worst song from the paul simon poll results

how dare u VG frankly, i think betty&al sound like an old married couple which is interesting like longing for that intimacy but willing setting for best friend

yeah i always thought it sounded like betty and al were a little older, a little more settled in their identities than the speaker of the song. or that that was what the names meant to him

sort of playing at that is what im feeling like nbd just a lark except not really, laughing at oneself

for the longest time I thought it was some kind of movie reference (ie two friends pretending to be a famous couple) but I could never figure out who it was... in retrospect it's probably more akin to Woody and Tony Roberts calling each other "Max" in Annie Hall

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."

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

ugh writers' real lives are so annoying. i prefer jho's interp.

*smug grin*

Peggy and Simon divorced in '75 = he sat on that song for 10 years?

btw i want the coat paul simes is wearing in the poll picture/on the cover of paul simon

I think you also kind of want to be balding and short if we're being real, horseshoe :)

i am halfway there tbh

:)

http://www.facebook.com/people/Paul-Simes/100003268104997

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)

btw i want the coat paul simes is wearing in the poll picture/on the cover of paul simon

― horseshoe, Friday, March 23, 2012 7:21 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

these coats are widely available, u r in luck!

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")

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

'shoe, I take it back. Chevy Chase on the wrong day is just Chevy Chase on the wrong day, but the video's fine.

i wish i could vote for hazy shade of winter AND museum of herbs but i only have one vote.

museum of herbs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oE5dkTanms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brfZx0NA-oM

OMIGOD I remember those commercials

looool museum of herbs

yeah, the herb campaign was bk's answer to "where's the beef"

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I hate "I Am A Rock". So that.

ITT

http://www.nimisis.com/images/0407/obelix.jpg

Feelin groovy is horseshit

whoa not groovy man

"Feelin' Groovy" will win/lose this, and I will feel very sad.

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!

went for the groovy, sorry clemenza

hello lamppost go fuckyourself = ILX not feelin' groovy

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.

"red rubber ball", otoh, is wonderful. one of the dumbest omission from my ballot.

"Hey lamppost, whatcha knowin"

However, I voted for Sound of Silence because it's drecky, self-serious college litmag poetry.

Not gonna vote for a worst here, but "Graceland" is a baffling (to me) winner of the og poll.

Feelin groovy is horseshit

― Thu'um gang (jjjusten), Sunday, March 25, 2012 11:30 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lagoon I am mad at u regarding Cecilia. You crazy.

is he breaking your heart

I fall on the floor and I'm laughing

who was it that said Cecilia could've been a Faust song? m coleman?

I've known the words to "59th St" since i was about 7, so eff the rest of u

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)

its an interesting question

obv "I don't find this stuff amusing anymore" is something I think 50x a day too

ha

<3 dr, morbz

the true answer is prob one of the ones w/zero votes

who doesnt love feelin groovy i ask you that

jho which s&g songs if any did u like?

I discovered that Smothers Brothers clip a few months ago--love it so much, especially the madman look on Tommy's face.

out of the s&g songs on the list i wasnt familiar w/which actually is not that many so long frank lloyd wright spoke to me

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

not that I voted in this or the real poll but #1 Graceland is pretty boring for me

we all could of guessed that.

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.

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

or weak enough for that matter

#29 - HOMEWARD BOUND 0
It's nice to know you're all sane.

(xpp then* elicit*)