Some guys on some forum said this, which amused me:
"It was a private joke between PS and his then wife [Peggy]. Apparently, a celebrity guest/hanger-on was taking his leave from one of their parties and called them "Betty & Al". They were so amused by this that they kept the names for a while. (Hazy recollection from a TV interview)"
"the celebrity guest was Pierre Boulez, conductor and composer."
― Valéry Giscard d'Staind (NickB), Friday, 23 March 2012 23:18 (fourteen years ago)
The names in the song came from an incident at a party that Simon went to with his then-wife Peggy Harper. French composer and conductor Pierre Boulez, who was attending the same party, mistakenly referred to Paul as "Al" and to Peggy as "Betty", inspiring Simon to write a song.[3]
Wikipedia provides the answer.
Oh the japes
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 23 March 2012 23:18 (fourteen years ago)
ugh writers' real lives are so annoying. i prefer jho's interp.
― horseshoe, Friday, 23 March 2012 23:19 (fourteen years ago)
*smug grin*
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 23 March 2012 23:20 (fourteen years ago)
Peggy and Simon divorced in '75 = he sat on that song for 10 years?
― the sir edmund hillary of sitting through pauly shore films (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 23 March 2012 23:20 (fourteen years ago)
btw i want the coat paul simes is wearing in the poll picture/on the cover of paul simon
― horseshoe, Friday, 23 March 2012 23:21 (fourteen years ago)
I think you also kind of want to be balding and short if we're being real, horseshoe :)
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 23 March 2012 23:21 (fourteen years ago)
i am halfway there tbh
― horseshoe, Friday, 23 March 2012 23:22 (fourteen years ago)
:)
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 23 March 2012 23:24 (fourteen years ago)
http://www.facebook.com/people/Paul-Simes/100003268104997
― buzza, Friday, 23 March 2012 23:26 (fourteen years ago)
I was listening to newer Graceland-era Paul Simon in the car on the way to work and Mr Veg said he finds the later Paul Simon stuff annoyingly over produced, like too many instruments and big loud drums and everything's all kind of weirdly mechanical sounding...and I've kind of been noticing it on some songs. I think it's why the Boy In The Bubble nags at me.
figured this was as good a place as any to mention that.
(runs away)
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 23 March 2012 23:26 (fourteen years ago)
― horseshoe, Friday, March 23, 2012 7:21 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
these coats are widely available, u r in luck!
― lag∞n, Friday, 23 March 2012 23:30 (fourteen years ago)
for the longest time I thought it was some kind of movie reference (ie two friends pretending to be a famous couple)
Yeah, it definitely FEELS that way too - - - reminds me of, like, "Key Largo" by Bertie Higgins. ("Just like Bogey and Bacall")
― Doctor Casino, Saturday, 24 March 2012 00:29 (fourteen years ago)
scarb fair obv
― Lamp, Friday, March 23, 2012 5:35 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― horseshoe, Friday, March 23, 2012 10:50 PM (Yesterday)
whitney tate hermitage and dia
― judith, Saturday, 24 March 2012 01:04 (fourteen years ago)
'shoe, I take it back. Chevy Chase on the wrong day is just Chevy Chase on the wrong day, but the video's fine.
― "Flashy...hip" (Eazy), Saturday, 24 March 2012 01:06 (fourteen years ago)
i wish i could vote for hazy shade of winter AND museum of herbs but i only have one vote.
― judith, Saturday, 24 March 2012 01:08 (fourteen years ago)
museum of herbs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oE5dkTanms
― ralphs vons williams (get bent), Saturday, 24 March 2012 01:20 (fourteen years ago)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brfZx0NA-oM
― ralphs vons williams (get bent), Saturday, 24 March 2012 01:21 (fourteen years ago)
OMIGOD I remember those commercials
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 24 March 2012 01:31 (fourteen years ago)
looool museum of herbs
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 24 March 2012 01:38 (fourteen years ago)
yeah, the herb campaign was bk's answer to "where's the beef"
― ralphs vons williams (get bent), Saturday, 24 March 2012 01:40 (fourteen years ago)
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Monday, 26 March 2012 00:01 (fourteen years ago)
I hate "I Am A Rock". So that.
― EZ Snappin, Monday, 26 March 2012 00:05 (fourteen years ago)
ITT
http://www.nimisis.com/images/0407/obelix.jpg
― red is hungry green is jawless (Noodle Vague), Monday, 26 March 2012 00:06 (fourteen years ago)
Feelin groovy is horseshit
― Thu'um gang (jjjusten), Monday, 26 March 2012 03:30 (fourteen years ago)
whoa not groovy man
― lag∞n, Monday, 26 March 2012 03:34 (fourteen years ago)
"Feelin' Groovy" will win/lose this, and I will feel very sad.
― clemenza, Monday, 26 March 2012 03:36 (fourteen years ago)
eh, toss up between "59th st bridge song" and "call me al". both grating, but goofily appealing if you can get past that. don't get the hate for the rest. both "parsely, sage, museum, etcet" and "hazy shade" are GR888!
― Fozzy Osbourne (contenderizer), Monday, 26 March 2012 03:40 (fourteen years ago)
went for the groovy, sorry clemenza
hello lamppost go fuckyourself = ILX not feelin' groovy
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 26 March 2012 03:41 (fourteen years ago)
buncha jerks
Yeah, "Groovy." I don't hate it, but it's only slightly better than "Red Rubber Ball."
Almost voted for "Duncan" just because I'm so puzzled that it's #4, but if it had been in the bottom 20 I wouldn't have a problem with it.
Best song missing entirely from the Top 60: "The Coast." Shoulda voted.
― Hideous Lump, Monday, 26 March 2012 03:52 (fourteen years ago)
"red rubber ball", otoh, is wonderful. one of the dumbest omission from my ballot.
― Fozzy Osbourne (contenderizer), Monday, 26 March 2012 03:56 (fourteen years ago)
"Hey lamppost, whatcha knowin"
However, I voted for Sound of Silence because it's drecky, self-serious college litmag poetry.
― i don't believe in zimmerman (Hurting 2), Monday, 26 March 2012 04:10 (fourteen years ago)
Not gonna vote for a worst here, but "Graceland" is a baffling (to me) winner of the og poll.
― Jeff W, Monday, 26 March 2012 11:43 (fourteen years ago)
― Thu'um gang (jjjusten), Sunday, March 25, 2012 11:30 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― wolf kabob (ENBB), Monday, 26 March 2012 11:45 (fourteen years ago)
lagoon I am mad at u regarding Cecilia. You crazy.
― wolf kabob (ENBB), Monday, 26 March 2012 11:46 (fourteen years ago)
is he breaking your heart
― mh, Monday, 26 March 2012 13:37 (fourteen years ago)
I fall on the floor and I'm laughing
― lag∞n, Monday, 26 March 2012 14:00 (fourteen years ago)
who was it that said Cecilia could've been a Faust song? m coleman?
― dies irate (loves laboured breathing), Monday, 26 March 2012 14:04 (fourteen years ago)
I've known the words to "59th St" since i was about 7, so eff the rest of u
― Literal Facepalms (Dr Morbius), Monday, 26 March 2012 14:13 (fourteen years ago)
and with "Al," "What if I die here?" is something I tthink in nearly every place I don't want to be, every day.
(preview of middle age, gratis)
― Literal Facepalms (Dr Morbius), Monday, 26 March 2012 14:15 (fourteen years ago)
its an interesting question
― lag∞n, Monday, 26 March 2012 14:31 (fourteen years ago)
obv "I don't find this stuff amusing anymore" is something I think 50x a day too
― Literal Facepalms (Dr Morbius), Monday, 26 March 2012 14:32 (fourteen years ago)
ha
― lag∞n, Monday, 26 March 2012 14:33 (fourteen years ago)
<3 dr, morbz
― horseshoe, Monday, 26 March 2012 14:34 (fourteen years ago)
dr.
59th st was also a camp song for me. Fast triplet da's are awkward for a chorus of 11-year-olds to sing.
― i don't believe in zimmerman (Hurting 2), Monday, 26 March 2012 14:37 (fourteen years ago)
I came here to vote for "Loves Me Like a Rock", but didn't find it so I went for "The Obvious Child" instead.
― Hongroe (Geir Hongro), Monday, 26 March 2012 14:57 (fourteen years ago)
just listening to hazy shade of winter and its p funny, look around leaves are brown theres a patch of snow on the ground DONT U SEE
― lag∞n, Monday, 26 March 2012 15:48 (fourteen years ago)
FEELIN' GROOVY I can understand but I think you suck if you think the worst song is SCARBOROUGH FAIR/CANTICLE or 50 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER
― we gotta move these refrigerators (CaptainLorax), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 00:38 (fourteen years ago)
not that I voted in this or the real poll but #1 Graceland is pretty boring for me
― we gotta move these refrigerators (CaptainLorax), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 00:40 (fourteen years ago)
we all could of guessed that.
― estela, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 09:34 (fourteen years ago)
I think you suck if you think the worst song is SCARBOROUGH FAIR
.. except if you had to song this damn song OVER AND OVER AGAIN as part of Folk Group at school. Which was pre-this album.
But, I'm over it, so do not hate this now.
― Mark G, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 09:40 (fourteen years ago)
I don't really think any of you suck.
I never really bothered to differentiate all the lyrics to Scarborough Fair so if lyrics are the reason why people dislike that song than so be it. I don't think the lyrics are strong enough to illicit a negative response though
― we gotta move these refrigerators (CaptainLorax), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 17:36 (fourteen years ago)
or weak enough for that matter
― we gotta move these refrigerators (CaptainLorax), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 17:37 (fourteen years ago)
#29 - HOMEWARD BOUND 0It's nice to know you're all sane.
― billstevejim, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 17:39 (fourteen years ago)
(xpp then* elicit*)
― we gotta move these refrigerators (CaptainLorax), Tuesday, 27 March 2012 17:49 (fourteen years ago)