Sheila and I went to see
Paul Simon!
I think this tour across North America is a result of his release on June 3rd.
Stranger to Stranger
Paul Simon’s artful and vital new album of 11 songs.
He has been one of my favorite artists since my college days.
I remember listening to his hit song,
"Bridge Over Troubled Waters" in 1970 when I was at Tarkio College in Missouri.
At that time, he was part of the duo, Simon & Garfunkel.
That is how I remember him from the music that shaped my generation.
And we all remember the hit movie, The Graduate, with Dustin Hoffman.
Who can forget Mrs. Robinson?
In 1967 their music was a key ingredient in the success of that hit film.
Waiting...
I was trying to think how old Paul Simon was.
He is 10 years older than I am.
Paul Simon was born October 13, 1941 in Newark, New Jersey.
Now you know.
As a teenager Simon teamed up with his classmate from Queens,
New York, Art Garfunkel, to form Simon and Garfunkel (first known as Tom and Jerry).
Beginning with “The Sounds of Silence,”
they were the most popular folk-pop duo of the 1960s
and the musical darlings of literary-minded college-age baby boomers.
One of Simon’s best narrative songs, “The Boxer” (1969),
is the streamlined dramatic monologue of a down-and-out prizefighter.
The concert was a mix of old and new.
Simon closed his concert with "Old Friends."
What a fitting end to a stroll back in time, at least for me, to the '60's.
Lyrics from Old Friends:
Can you imagine us years from today
Sharing a park bench quietly?
How terribly strange to be seventy
Old friends, memory brushes the same years
Silently sharing the same fears
Read more: Simon And Garfunkel - Old Friends Lyrics | MetroLyrics
Among songwriters of his generation,
Simon enjoyed one of the longest-lasting careers as a pop innovator.
Simon was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
I remember when Simon & Garfunkel broke up and went their separate ways.
I just couldn't remember why.
And I really didn't remember that they broke up in 1970.
That was basically when I first started really listening to their music and lyrics.
I like the stories they tell.
When the 1970's Bridge Over Troubled Water was a massive commercial and critical success,
long-simmering creative differences between Simon and Garfunkel came to a head while making the album, and there was a proper breakup when Simon released his self-titled solo album in 1972.
Paul Simon featured two hit singles, "Mother and Child Reunion"
and "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard,"
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/paul-simon-mn0000031685/biography
So, now I am looking for a concert with Art Garfunkel.
And, Doug and I did find one not too far away, next year.
So, even though I won't see them performing together,
I can still see them.
This looks great!
