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Okay, so sue me . . . I love Paul Simon!

Eliot Wild

Irreverent Agnostic Jerk
Before you harshly judge me . . . think about this:

This song was recorded in 1980, under the oppressive forces of an industry that demanded Disco, for God's sake. Not that I'm casting undue stones at Disco. But this was a jazzy attempt at being stylish, with a bunch of guys who probably wished they were playing something else . . .

But God, I love this song and this rendition.


[youtube]sfv3kBzJZgU[/youtube]
YouTube - ‪Paul Simon 1980 One Trick Pony‬‎




He makes it look so easy, look so clean,
he moves like God's immaculate machine;
He makes me think 'bout all these extra moves I make,
and all these herky-jerky motions,
and the bags of tricks it takes,
to get me through my working day . . .

He's a one-trick pony . . .
 

Eliot Wild

Irreverent Agnostic Jerk
Exploitation and Commercialization can be used multiple ways: In the hands of innocent invention, they can truly be . . .

" . . . a turn-around jump shot; everybody jump starts;
it's every generation throws a hero up the pop charts;
it's medicine is magical and magical is art;
think of the boy in the bubble and the baby with the baboon heart.

And I believe these are the days of lasers in the jungles,
lasers in the jungle somewhere,
sticatto signals of constant information,
a loose affiliation of millionaires and billionaires
and baby . . .

These are the days of miracle and wonder,
this is the long-distant call,
the way the camera just follows us in slow-mo,
the way we look to us all,
the way we look to a distant constellation
that is dying in the corner of the sky;

These are the days of miracle and wonder,
don't cry, baby, don't cry."


[youtube]GykbnvufIZE[/youtube]
YouTube - ‪Paul Simon - The boy in the bubble‬‎
 
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Smoke

Done here.
I haven't kept up with Paul Simon, but I thought he did some excellent work in the 70s and 80s.
 

Engyo

Prince of Dorkness!
The Boxer and Bridge Over Troubled Water (no matter how hackneyed) are still some of my favorites.
 

doppelganger

Through the Looking Glass
He's my all time favorite musician. Rhythm of the Saints is one of the greatest records ever! And so is Graceland. And don't forget all his great stuff from his days of Garfunkeling.
 

Smoke

Done here.
doppelgänger;2113129 said:
He continued to right up to the aughts. Check out his CD "Surprise." Great stuff.
If your advice about music is as good as your advice about literature, I don't think I can afford to miss it. I'll check it out. :)
 

Eliot Wild

Irreverent Agnostic Jerk
People sometimes ask of us which is our favorite this or that.

They might ask which is my favorite Shakespeare play. Which is my favorite wine? Which is my favorite T.S. Eliot poem? Which is my favorite Vonnegut novel? Which is my favorite brand of scotch?

Which of my kin do I love the most, they might as well ask.

There are some items so dear they are beyond tagging with preference. There are some items so admired in their uniqueness and excellence that I cannot choose a favorite amongst them.

But if I had a favorite Paul Simon song, it might be this one:

[youtube]kZ425RKCqco[/youtube]
YouTube - ‪Paul Simon - Hearts and Bones + lyrics‬‎
 

Eliot Wild

Irreverent Agnostic Jerk
Okay, so tell me, where could a man this old say something like this in public and not get arrested:

"Along come a young girl, she's pretty as a prayer book,
sweet as an apple, on Christmas day.
I said, 'Good, Gracious,' could this be my luck,
if that's my prayer book, Lord, let us pray . . .

Well, I'm standin' on the corner of LaFayette, state of Louisiana,
wondering where a city boy could go,
to maybe get a little conversation,
maybe drink a little red wine,
and catch a little bit of those cajun girls,
dancing the zydeco."

[youtube]ohIcL9SdHdI[/youtube]
YouTube - ‪Live At The New Orleans 2010 Jazzfest Paul Simon-That Was Your Mother‬‎
 

Eliot Wild

Irreverent Agnostic Jerk
When you think of all the things you should have done right . . .

Every single image you hold will pale in comparison to everything that was right. I really have no idea what that means, it just hit me. But Paul certainly has an uncanny way of crying about loss and longing in the same breath:

"She comes back to tell me she's gone.
As if I didn't know that, as if I didn't know my own bed;
as if I'd never noticed the way she brushed her hair
from her forehead."

[youtube]h6fS_7Yp0hY[/youtube]
YouTube - Paul Simon- Graceland
 

doppelganger

Through the Looking Glass
And appropriate to this forum, one of his new songs:

Weak as the winter sun, we enter life on earth.
Names and religion comes just after date of birth.
And everybody gets a tongue to speak,
And everyone hears an inner voice,
A day at the end of the week to wonder and rejoice.
If the answer is infinite light, why do we sleep in the dark?


[youtube]3a90ZXJTG4Y[/youtube]
YouTube - Paul Simon - How Can You Live in the Northeast - Lorrach 2008
 
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