Having had a chance earlier this year to watch Paul Simon live in concert it’s now possible for me to say that even in his older years he knows how to put on one heck of a good show. He met up with Art Garfunkel when was 11 and by the age of 13 they were singing together and already making themselves known to those in their neighborhood. They kind of parted ways as they grew older, going to different colleges but still joining up now and again to perform a few pieces of music that Paul would write. By 1964 however they were part of a two-person act, though by 1970 they had split and gone their own ways. Paul definitely got the better end of the deal as his musical career continued to climb as the years went on, and his notoriety went with it as his name was allowed to get bigger and bigger throughout the years.
Here are some of his songs as seen on TV and in films.
5. Paul Simon -Me and Julio Down By The School Yard
His music has a very light and bouncy feel to it but he can dig in and really crank it up when he wants to. The thing about this is that when he does double down and increase the intensity it’s still a lot of fun to listen to and doesn’t manage to get so loud that it feels as though it’ll break your ear drums if you listen too long. Paul Simon is what you might call a master of the light rock that some people think is a nice alternative to the heavier stuff. He’s got just enough edge in his music that it makes him alluring to a lot of people, but keeps it personable and easy to listen to for most audience members.
4. 3000 Miles to Graceland – 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
This movie didn’t impress a whole lot of people but it was kind of fun since anytime you get to see a bunch of guys dressed up as Elvis is alright, but when they’re robbing a casino in costume it’s even better since Kevin Costner and Kurt Russell are just awesome in this flick. The whole idea is to rob the place, launder the money, and then split with their share, but of course the trick is that they have to survive in order to earn their shares, and Murph really isn’t the sharing type. Michael on the other hand is the careful, methodical type that wears a bulletproof vest and goes charging after Murph to get his cut, and some payback.
3. Sesame Street – Me and Julio Down By The School Yard
Throughout his career Paul Simon has been on countless shows and been in countless venues promoting his music and just having a good time. It almost seems like people might look at this clip and say that he’s walking all over the young girl’s attempts to keep in rhythm but for the most part it looks like he’s just trying to sing the song and her timing might be a little off. Honestly it doesn’t really seem to matter since she’s getting into it and Paul’s songs were easy enough to keep beat with that one could lose their spot and pick it up again with relative ease. That’s one of the joys of his music.
2. This Is Us – You Can Call Me Al
Right away, anyone that wakes up with this as their alarm has done something right in their life. This is one of Paul’s most classic songs and is also something that seems to fit wherever it’s put. The fact that it’s on one of the most loved shows of the decade is even better since it gets more exposure and puts two things that a lot of people love together. This show absolutely blew up when it first came on the air and people have been pushing to know what happens next with every episode in a way that borders on fanaticism but is thankfully just good old fandom taken to another level.
1. Paul Simon – You Can Call Me Al
The list wouldn’t be complete without adding this on since this video was one of the best released in the 80s and with Chevy Chase in it there was a little more hype since he was still a very popular comedian at the time. It can be said that Paul’s song really didn’t need this kind of extra push but at the same time it was kind of welcome with the fans since it was a funny video that gave a very interesting look to the song. Really all they’re doing is sitting and allowing Chevy to lip sync to the lyrics, but at the same time that was just great on its own.
Paul Simon is a genius when it comes to music, nuff said.
Follow Us
