American Tunes: Paul Simon song-by-song

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Lance LaSalle, Jan 2, 2023.

  1. Bnk

    Bnk Forum Resident

    Location:
    Birmingham
    Two Teenagers...I was thinking cha cha cha,and then they actually sing the words cha cha cha. Wow. I thought of the movie The Three Amigos,and sure enough this has a lot of the `My Little Buttercup` energy. I could imagine Leslie Nielsen singing this in the climax to one of his Naked Gun movies,where he has to take the place of a teenager in a teen musical act duo and has to sing this song as the black hair dye streams down his face. It`s pretty comical to me tbh,but context. The older musicians playing on this would have been born just over a HUNDRED YEARS ago. 1/5

    That`s My Story, Good doo-wop,does its job,hits the marks and then moves on. 3/5
     
  2. SMRobinson

    SMRobinson Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    MY STORY

    My story really begins
    Among the ...
    Goo?
    Go?
    Grow?
    ???

    Lyrics aside, this is a notch up from the previous tracks both vocally and arrangement-wise. Once again, they benefit here from the style being closer to their natural abilities (though Paul's vocal is still pitched too low for comfort)

    I was hoping for a full on Ink Spots verse reprise for the outro there, alas!

    Given all of Simon's later use of style pastiche and borrowing, this is very interesting to hear all the genre flirtation here.

    1.5/5
     
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  3. SMRobinson

    SMRobinson Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    "Two Teenagers"

    Too funny. Lyrically, right up there with Ringo singing "Boys" with unaltered lyrics

    Cute charm to the arrangement and performances, clumsy bits and all.

    2.5/5
     
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  4. Wildest cat from montana

    Wildest cat from montana Humble Reader

    Location:
    ontario canada
    Goo goo muck?
     
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  5. SMRobinson

    SMRobinson Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    I listened to the first line eight times in a row, but damned if I know. I could probably Google it but perhaps it's a mystery best left unsolved.

    Can anyone tell what the first line is, from listening alone?

    Among the googoomuck it is.
     
  6. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    Our Song is my fav yet 2.5/5
    Not as gimmicky as Schoolgirl and like the little lead break
     
  7. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    Two Teenagers - 1 - won't listen to this again.
     
  8. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    That's My Story - 2 - interesting to hear them play with a different style and I think the key change is effective here. Would not have recognized voices as them.

    Reminds a bit of Reuben & The Jets
     
  9. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    If you listen to Art’s singing on “Bleeker Street”, where he takes the lower harmony, you can tell this is him.
     
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  10. Bnk

    Bnk Forum Resident

    Location:
    Birmingham

    I can hear the lyrics clearly at the start..

    My story really begins
    a month ago
    that`s when I first saw you
    your eyes were a-glow.

    First hearing I heard that. Maybe it throws people `cause he`s being oddly specific about the time-frame...
     
  11. His melodies are some of the best in the business, as well. He's a national treasure, whatever one may think of him personally.
     
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  12. Ken.e.

    Ken.e. Spinning music since...

    Fantastic that you started this, I am a Paul Simon fan but find the early stuff is interesting but novel at best. Other than Hey School Girl which is a 2.5 for me, I have never before heard these songs. Not my musical interests but still worth a listen. Not sure I would rate them well.

    You're doing a great job of describing the song details. Looking forward to learning more.
     
  13. SMRobinson

    SMRobinson Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    Aha! You solved it. My ear kept hearing "among" instead of "a month", thus turning the rest to mush.
     
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  14. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    IN order to hasten this thread along my plan for upcoming days is to talk about the following songs. During this beginning introductory period, any songs not written by Paul Simon (covers, etc) that I think are midly interesitng will be held up at the same time as a song that was written by Paul Simon. Thus on some days, like today, there will be two songs held up for discussion.

    I have also decided to to only hold up songs that were actually released as singles. In other words, the few Tom & Jerry outtakes released later on and Paul Simon's/Jerry Landis's numerous (perhaps up to a hundred) demos that he recorded for other songwriters including himself, , though I may provide some links for for curiosity's sake. Ditty for "Artie Garr"'s solo singles and later releases by The Mystics and Tico & The Triumphs, etc.

    Normally I would probably have posted this timetable at the beginning of the thread, but moderator action forced me to start the thread earlier than I had intended so I've just not been able to make it clear even to myself until today, as I have been very ill all week! (pretty much better now.)

    • January 7th: Don't Say Goodbye (Garfunkel, Simon) {Tom & Jerry.B-side, 1958}
    • January 8th: Simon Says (Art Garr){Tom & Jerry, outtake}
      Tijuana Blues (Garr, Landis) -- Tom & Jerry.outtake}
    • January 9th: Loneliness (Landis) {Jerry Landis, A-side, 1959}
    • January 10th: Annabelle (Landis) {Jerry Landis, A-sideB-side, 1959}
    • January 11th: All Through The Night (Kal Mason) {The Mystics, A-side, 1960}
      I Begin (to Think of You) (Stock, Curtis) {The Mystics, B-side, 1960}
    • January 12th: Shy (Landis) {Jerry Landis, A-side, 1960}
    • January 13th: Just a Boy (Landis){Jerry Landis, B-side, 1960}
      I'd Like to Be (the Lipstick on your Lips) {A-side, Jerry Landis, 1960}
    • January 14th: Play Me a sad Song (Landis, Simon) {Jerry Landis, A-side,1961}
      It Means a Lot to Them (Ross) {Jerry Landis B-side, 1961}
    • January 15th: I'm Lonely (Landis) {Jerry Landis A-side, 1961}
    • January 16th: I Wish I Weren't In Love (Landis) {Jerry Landis, B-side, 1961}
    • January 17th: Motorcycle (Landis) {Tico & The Triumphs, A-side, 1961}
    • January 18th: I Don't Believe Them (Landis) {Tico & The Triumphs, B-side, 1961}
    • January 19th: Express Train (Landis) {Tico & The Triumphs, A-side, 1962}
    • January 20th:* Wild Flower (Landis) {Tico & The Triumphs, B-side, 1962}
    • January 21st: Get Up & Do the Wobble (Landis) Tico & The Triumphs, A-side, 1962)
    • January 22nd: Cry Little Boy, Cry (Landis) Tico & The Triumphs, B-side, 1962}
    • January 23rdth: Cards of Love (Tico, Burak, Brennan) {Tico & The Triumphs, A-side, 1962}
    • January 24rd: Noise (Landis) {Tico, B-side, 1962}
    • January 25th: The Lone Teen Ranger (Landis) {Jerry Landis, A-side, 1963}
    • January 26th: Lisa (Landis) {Jerry Landis, B-side, 1963}
    • January 27th: CArlos Dominguez (Paul Kane) - Paul Kane/Jerry Landis**, B-side 1964

    The A-side of the last side is a version of "He Was My Brother"; since that was redone by Simon & Garfunkel on their Wednesday Morning 3 A.M., I will save it until that discussion, which will begin on the 28th.

    I know there are some, perhaps many, people who are eagerly awaiting the beginning of that discussion, so that's why I'm writing this time table: so that those uninterested in this early phase of Paul Simon's career but who would like to participate in later stages will know when to expect it to begin. Until then, I ask you to have some patience.


    *my birthday, but don't bother getting me anything.
    ** different vintage releases on different labels credit different artists
     
  15. Wildest cat from montana

    Wildest cat from montana Humble Reader

    Location:
    ontario canada
     
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  16. danasgoodstuff

    danasgoodstuff Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Artie & Paul's obvious and deep love for doo wop, as well as the Everly Bros., is something that endears them to me.
     
  17. luvtotha9s

    luvtotha9s Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Two Teenagers... Definitely don't like this song as much as the previous tunes. Thankfully it goes by quickly, and isn't terrible, just not very interesting. The background singer only makes this tune worse, in my opinion.
    1.5/5

    That's My Story... Sounds like Earth Angel to me, but it's still interesting enough to enjoy. I enjoy some doo-wop and this is definitely better than Two Teenagers to me. This was how a lot of music was back then, so these guys were just keeping with the times I guess.
    3/5
     
  18. Chartstuff

    Chartstuff Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manchester, UK
    I'm really enjoying listening to these early efforts, but I'm finding it very difficult to say anything about them - so I'm just going to chip in as and when I can think of something...appreciate these sides being laid out one or so a day. Don't think I could get through them all in one go ;)
     
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  19. Emil Zatopek

    Emil Zatopek Forum Resident

    Location:
    Almost there
    Two teenagers is really irritating. Since it wasn't even written by them, let's move on.

    That's our Story.... if i had just listened to 3 doo wop ballads in a row, i'd probably struggle to reach the end of this track. Since i never listen to this gente, it sounds fresh and i really apreciate the smooth lead vocals and harmonies.
     
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  20. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    I need to remind myself to follow along on this thread. I am already catching up. I'm surprised at the low scores for all of the earliest songs. I like them all. Some more than others, but I would have never guessed that these songs were Paul Simon. I think the recordings sound great with Paul doing a fine job as a 50s rock n roller. A little Buddy Holly, Elvis, Everly Brothers, and Doo Wop are the foundations of Paul's talent and I think he nails it at a such a young age. I'm impressed.

    Some of the songs might not hold up, but they are all fascinating.

    "Hey, Schoolgirl"- Maybe not a great song, but I like the sound of it. A bit like The Everly Brothers and Ricky Nelson. 3.5/5
    "Dancin' Wild"- Another average tune, but they sell it and the recording sounds fantastic. There were just many people doing it better at the time. 3/5
    "True or False"- This sounds like a song on some obscure rockabilly collection. I love it. I would never guess it was Paul Simon. Paul "Hepcat" Simon! 3.5/5
    "Teenage Fool"- Is this Nicolas Cage singing in Peggy Sue Got Married? :D A little much, but Paul is all in. 3/5
    "Our Song"- More of the same, but I like it. 3/5
    "Two Teenagers"- "doo waddy waddy" 3/5
    "That's My Story"- Back in doo wop territory. It does start out sounding like the much better "Earth Angel". It still gets points for trying. 3/5

    After listening to everything, I still have "Hey, Schoolgirl" stuck in my head.

    Great start Paul! It will be interesting to follow.
     
  21. Dr_Nick

    Dr_Nick Forum Resident

    Location:
    Moscow, Russia
    he is my fav
    even Dylan & Neil go next )))
     
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  22. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    I expect to give largely 3-5 ratings to most of the material from Sound of Silence through Graceland so basically I'm going to rate earlier stuff 3 or better if I feel it is as good as the bottom third of that material.
     
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  23. Panther

    Panther Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
    Respectfully, I really disagree with you. Much of early rock'n'roll is, for me, the best rock'n'roll there's ever been. And the lyrics are often outstanding. I think what you're reacting to is the very commercialized end of teenage-directed pop songs, which is more like the style teenage Paul was doing in 1957-59. But, like any popular music era, the more commercialized, teen end of it is pretty weak, and you shouldn't stop investigating there. For starters, you ought to check out something like this for the better end of 1950s' rock'n'roll (or whatever genre you want to call it):
    [​IMG]
    Well, Garfunkel's first two films actually were very successful. The New York Times called Catch-22 the best American film of the year, and it was a modest box-office success. Carnal Knowledge was also quite successful and Garfunkel got good reviews for his large role in it. But it's not like he dumped Paul Simon for good or anything...


    Back to the thread: I can't really rate songs by 15-year-olds. If I rated 'Hey Schoolgirl' by that standard, it's a '5'. But compared to Simon's peak work, it's maybe a '2'. Anyway, I'll give it a go:

    Hey Schoolgirl -- 4
    Dancin' Wild -- 3
    True or False -- 3 (I didn't hate this, but the pseudo-Elvis vocal is pretty bad. As someone said above, it's "so bad it's good".)
    Teenage Fool -- 2 (Ugh. Now, this is bad.)
    Our Song -- 2 (Doesn't have much of a melody, so it's kind of sunk before it leaves port)
    Two Teenagers -- 1.5 (Yeah, this is regrettable)
    That's My Story -- 2 (forgettable)

    I find the role of Paul Simon's dad to his son's career is generally underplayed... by Paul Simon. He rarely talks about his father, but his dad was not an insignificant musician. Louis Simon (aka: Lee Sims) was playing with noteworthy jazz bands in Manhattan at night and teaching college by day. I sometimes wonder if Paul's childhood wasn't a lot of effort to impress his (often absent) father. Finally, when Paul's musical talent turned into an actual hit single ('Schoolgirl'), the father seems to have jumped on his son's bandwagon, temporarily, and tried to further his son's career by playing with and writing for him. This didn't last long, however, and Paul of course ended up going to law school but not really being invested in it. After Paul made it big by the late-sixties, his father was constantly telling him to be a teacher (!) -- that his musical success meant nothing unless he taught it to other people. (Paul briefly did teach songwriting at university in New York, probably to appease his father.)

    The long and winding relationship of Paul and Art is also rather... odd. You can see why Paul needed Artie in the early days -- to supply the sweeter, higher-end vocals and be the "out front" tall, handsome guy. But by 1964 (basically, post-Bob Dylan), I don't know that he really needed Garfunkel in order to make it big. So, I think it's really significant that he reached out (again) to Garfunkel in 1963-64 to pull him back into the fold before the Wednesday Morning, 3:00 am album. I've always thought that that was a generous move by Paul, as I think Columbia was willing to sign him anyway, even without a singing partner. I mean, of course he dumped Garfunkel when that LP flopped and moved to England, but the significance is that he even pulled his old pal into the duo when he had his shot with Columbia. On the surface of it, Paul and Art seem like two dudes who should in no way get along whatsoever.. and yet, obviously, there's some kind of Gordian knot tying them together.
     
  24. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Our votes for "Two Teenagers"
    1-2
    2-3
    3-4
    4-1
    5-0
    Average: 2.18

    Our votes for "That's My Story"
    1-0
    2-5
    3-3
    4-2
    5-0
    Average: 2.4
     
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  25. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Today's song is "Don't Say Goodbye", written by Tommy Graph & Jerry Landis; performed by Tom & Jerry with the Lee Sims Orchestra.

    Line Up:
    Jerry Landis aka Paul Simon: co-lead vocals, acoustic guitar
    Tommy Graph aka Art Garfunkel: co-lead vocals
    with
    Lee Sims Orchestra:
    Lee Sims aka Louis Simon: stand up bass
    Unknown musicians: lead guitar, drums
    Background:

    The B-side of "That's My Story", released in May 1958.

    This would be the last single released by the duo, who were dropped by BIG Records, although the Tom & Jerry name was not: BIG Records would release at least one more single under the moniker Tom & Jerry, but they were different Toms and different Jerry's. None of those were successful, either.

    Tom & Jerry did record a few more songs that have come out over the years, but were not officially released until long after the pair had found fame. I will link to some of those below, but they are not for rating -- or if you do rate them, fine! But I won't be counting them.

    After this release Simon & Garfunkel filed a lawsuit against BIG Records, mainly for the success of "Hey Schoolgirl", and won $1500 each -- a not insignificant sum of money in 1958!

    Paul spent the summer playing baseball for his high school team, investing his money in an Impala which spontaneously combusted not long after.
    Both Art and Paul graduated from high school that summer (at sixteen -- was that normal then?) and in the autumn of 1958, Art headed for Manhattan to attend Columbia University while Paul stayed in Queens and attended Queens' College to study, not law as someone mentioned above, but English Literature.
     
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2023

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