MODERN TOUCH WITH A CLASSIC FEEL! First Time Hearing Simon & Garfunkel - Scarborough Fair Reaction!
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- āđāļāļĒāđāļāļĢāđāđāļĄāļ·āđāļ 9 āļ.āļ. 2025
- ð About Simon & Garfunkel - âScarborough Fairâ: Simon & Garfunkel are one of the most influential folk duos in music history, known for their beautiful harmonies and timeless songs. âScarborough Fair,â a traditional English ballad, was famously reinterpreted by Simon & Garfunkel in 1966. Their version of the song blends the old-world charm of the folk tune with a modern touch, thanks to their delicate harmonies and Paul Simonâs skillful arrangement. The songâs lyrics, which tell the story of a love lost and a quest for impossible tasks, create an ethereal, haunting atmosphere. âScarborough Fairâ remains a classic, showcasing the duoâs ability to breathe new life into traditional music.
Join us as we react to Simon & Garfunkelâs rendition of âScarborough Fairâ for the first time! Get ready to experience the harmony and beauty that make this version of the song a timeless favorite.
ð What to Expect in This Video:
âĒ First Impressions: Our initial reactions to the haunting harmonies and gentle arrangement in Simon & Garfunkelâs version of âScarborough Fair.â
âĒ Lyrical Breakdown: Weâll explore the meaning behind the songâs lyrics, focusing on its themes of love, loss, and the impossible.
âĒ Musical Breakdown: Analyzing the arrangement, harmonies, and how Simon & Garfunkelâs rendition elevates this classic ballad.
ðĪðĪ Who We Are: Weâre a couple who loves discovering folk music with a modern twist and diving into the artistry behind iconic tracks like âScarborough Fair.â Join us as we react to Simon & Garfunkelâs unforgettable version of this beautiful song.
ð Like and Subscribe: If you enjoyed our reaction to âScarborough Fair,â please like, subscribe, and click the bell for updates on our latest musical reactions!
ðŽ Join the Conversation: What are your thoughts on Simon & Garfunkelâs version of âScarborough Fairâ? Share your favorite moments from the song in the comments, and let us know what other Simon & Garfunkel tracks or classic folk songs we should check out next!
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#simonandgarfunkel #scarboroughfair #1960s
Riding in the car with my 5yr old listening to Scarborough Fair. When it was over she looked at me and very solemnly said, "I'm glad Parsley saved Rosemary in time." ððð
I love this ... thanks for sharing!
That's adorable.
Alfa Spider?
that is uniquely hilarious - Thanx!
One of the key songs played during the THE GRADUATE movie. One of their most beautiful songs ever.
i can't listen to this song and not think of that movie
It will take you years to understand the full complexity of this song. I've heard this most of my life,(I'm 61) and I still find more too it,in it and about it.
Art has the voice of an angel.
Yes.
Scarborough (scar-burra) Fair in N.E. England ran for five hundred years (13th to 18th century.)
With several revivals since.
The song about it is a traditional English folk ballad.
On the seaside.
I got to grow up listen to such great music. I graduated high school May, '67.
68!
I was a year old ðģ but this song was and still an incredible song! Never ever get tired of it ð
@@SCVIndy As was I, class of 68. Great times.
Goose bumps and tears depending on my mood when listening to this one. Masterpiece....classic.....once in a lifetime......just so good....
Absolutely
You picked a wonderful S and G song that I've known since the 60s but which I finally "figured out" for the first time just yesterday in an analysis by another great music reactor {see "Virgin Rock"). She indicated that the Scarborough Fair part of the song was in fact a "cover" of a very old English song, but the Canticle part that weaves in and out of the other song was in fact an anti-war song written by the twosome in the 60s. If you listen VERY closely (Canticle is in the background) you can hear the war and bloodshed references that make this song a truly remarkable clashing of peace and war. Listen again very carefully or go to the Virgin Rock analysis. Thanks!
Yeah, I just heard that also yesterday. Another great reaction/analysis.
I agree. Virginia Rock's analysis was so informative.
Amy did an amazing analysis of the song.
I learned the same thing last year after listening for decades! I had to listen to a version with the lyrics to truly understand the canticle.
Love Paul Simon's guitar picking in this song. The harmonies are so well arranged.
My uncle had just returned from Vietnam and the first thing he did was get this album for me.
My friend had a battery powered lp player and we sat out in the Alabama sun for hours listening to this album and picking peaches off of her mother's peach tree.
I wish our young people still had these experiences.
You guys are amassing a lot of musical knowledge about decades of songs. Im 68 years of age and It makes me happy to hear you listen to and respond to the same music I grew up with and enjoyed.
Please read the lyrics. It will make this intricate, beautiful song more precious.
For the Scarborough Fair portion, pay attention to the tasks the narrator is asking his true love to perform. They are impossible or at least quite challenging!. (Make a shirt with no seams or needlework.)
And the weaving of the lyrics about solders and bloodshed in and around this old English song is haunting.
It always amazes me what goes on in our artists' brains. Great respect and thanks to them all.
If you read the lyrics it's about a lost love to a man dying on a battlefield. It's difficult to make out Simons refrains during Garfunkel's main section but when you put the lyrics together you come to that conclusion. Tremendous album and arrangements!
Simon's part comes from another song he wrote called The Side of a Hill (th-cam.com/video/NjYUVSN8cN8/w-d-xo.html).
Among the best songs ever made. 2 geniuses who acted as one for a time that they will always be remembered for!
Virgin Rock - is the name of another reactor. She is a professional musician - harpe, harpsichord- piano and so on - and she is a teacher as well as a reactor. I "met" her when she reacted to Queen - 25 or more reactions - and now she has reacted to Scarborough Fair too. As she is a musical teacher I have been interested in her channel - and positively her reaction to Scarborough Fair. I've known it since it was released in the sixties - I am 73 years old - and very pleased to hear her talking about Scarborough Fair - the music, the text, the history - and she is wise and not boring. She analyzes the text as well. It is a marvel - as is Simon and Garfunkel - and I thought that you should know about this - to be wiser -. She analyzes the melody as well as the lyrics. - Take your time to listen - - I "found" her when she tried to understand the world of Queen - so she is versatile and curious.
As a 67\ yr old man, I had every album they produced. Loved this then and still love it today. Glad you liked it too.
Have always loved this song very hypnotic great harpsichord ððž
Don't forget Art Garfunkel singing "Bright Eyes!" A very emotional piece of music!!!!ðĒ
Oh boy - the moment Art started to sing, a shiver went right down my spine even though I've heard this hundreds of times by now !
Two songs blended into one.
From same album they did mix of "7 O'clock News / Silent Night"
Love this songâĶ you will not go wrong with studio versions! Appreciate your channel!
such a beautiful version of this tune. used to love playing this in my band, it's a proper ancient piece of music, but the added lyrics and the dissonant chords in the backing melody are just sublime. the added lyrics completely changing the vibe. remember the time it was written.
This was a time when the Hippie movement was beginning. The flower children and the peace and love aesthetic were in play.
Utter nonsense! It is a traditional folk song from the north east of England, whose origin is lost, but possibly several centuries old.
I love the threaded intricacies of the instruments and their heavenly angelic voices layered beautifully with this song. Itâs practically the most perfect sounding arrangement produced. I could play on repeat and never get tired of it.
Paul Simon's touch is all over this one, the layering just screams his name . Art Garfunkel was also an awesome writer and composer. This song always puts me in a remembering type mood. Its such a great old song but makes me think of times past. Great reaction, if Sam breaks the mic its ok , chill phil, keep going guys
Beautiful..ð Gives me chills, which is a awesome thing. ð TY.âïļ
Yes Charlotte,
Me too everytime , crying listening to this beautiful and amazing and incredible song and lyrics.âĪïļððĒ
The song is placed within the bounds of an epic, ancient song (origins traced back as far at the 17th century) of love and devotion, the ultimate human experience, juxtaposed to that which is the greatest destroyer of humankind: war. The message is powerful and profound.
Joe South played guitar on this. Joe had a hit with Games People Play and he wrote Lynn Anderson's Rose Garden
Didn't he also do "Poke Salad Annie"?
@@rubrokenTony Joe White
@@patswanson2870 Thank you!!!
I donât know why this song gets me teary eyes when I listen to this song
"Parsley sage rosemary & thyme" goes through my head every time i peruse my spice rack haha. I was a teenager when this was released & fell in live with it. I got the album for Christmas, my favorite gift that year. Great reaction.
Thatâs such a great memory! Itâs amazing how music can have that lasting connection with us, especially when itâs tied to special moments like getting an album for Christmas. Simon & Garfunkelâs Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme is such a beautiful, timeless record. Do you have a favorite track from the album, or does it depend on the mood you're in?
Hi
Clavecin the child king of all classical instruments...no doubt
The golden age of music, Simon and Garfunkel, 50 000 persons in Central Park to see their live performance, it was a live concert record of audience at this time ..
Thank you for sharing ð
This song was part of the 60's folk revival movement. The original song is in the tradition of "impossible" ballads, in which events happen that seem to make no sense. "Nottunom Town" is another one like this, in which a mare is described as being grey all over "with not a hair but what was all black" and "ten thousand stood round me yet I was alone". Here the singer asks that his love make him a shirt with no needle work, find him an acre between the shore and the sea, etc. It's an interesting tradition.
Thanks for noting this. Weirdly, a lot of people miss this point, which is the core feature of the song: the singer is asking his lover to do the impossible. Ever try reaping a field with a leather sickle? lol. He is telling her she'll never be his true love again.
So many wonderful hours trying to sing both parts at once! Happy days.
I remember this song when it first came out! Thank you from this 74 year old widower.. by the way y'all are a beautiful couple, especially barbells!
OH: YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH - one of the BEST OF ALL TIME, in my opinion. Have ALWAYS LOVED THIS SONG....JUST SO, SO GOOD!! AMAZING JUXTAPOSE!! ENJOY, YA'LL!! HUGS from TEXAS!
Fortunate enough to have seen them in Central Park in 1981.
Wow, THAT would have been something extremely amazing!âĪâĪ
One of my all time favourite song ð just beautiful and a peaceful piece of music ðķ
You guys are such great music reactors, this was a privilege to watch with you guys.
I have loved this song since I was a little child. So beautiful. And it always sounds as if it came from Heaven or Middle Earth ð.
Scarborough Fair existed in England for 400 years. And this song has lasted as long. So it IS medieveal!
Song is played in the anime Gunslinger Girls as one of the characters contemplates loss, meaning of life, death and regrets as she considers her mortality and role of death and her own impermanence in the world.
This is beautiful. They performed this with Andy Williams on his show of the same name. Omg! 3 part harmony was beyond perfect.
A 17th ballad with lots of symbolism. Almost verbatim version. The singers tell us to complete impossible tasks and use magical herbs, and perhaps this would rekindle that love.
Parsley = Comfort
Sage = Strength
Rosemary = Love
Thyme = Courage
This is at the first pause, when you said you were getting blown away by it and the complexity of it. And Sam was kind of already remarking how cool it was. I'll tell you what I got goosebumps right at that moment. Because I hadn't heard this in a while although I've heard it a billion times in the past, but as a musician, I just totally sunk into that whole texture and the layers and the timbre and everything and it was so immersive. âĪ
Paul and Art have brought me much happiness. Paulâs basic guitar book was my first.
The greatest year for music. From the greatest decade the 60$. 1966
yes like the minstrels back then Paul Simon is a great songwriter and composer !
With The Wrecking Crew as session musicians. Amazing.
There's a video of this from the Andy Williams Show around 1968 with Andy also singing, and it's incredible - the complexity of two songs at the same time can be seen better as you will see exactly who is singing which lyrics.
The better version with a spoken introduction by Andy has 3.1 million views if anyone wants to have a look.
One of my favourite versions of the song!
It's two songs sung on top of each other. Scarborough Fair, a English folk song and Canticle by Paul Simon. A canticle is a song usually based on a bible text used as part of a church service, more often in a liturgical church like Roman Catholic, Anglican or Lutheran. There's a great live version of this they did with Andy Williams on his TV show.
Silent Night / 7 O' Clock News is another one with an alternative message.
That kind of blended layering has been done for more than three centuries.
Great reaction, Sam and Phil! There is layering in this song on so many levels, including lyrics. This and The Boxer are two of my favorite S&G songs.
One of the greatest anti-war songs ever!
I had a hippie music teacher who used to make us sing this every year in concert. We would all groan when he handed iut the sheet music.
This song was part of "The Graduate" soundtrack which they did all of. One of the movies you should see before you die.
The Graduate is worth a watch - I believe they made most of the soundtrack - I was in my late teens - heard the music non stop - and saw the movie.
IMO, this is one of the most beautiful yet subtle songs. They have so many great songs but this one is by far the simple but complex if that. makes sense!
It gradually morphs into an antiwar song:
"Tell her to reap it in a sickle of leather
(War bellows blazing in scarlet battalions)
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
(Generals order their soldiers to kill)
And gather it all in a bunch of heather
(And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten)
Then she'll be a true love of mine"
El condor passa is a lovely one sang by both
Haunting song....makes me fell like I'm back in the time theyre singing about and walking to the fayre in a completely different time and era, when there were less humans, no pollution, probably a plague, and strange battles being fought by knights and kings who came and went whilst life went on, sometimes short hard lives they had just a few hundred years ago...
Yes, please do the studio versions of some of these; they are just so iconic at this point. "Baby Driver" sounds so good in headphones with the original studio track - it's not quite on a level with Pink Floyd, lol, but they even played around with incorporating pretty striking and fun sound effects into it. Plus, it's just a fun, whimsical, upbeat song for them. âĪ
A great reaction to a great song (or two songs). And you are both right: this is both ahead of its time and behind its time, because it sounds both ancient and classical, yet something that could still be done contemporaneously today.
One of the instruments in the arrangement of this production, was the harpsichord. This is a keyboard instrument, that is an ancestor to the piano. Instead of hammers that hit the strings when you hit a key, it plucks the strings. It could not do the kind of dynamics that a piano later could, but it has a very distinct and beautiful sound and was the keyboard that JS Bach used when he wasnât using organ (along with another even quieter smaller one called a clavichord).
These two truly had near perfect harmonies. Impossible to change the radio station if they popped.
Scarborough fair performed by Forestella is a must listen
The version with Andy WIlliams is amazing.
It's called Counterpoint, 2 songs being sung at the same time. Scarborough Fair is the Middle Ages song, Canticle is the reworking of a Paul Simon anti Vietnam War song he wrote a couple of years before this. They were in their mid 20's here. Today they are 83 years old. There is a longer version of this song.
There's a female classical musician who recently analyzed this song and showed how brilliant the canticle part blends. You need to see what the canticle lyrics is anti war.
The timing of your reaction is perfect. This song in this "environment."âĪ
Harpsichord âĪâĪ
Canticle is the name of the prose buried beneath that Renaissance folk piece. You'd love Art Garfunkel's 1975 studio LP cover of I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU.
You should listen to this again with the lyrics scrolling by. It is absolute necessary to understand the vocal layering
Counterpoint -the combination of two or more independent melodies into a single harmonic texture in which each retains its linear character.
This song is many centuries old, S&G simply gave their flavor to it and made a few changes I believe.
My fav S&G songâĪ
Bob Dylan wrote "Girl From the North Country" based on "Scarborough Fair".
It's 2 songs put together. The 2nd one is called "The Side of a Hill". There's a version of that by Paul Simon on the album "The Paul Simon Songbook."
The Angels are singing today.. ðð
Lyrics
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
(On the side of a hill, in the deep forest green)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Tracing of sparrow on snow-crested ground)
Without no seams nor needle work
(Blankets and bedclothes the child of the mountain)
Then she'll be a true love of mine
(Sleeps unaware of the clarion call)
Tell her to find me an acre of land
(On the side of a hill, a sprinkling of leaves)
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
(Washes the grave with silvery tears)
Between the salt water and the sea strands
(A soldier cleans and polishes a gun)
Then she'll be a true love of mine
Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather
(War bellows blazing in scarlet battalions)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Generals order their soldiers to kill)
And gather it all in a bunch of heather
(And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten)
Then she'll be a true love of mine
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine
1960âs music was the best.
Of course in the recording they added harpsicord and other background instruments, but in concert I saw just the 2 of them and the guitar and it was still wonderous.
If I ever have to tame a wild beast this is the song Iâd play ð
Beautiful song âĪ
There is an extended version out there I recommend you listen to. Worth your time.
This is actually an in compete version. There is a lyric video with an medieval art backdrop which is compete. And a song of this complexity demands follow along lyrics, as it is essentially two songs in parallel
This is a major element of the movie The Graduate. You might want to react to that movie.
I enjoy your channel. As a sideline, I started my dj business when I was in my mid-twenties, and have continued to this day. I've being spinning the tunes for approx. fifty years. It is a love of mine. You have to agree that most of the greatest songs and song writing came out of the 60's and 70's. Sorry about getting carried away here, but I'm a 'blue-noser'. A few songs I highly recommend are remakes. A Whiter Shade of Pale: Unchained Melody & Sound of Silence. These are covers by Lucy Thomas. Highly recommended. She is also considered one of the best female singers today. I would also recommend, 'What A Wonderful World' by Lucy Thomas and her sister, Martha Thomas. I promise, you will not be disappointed. I apologize for rambling on, but I get carried away when I am passionate about what I believe it. Thanks and have a great day.
THE GRADUATE. Dustin Hoffmanâs breakout role. Great flick.
The other song, which a softly spoken in the background, is a war story of a group of young soldiers that are laying down their lives in battle - quite a contrast.
Queensryche does a great version of this song. A more simple version without the layering or the lyrics. Geoff Tateâs voice is beautiful. Great reactionâĪ
There's a short version live with Simon & Garfunkel, Andy Williams
I have fond memories of the song. I used to get stoned to it
As the title suggests, this is actually two songs crosscut as one. The first is âScarborough Fairâ, derived from an old English folk song about the titular event. The second is âCanticleâ, which is actually based on a song Paul Simon wrote criticizing the Vietnam War in 1965. The song in question is entitled âThe Side of a Hillâ.
Scarborough Fairâ itself is based on a man giving an ex-girlfriend tasks which are impossible to complete in order to regain his affection. Meanwhile âCanticleâ is centered on a child who has died due to being in the crossfire of a war.
Above is all copy and paste
This song is the zenith of creativity.
There are homemade videos with lyrics that you can watch which gives clarity to the verses.
Great reaction
I loved this album. You should react to "Homeward Bound".
Most definitely!
Next for S&G, try âThe Dangling ConversationââĶâĶsimply amazing songwriting/poetry.
How many songs do you know that prominently feature the triangle? This was the first record I purchased when I was a kid. Thanks for the memories. Cheers, Paul
My understanding is that he has been sent to war and he is asking his love to prepare to bury his bodyâĶâfind me an acre of land.â
From same album they did mix of "7 O'clock News / Silent Night"
The traditional English ballad "Scarborough Fair" dates back to at least the 1670s. The song's origins are unclear, and there are many different versions.
Paul Simon toured England after S&Gâs first breakup in the mid 60s and came across this song.
Simon & Garfunkel reunited for their next album and included Scarborough Fair/Canticle. Paul had written an anti-war song for an early solo album and with Artâs help blended the two songs together. It did not come into being without significant drama attached as Paul had a way of stepping on a few toes as his career progressed.
The resulting track is a true masterpiece.
If you've never seen it, watch "The Graduate" movie. This song is featured in it. Great movie