"A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission)" by Simon and Garfunkel from the album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme. 1966.
I'll direct this specifically towards the modern audience, for any oldies fanatic knows Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel better than "The Sounds of Silence" or "Mrs. Robinson". While some of the lyrics most certainly will get served flat in this generation (via culture clash of the pre-summer of love environs), the overall theme applies: the woes of an inundating society. Pop culture, politics, expectations, and social norms- BAM! It's all there and it all applies even moreso in today's world. Oh, and if you had to Google the definitions of "desultory" and "philippic", don't worry- I had to double-check for accuracy's sake. In complete layman-of-layman's terms, "desultory" translates to "half-assed" and "philippic" to "rant." Essentially then, there's another connection to a widely spectated phenomenon in the current era: half-assed rants! Much like some of my posts here, and those by others on blogs world-web wide!
The internet "half-assed rant" extrapolation gives a false impression though, for the lyrics are quite eloquently written, and comedic banter replaces any raging. There's no complaining to be found; Simon only takes playful shots on the various public figures of the time, most notably Bob Dylan, going so far as to quote his song "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35" with the infamous line "Everybody must get stoned!". And for all you music nit-pickers, the song originally appeared as a solo Simon piece with just him, his guitar, and a whole slough of different lyrics. The wordplay and atmosphere really shine though on the duo's version, where the mocking absurdity skirts over Robert McNamara (then the Secretary of Defense), The Beatles, Ayn Rand, Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger, and even themselves with the mention of Art Garfunkel and producer Roy Halee. Just when you think you've wandered through the wonky, a clang resonates the "folk rock" and Simon mutters "I've lost my harmonica, Albert!" (most certainly another jab at Dylan and his at-the-time manager Albert Grossman). The perfection of that ending reminds me of good ole Ringo's outburst at the end of "Helter Skelter": "I got BLISTERS on my fingers!" Comedic gold.
So there's the song, but even the most clueless oldies-listener can guess that style does not define Simon and Garfunkel. No, the little folk troupe tend to stick to mellow and serious. They've a few upbeat hits of course, but when I think of the two the classic "I Am a Rock" springs to mind. That live version I linked there really displays the beauty of the song, and pretty much par of the S&G sound. The harmonies, the ever-present guitar flow, and volume variation. As splendid as the two voices mix, the common stab at the two men is Paul Simon's contributions versus Art Garfunkel's. Simon practically wrote all the songs for the albums (I could only find one by Garfunkel). Arguably his greatest achievement in the group, Garfunkel took first chair vocals on "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and rose it to the number one spot. Otherwise, Paul out-stepped Art even after the band split, with five number-one albums (among various charts and countries) and seven top ten US singles. "Kodachrome", "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard", "You Can Call Me Al"... the first three biggies of Paul Simon that hit my brain (I will not list them all!). Art Garfunkel post-S&G? Well.. There's "Bright Eyes" from the Watership Down animated film... but even though he had some successes on the Adult Contemporary and UK charts and a #9 hit on the big US one (although Paul Simon stepped in for that), I do not personally know any other of his songs. And I don't think that's just me. Perhaps the fully dedicated groupie or someone actually growing up in the 70s and 80s (a blasphemous idea, I know) has more knowledge. All I know is the comedy-folk duo Garfunkel and Oates didn't ironically name themselves after the Paul Simon half.
Hey- Art didn't have it bad though. He could have just ridden on the success of Simon and Garfunkel- he didn't! And as I mentioned, his post-break up work didn't flop. Some chart entries, some niche hits, and those reunion concerts always received praise. Plus, his dabble in acting earned him a Golden Globe nomination. Nothing to scoff at, but it seems he always faced the younger-brother syndrome to his old partner. There's always this way to view it: pre-S&G they could be seen as equals! No sarcasm! In their mid-teens, the two recorded some songs under the name Tom and Jerry, one of which reaching 49 on the Hot 100: "Hey Schoolgirl" in 1957. Notice how they emulate the Everly Brothers harmonies? A start to their later work, no doubt. Both also released solo work under pseudonyms with practically no notice. Paul barely bobbed into the 99 and 97 slots, while Garfunkel? He... recorded. Heh, I actually like his 1959 song "Beat Love" (recorded under the name Artie Garr). It goes without saying that these early works, though very interesting as trivia, still haven't found a cozy home in the way of popular music. That's just as well, for Simon and Garfunkel should be immortalized for that soul-soothing sound. Oh, and the occasional simple desultory philippic.
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