PAUL SIMON POLL RESULTS THREAD AND DISCUSSION

pardon my lazy non-googling but what is Los Lobos/Paul Simon 'incident'?

Hidalgo/Los Lobos are pissed that Simon took full credit for the "Myth of Fingerprints", claims they had the track finished and all he did was come in and sing on it, then months later release it on his record and took credit for it.

xp

the los lobos song ('myth of fingerprints') is really fantastic but idk the whole story seems p w/e. i mean thanks to all the wiki research i did for this poll i know simon has been getting into songwriting accreditation fights with people since his early 60s pop days but i guess i dont really care

also @Euler it wouldve been #30 knocking 'fakin' it' off

I'm sorry but Paul Simon is so overrated <<lobos discusion

Alfred, wasn't it you on the voting thread who kept reminding us to check out "Obvious Child"? And it wound up missing your ballot! Maybe I'm misremembering who kept mentioning it.

El Condor Pasa is Simon singing over a pre-existing track. Mother and Child Reunion was done with Jimmy Cliff's backing band (including Cissy Houston). Simon's been doing this kind of thing his whole career. Probably as soon as he realized how much of an improvement the Tom Wilson's studio version of Sound of Silence was/how much $$$ was in it

i voted for the myth of fingerprints, dig the examination of conspiracy theory culture

I remember my mom asking what that song was about when I was like 14 and me having to explain it to her lol

the "myth" being that all fingerprints are different etc

ive seen them all and maaaaan

He paid out without question over El Condor Pasa once it was pointed out it wasn't a trad arr job

I'm not knocking this approach at all fwiw

thanks Lamp! a victory of sorts

thanks for the backstory guys. Interesting!

at least in the case of "parsely, sage, rosemary and thyme" the main credit goes to "traditional". and he didn't fight the claims that daniel robles wrote "el condor pasa".

xp

could the winner in any other artist poll be a track made 30 years into their career?

This wasn't rhetorical btw, I've been thinking hard and genuinely can't think of one. Okay Tom & Jerry is a slightly artificial extension, but even so who comes close? Possibly Madonna, but that seems a fluke compared to what Simon was putting out in that era.

Tom Waits?

George Clinton

Even guys who went on forever like James Brown ran out of gas before they reached the equivalent era.

important worst song from the paul simon poll results

Alfred, wasn't it you on the voting thread who kept reminding us to check out "Obvious Child"? And it wound up missing your ballot! Maybe I'm misremembering who kept mentioning it.

Which is a comment on the richness of this guy's catalog.

nice save

I missed that 41-60 when it went up - I'm surprised The Coast isn't on there. Not that I'm a fan particularly, but I thought everyone else was.

#56 - BLEEKER STREET
#45 - EL CONDOR PASA (IF I COULD)

vindication!

41-60 is my favorite part of the results on this one! These are all faves (votes in bold):

#58 - STRANDED IN A LIMOUSINE
#57 - ALL AROUND THE WORLD (THE MYTH OF FINGERPRINTS)
#56 - BLEEKER STREET
#55 - PAPA HOBO
#54 - PARANOIA BLUES
#53 - FATHER AND DAUGHTER
#52 - ST. JUDY'S COMET
#50 - ARMISTICE DAY
#49 - THINK TOO MUCH (B)
#46 - THINK TOO MUCH (A)
#43 - RUN THAT BODY DOWN

my ballot:

1) Peace Like a River
2) The Cool, Cool River
3) Duncan
4) Hearts and Bones
5) The Obvious Child
6) Think Too Much (b)
7) Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
8) The Only Living Boy in New York-S&G
9) Born at the Right Time
10) Papa Hobo
11) Take Me to the Mardi Gras
12) My Little Town
13) That was your Mother
14) Train in the Distance
15) I am a Rock (solo version, if it matters)
16) Stranded in a Limousine
17) Something So Right
18) The Afterlife
19) Rewrite
20) Have a Good Time

thank u, Lamp!!!

Alfred, you voted for "That was your mother," too! come sit by me!!

hmmm based on the rest of yr ballot i would take you for a think too much (a) voter

also i quoted it a lot itt! it was excruciating to cut it but i don't know, somehow "the smartest people in the world have gathered in los angeles to analyze our love affair and finally unscramble us" kills me.

also my ballot is a bunch of nonsense, particularly the ranking which was almost arbitrary; i just knew i didn't have to vote for some songs. i think i might have cut out "only living boy" out of spite if i had known about the s&g avalanche because i am petty.

sad i couldn't vote for "crazy love vol. whatever" and "tenderness" off of rhymin' simon and and and

this poll if nothing else has revealed 'different ways of thinking abt paul simons career'

50 ways to think abt paul simons career

<3 fat charlie the archangel

or at least like 3

yeah it hurt me to leave fat charlie out, hes been through so much already

also it has taught us a lot about museums

he doesn't claim to be happy about this

xp

its true that we have learned abt museums in this thread

"america" seems like a pretty good song, huh? is there a simon solo version lol but i'm serious though.

ha

My poll. Kinda wish I hadn't voted for Hazy Shade of Winter in retrospect. I listened to it again after I voted for it and I felt like it wasn't so great, Bangles totally do a better job with that rhythym section than those two hippies

Late in the Evening - 40
The Only Living Boy in New York - 36
Slip Slidin' Away - 33
The Obvious Child - 30
St Judy's Comet - 28
Bridge Over Troubled Water - 26
50 Ways To Leave Your Lover - 25
Graceland - 24
Duncan - 23
Homeward Bound - 22
Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard - 21
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes - 20
America - 19
Cecilia - 18
The Boxer - 17
I Am A Rock - 16
Kodachrome - 15
Sounds of Silence - 14
Rene & Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War - 13
Hazy Shade of Winter - 12

poll? My ballot.

i also like that weird song "night game" on still crazy that's like 2 minutes long where the pitcher dies and simon basically whispers the whole thing but i thought it might be trolly to vote for it.

i like your ballot, VG! sad i couldn't vote "st. judy's comet"

I hadn't heard it before the nomination thread, and listened to it 10 times in one day...couldn't get it out of my head. Felt very much like the Paul Simon I was already in love with.

Duncan too!

Alfred, you voted for "That was your mother," too! come sit by me!!

I just opened a pretty good pinot too!

Here's my ballot.

1. The Obvious Child
The Boy in the Bubble
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Graceland
Mrs. Robinson
Mother and Child Reunion
America
I Am A Rock
Sounds of Silence
Slip Slidin’ Away
The Boxer
American Tune
Homeward Bound
Cecilia
Duncan
Love Is Eternal Sacred Light
You Can Call Me Al
The Only Living Boy in New York
Armistice Day
Diamonds On The Soles of Her Shoes

I'm really disapointed "Red Rubber Ball" didn't place. Otherwise, most of my faves are here, though in a vastly different order than I'd have put them. Impressed that "Duncan" was in the top 5.

No 'The Coast', no way.

omg jho u voted for "allergies"

"proof" is a good one...kind of a slow burner for me. def could have voted for all of rhythm, paul simon