Simon & Garfunkel, The #22 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Two

 

(Continued from Part One)

 Simon and Garfunkel asserted more creative control for the third album, and the result was the acclaimed Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.  They released "The Dangling Conversation" as the opening single, and it peaked at #25, becoming one of The Top Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.  It may have been too deep for the mainstream audience at the time.  

Simon got together with Bruce Woodley of the Seekers to write two songs in 1966.  One was "Red Rubber Ball", which was a #2 hit for the Cyrkle.  The other was this one, which the Seekers also recorded for their 1967 album Seekers Seen in Green.  Here is Simon & Garfunkel with "Cloudy", a song they performed at the Hollywood Bowl in 1968. 

 

In concerts, Garfunkel introduced this song by telling the story of a photo shoot for their debut album Wednesday Morning 3 A.M.  The two posed for over 500 pictures in front of the subway station at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street in New York City before they got the perfect shot they wanted.  After they packed up the cameras and guitars and were leaving, Art noticed for the first time that the subway wall that was in the background the whole time contained what he termed "an old familiar suggestion" and thus the pictures were unusable.  

The experience inspired Simon to write "A Poem On The Underground Wall".

 

The city mentioned in this song is Scarborough, a coastal town in England.  The "Scarborough Fair" drew traders and entertainers from all over the country in Medieval times, and Bards sang this song when they traveled from town to town.  The author is unknown.  "Scarborough Fair" gave the duo three hits from the album, and with a peak of #11, it too is one of The Top Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

 

"A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd into...) name-checks the U.S. Secretary of Defense at the time, as well as several others in this ingenious song.

 

Paul has said in interviews that one song he wished he'd written was "Silent Night". Set against the backdrop of the tumultuous events of 1966 is this sad but poignant version of the song which juxtaposes the sad commentary on world events with the warm sentiments of the Christmas season.  It is called "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night".

 "Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall" could portray the potential insignificance of our lives, or it could mean that even creations are not forever and that everything is subject to change.  In any case, it is another outstanding set of lyrics.

 

In "Patterns", Simon uses a dreamy musical background to be the bed for some heavy lyrics that imply that everything is preordained, that we are all following a set of instructions in living our lives.  To make his point, Simon uses everyday images and situations wrapped in metaphors that show that even though we may think we are making progress, we are actually going around in circles and are trapped by the same mistakes and factors as others who have gone before.   

 

"For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her", which features Simon's 12-string guitar as the only instrumentation, as well as the gorgeous vocal from Garfunkel, is another highlight of the album.  It was released as a single two years after the duo's breakup.

Don't miss more timeless music from Simon & Garfunkel in Part Three!