Old Friends

I recently caught a documentary on Simon and Garfunkel called ‘Songs of America’, showing them during the making of their fifth and final album, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Waters’ and on tour. The documentary shows footage of various events in America before and around that time, set to their music. It also shines a light on the two of them as individuals, speaking on various subjects like the Vietnam War, on why they write songs and with a humorous conversation on Beethoven.
I don’t think I’ve ever come across musicians as intellectual and witty as them. Especially now, a critical time in the music business when gravity keeps prevailing over Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber’s hair is making scientists scratch their heads.
Their music, essentially folk-sy, spans through other genres like soft rock, gospel, and r&b (back when it actually was r&b). Their melodies get your foot tapping and can create an atmosphere. Their lyrics are proof of how brilliant and reflective they are. ’The Dangling Conversation’ and ‘For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her’ are really one of the best examples. Through the music they paint pictures. Pictures of people and their temperaments, pictures of landscapes and their colours and pictures of emotions, beliefs and their complexities.
Just to see their music incorporated into a film I even saw The Graduate. Of course, I loved the music but was disappointed with the film. ‘Mrs Robinson’, another huge favourite was originally ‘Mrs Roosevelt’. It was changed when the song was featured in the film, along with ‘Scarborough Fair/Canticle’, ‘April Come She Will’ and ‘The Sounds of Silence’.
The instrumental ‘Bookends’ is beautiful. ‘59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin Groovy)’ and ‘The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine’ are catchy and cool. The latter casually pokes fun at consumer behaviour and the effects of advertising. ‘A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara’d Into Submission) seems to be almost like a predecessor to Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’, since it’s full of references from the 20th Century –Ayn Rand, Dylan Thomas, Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol, James Joyce, Norman Mailer, The Rolling Stones, Art Garfunkel… Even his style of singing here is very reminiscent of Bob Dylan.
No one makes songs like that anymore, do they?