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Who says that high school poetry class doesn’t come in handy? #aukeleshearth #myhusbandmademedoit #complainwithasmile #butgetmyshitrighttho #rhyminsimon #laydownthosefunkybeats https://www.instagram.com/p/CFnFPbFDwJw/?igshid=amhx26cap76j
Seeing a live show of a musician with a prolific portfolio is such a joy- as a concert goer, you are continually surprised by the set selection. But the magic really lies in realizing that it's not just you who has quietly (or not so quietly... ahem) sung these lyrics as if you wrote them. You're joined by a sort of collective musical consciousness and the power of a good song. And it is truly a delight. Cole and I relished our Paul Simon concert experience last Friday. Paul’s voice is still as clear as a bell, and while his stature is diminutive, his power over a room full of people was anything but. We wish you all could have been there to sing along with us (and 5,000 of our closest friends).
Here’s another tune by someone I consider to be a significantly talented song writer. He’s a homegrown Coloradan, which makes me proud, but his latest project with The Night Sweats has taken him to a level of national recognition. This is my last contribution to the Paul & Friends collection. Thanks for tuning in during this special feature on C v C this month!
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
"Why am I so soft in the middle / When the rest of my life is so hard?”
Maybe Paul’s most recognizable single. Extremely catchy. And featured on an album that experimented widely with African rhythmic structure. There’s no way to not have this one on here. Excitement is maxed out for tomorrow!
I’ve been wanting to post this song for a while, and I think it fits with our singer/songwriter theme we’ve got going right now. Valarie has a more funky style than Paul, but her songwriting skills are clear when you listen to this album. This particular one pops into my head on occasion, seemingly out of nowhere. If that isn’t the sign of a good song, I don’t know what is.
Paul Simon wrote and starred in a movie, One-Trick Pony. Unsurprisingly, he also composed the soundtrack. That’s not even the main draw for this one, it’s the band backing him. Although not his first appearance on a Paul Simon track (see “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”), a young drum legend Steve Gadd, is featured on the entire album. The host of talented complementary musicians fattens up Paul’s sound considerably, and would end up leading to a serious change of musical direction for Paul. Coming up: Graceland.
After Cole’s last post about harmonizers and duos and all this talk of lyrics and Paul, I suddenly came back around to one of my favorite bands and realized their music somehow compliments a Rhymin Simon theme quite well. I couldn’t exactly tell you how, but I could say that I would put one of Wild Child’s songs and one of Simon’s on the same mix without a second thought. Something so right, to use Paul’s words... Enjoy these playful lyrics, and please do take a second to check out some more stuff by Wild Child. Any of their three albums are on frequent rotation in my music library!
Paul Simon wrote so much good music. He had the far more prolific solo career. By default, Art Garfunkel is the butt of a lot of jokes. But here’s my two cents- Garfunkel was a great compliment to Simon. He could harmonize with anything. He and Paul might have had their differences (hence the breakup), but you better believe Simon knows how important Garfunkel was to his musical career. On his third solo album, Paul wrote this one with Art in mind, and boy did it turn out well.
Since Cole posted my favorite Paul Simon song yesterday, I was feeling a little paralyzed about where to go from there... but then I watched a “home video” by my very talented life-documentarian, Eve, and this song was the soundtrack. Seemed a clear choice as a follow up to one of Paul’s alltime hits. Dylan probably deserves his own study, but the comparisons are clear- insightful and self-reflective lyrics, a massive, devoted following, and a prolific library of music.
