mental_floss magazine
SUBSCRIBE >
GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS >
DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS >
subscriber services >
With Kodachrome going away, I’ve had Paul Simon on the brain for a few days. I was a big Simon & Garfunkel fan in high school, and my trusty Paul Simon Songbook helped me learn to play guitar. Here are some great live performances to make your evening sing. (Fun fact: my first concert, in seventh grade, was Garfunkel. Solo.)
“You Can Call Me Al,” 1987
“Don’t want to end up a cartoon in a cartoon graveyard.”
“Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard,” 1992
“What the mama saw, it was against the law.” See another version live on Sesame Street.
“Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover,” 1975
“I’d like to help you in your struggle to be free.”
WARNING: inappropriate mustache alert! (Perhaps the fifty-first reason to leave your lover is his creepy ’stache.)
“Slip Slidin’ Away,” 2007
“The nearer your destination, the more you’re slip slidin’ away.”
“The Obvious Child,” 1991
“And in remembering a road sign
I am remembering a girl when I was young
And we said,
These songs are true
These days are ours
These tears are free
And hey, now
The cross is in the ballpark
The cross is in the ballpark”
“Kodachrome,” 1991
“When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school, it’s a wonder I can think at all.”
Comments (6)
Comment
- Follow mental_floss
ha… I’ve been singing Paul Simon to myself for the past few days for the very same reason! Thanks for posting these.
posted by Mangesh Hattikudur on 6-25-2009 at 8:00 am
“He sees angels in the architecture, spinning in infinity.” That’s the first line of his that I think I ever truly heard. Always interesting, never boring!
posted by Cathy on 6-25-2009 at 8:32 am
I was hoping to see the Call Me Al music video with Chevy Chase!
posted by Andy on 6-25-2009 at 8:36 am
Thank you for this article! Even though I’m a little young to be a fan of Paul Simon, I was exposed early to his music. He always puts a smile on my face. Hearing his music reminds me of weekends spent hanging out with my Dad at a young age, as he was a huge fan too.
posted by Katie on 6-25-2009 at 10:56 am
“The way we look to a distant constellation that’s dying in the corner of the sky; these are the days of miracle and wonder, and don’t cry baby, don’t cry, don’t cry…”
posted by Ophelia on 6-25-2009 at 12:19 pm
“Tell me why, why won’t you love me for who I am where I am? She said cause that’s not the way the world moves baby…this is how I love you baby..” Hearts and Bones, one of my favorite Paul Simon songs right behind Kathy’s song
posted by K on 6-25-2009 at 12:37 pm