I am ancient enough to be aware of several musical incarnations for Paul Simon, beginning with Simon and Garfunkel in the 1960's. As a teen in the latter part of that decade I listened to their marvellous harmonies and pondered their apparently deep lyrics, although I wasn't always sure what they were about.
After the break-up of the duo I enjoyed Simon's solo work, including his foray into rhythms from African music. In a way he was a forerunner for what is now termed World Music, even if there was a certain amount of cultural appropriation.
I have read a couple of articles lately about an album/compilation (what are we supposed to call this is the digital age?) called So Beautiful or So What which is theological and spiritual and even, some say, Christian. One review called it "God-drenched" and another described it as the best Christian album of the year even though Simon is Jewish. Here is an example from one song:
God and his only son
Paid a courtesy call on Earth one Sunday morning
Orange blossoms opened their fragrant lips
Songbirds sang from the tips of cotton roots
Old folks wept
For his love in these hard times
"Well, better be going"
Said the restless Lord to his son"
There are galaxies yet to be born
Creation is never done."
In another he offers
I'd no idea
That you were there
When I said help me, help me, help me, help me
Thank you, for listening to my prayer
I suppose many of us grow more reflective and tend to ponder the big questions as we age. It's intriguing to realize that Paul Simon is putting some of his reflections into music.
Any comments about Simon, theologian and songwriter, past or present?
4 comments:
I'm a fan of Paul Simon, and of music of that era. My favourite musician of all was actually a roommate of his - Al Stewart.
I had never been one to really think hard about lyrics when I was younger, but I have to say that the messages in today's music is, for the most part, artificial and even disturbing.
Listening to Paul Simon or Al Stewart, for me, is like a breath of fresh air.
The guy's brilliant. I think "The Boxer" and "The Obvious Child" have to be two of his best songs that are always in rotation in the car, or on my iPod.
I read once that it took S&G something like 100 hours to record "The Boxer." As a point of comparison, that's the same amount of time it took Led Zeppelin to finish their first album.
That's dedication to one's craft! I think that if more popular musicians/recording artists looked at their work as craft, perhaps we'd have better music.
The other thing I wanted to mention was that this year for the first time in my song/poetry unit at school, I used the trio of "Voices of Old People/Old Friends/Bookends" with my class as a way of talking about time and aging.
They were blown away, and it really proved to be a source of rich discussion with them.
Thanks guys. And nice going Ian with your ancient history lessons with the young uns!
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