A happy, upbeat tune, this song invoked a trademarked name, Kodachrome, being the Kodak company’s color transparency film, known for its bright colors and fine resolution. Funny side note: Radio stations in the United Kingdom refused to play this song, as they were forbidden to play songs that did, or seemed to, push products.
Loves Me Like A Rock (1973): A spiritual tune; the symbolism of the rock has taken on many meanings throughout history. Simon tended to use it literally, as in an actual piece of stone. But in this song? Theories abound, but one might note that, while there are a lot of various appearances of a rock as a symbol for God or Jesus in the Judeo-Christian traditions, Paul Simon reportedly meant the symbol in this song as being about a mother’s love.
50 Ways To Leave Your Lover (1975): No spiritual symbolism here; just a laundry list of ways to get out of a relationship that’s on the rocks. In an interview in 1975, shortly after this song was released, Paul said of the tune:
I woke up one morning in my apartment on Central Park and the opening words just popped into my mind: 'The problem is all inside your head, she said to me...' That was the first thing I thought of. So I just started building on that line. It was the last song I wrote for the album, and I wrote it with a Rhythm Ace, one of those electronic drum machines so maybe that's how it got that sing-song 'make a new plan Stan, don't need to be coy Roy' quality. It's basically a nonsense song.
Read More: Start Your Weekend Right With 6 Great Songs From Balladeer Jim Croce
You Can Call Me Al (1986): My father-in-law sort of likes this song. Why? His name is Al. I have a grandson named Albert (we call him Moose, for his size and robust build) who, we expect, will go by Al when he’s grown, and yes, he’s named after his great-grandfather. This is a fun song, made much more fun by Paul Simon’s deadpan expression set alongside Chevy Chase’s antics in the video. In 1990, Paul said of the song:
'You Can Call Me Al' starts off very easily with sort of a joke: 'Why am I soft in the middle when the rest of my life is so hard?' Very easy words. Then it has a chorus that you can't understand. What is he talking about, you can call me Betty, and Betty, you can call me Al? You don't know what I'm talking about. But I don't think it's bothersome. You don't know what I'm talking about but neither do I.
Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes (1987): I added this one because it’s quite different than most of Paul Simon’s work. Recorded in South Africa with native musicians, it has a very different sound, which fits in with Simon’s habit of exploring new styles. This song was recorded with vocal support from the South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who sang in Zulu in this track. It’s a neat sound.
Here’s the amazing thing: Paul Simon is still touring. You can see his schedule and get tickets here. (No, he’s not coming to Alaska.)Have you got any great old Paul Simon favorites of your own? The comments, as always, are all yours. Also, I have something jazzy, modern, and different for next week’s installment, so stay tuned.
