![]() To record one of the finest records in history, and then on a producer’s whim add the crucial bits to a relatively unknown track by some duo with a goofy name (who had broken up at this point), which then springs that song to #1… ![]() You might not know this, but the drums, bass, and electric guitar overdub were recorded by Bob Dylan’s studio band in the immediate aftermath of them recording “Like a Rolling Stone.” The juxtaposition of the electric jangle just makes the refrain against the sound of silence reverberate that much more powerfully. But there’s no denying the power of the electric one. I love the original, quiet, acoustic version of this song. The Sounds Of Silence (Sounds of Silence) The line that really gets me is: “I am blinded by the light / Of God and truth and right / And I wander in the night without direction.”Ħ. It’s such a beautiful and simple melody, and the harmonies are gorgeous. Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall (Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme) You can’t regret what needs to be, but you can still feel the pain of its loss.ħ. No hard feelings, just an expression of joy about what they were able to do together, even if it was for only a short time. The song is Paul saying goodbye to Art (they originally went by the name Tom and Jerry), and it’s pretty much the sweetest song about a band breaking up you’re ever likely to hear. The Only Living Boy in New York (Bridge Over Troubled Water) It’s diamonds on the soles of THEIR shoes.Īnd then he just says ‘oooooooooo’ as if everyone knows what he’s talking about…because what else can you say?Ĩ. Because suddenly “by the bodegas and the lights on Upper Broadway,” it’s no longer diamonds on the soles of HER shoes. It’s sad and discouraging, but also beautiful. He can’t take her out on the town, maybe doesn’t even have a home. “She’s a rich girl, she don’t try to hide it, diamonds on the soles of her shoes.” But later, “She said you’ve taken me for granted because I please you, wearing these diamonds.” And you wonder…was she cast out or did she leave? And is it possible that she’s far happier than she could ever have been in high society now that she’s out on the streets with the poor boy? There’s no way to no for sure, but that’s what makes it such a great song.īecause here’s the thing, the best he can do is put on a new set of clothes and some aftershave. But she wears them on her soles, where no one will ever see them, where they are trodden on every day. But you can also think of her as rich in spirit, not ashamed of who she is and where she’s from, but feeling no need to flaunt it. You could think of her as careless (a Gatsby character), so rich that she has diamonds even on the soles of her shoes. There’s something effortless in the dualism of it. I’ve always had a big crush on the woman in this song. Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes (Graceland) Until the final two verses, there’s no hint whatsoever that it’s even going anywhere dark.ĩ. In each case it makes sense, but it’s kind of a weird pairing.Īnyways, of the entire set, this one is probably my favorite song. For obvious reasons, a lot of these songs come from folk and from metal. In high school I collected them pretty relentlessly, and this was in a pre-MP3 world, too, so it was pretty hard to compile them. I have a somewhat weird fascination with songs about apocalypse. The Sun is Burning (Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.) Still, I had to expand things to his whole discography simply for the sake of Graceland.ġ0. He’s got plenty of nice songs spread throughout the years, but very little that rises to the level of his songs from the sixties. To be honest, I’ve never been a particularly big fan of Simon’s solo work. I’m calling this a list of my favorite Paul Simon songs, but these are almost exclusively Simon and Garfunkel songs.
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