Mentioning the book, "Catch 22" reminded me of one of my favorite anecdotes about famous authors. The late novelist Kurt Vonnegut informed his pal, Joseph Heller, that their host (at the fancy party they were attending), a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel Catch-22 over its whole history. Heller responded - “Yes, but I have something he will never have . . . enough.” May all of you have... ENOUGH!
@@williamsanders2439 WOW! I'm envious! I love Vonnegut, and so does my son. I have found some audiobook recordings on TH-cam of Vonnegut reading his own works, but I would have loved to have heard him in person.
Thanks for sharing this. Catch-22 is one of my favorite books of all time. I don't usually do this, particularly with music, but this book just hits me on every level. The movie is underrated but nothing close to the book. Given the amount of material to work with in the book, I think it did an admirable job capturing the idiocy and contradictions of war and all the insane characters involved.
Paul Simon is just timeless his music has spanned generations and whether you're a fan or just a casual listener Paul's music will definitely brighten your day
I remember Donnie & Marie Osmond had a variety show back in the 70's very similar to the Sonny & Cher show and they would do a little monologue with some bantering back and forth and when Donnie said one particular joke to Marie she replied that she would like to talk about the Fifty ways to leave your *BROTHER* which I thought was a cute line. Cheers from Ottawa, Canada🍁
I watched Paul Simon’s recent interview by Colbert on the Late Show. He said he wasn’t a perfectionist, he just got a song to where he didn’t hate it. that’s the standard of brilliance. He’s got a very interesting life story.
In 1999 Paul Simon and Bob Dylan came to St. Louis together.. I loved Bob Dylan and still do. But Paul Simon had everyone singing along with nearly every song. Simon has written the sound track of a lot of people's lives.
Love the "Wake Me Up Before You GoGo" shirt. I used to sing this to my infant daughter back when as we danced in her room. We got in trouble when my wife came home while we were rocking as she switched the (loud) radio off. Busted!
There is a *tremendously* strong correlation between music and mathematics that I doubt the general public realizes, so Art and Brian being heavily into math makes sense to me! 😇
Paul Simon became one of the greatest songwriters ever by keeping his eyes and ears open every waking minute for anything that could become a song, be it a Chinese restaurant menu (Mother And Child Reunion), or this great one.
I'd like to hear the rest of that story about the Chinese restaurant menu. (Did he have a chicken egg foo yong?) That's my favorite Paul Simon song... I think.
@@beenaplumber8379 It's in his bio. He was at a Chinese restaurant, perusing the menu for a dish to order, and came across one called "Mother and Child Reunion". And as our friend above deduced, it is indeed a chicken and egg dish.
My Mom used to play this song a lot when I was growing up. I honestly never paid too much attention to it, wasn't one of my favorites. As I got older, I grew a deeper appreciation for it. Now, I really like it. Go figure.
I'm glad you lucked out and had a mom with great taste in music! Me too, and I miss her sumpthin' awful. I actually remember watching that Grammy Award ceremony with my mom, when Paul Simon thanked Stevie Wonder for NOT releasing an album that year. I also remember watching the Grammys the year before, when Stevie won several categories and my mom was squealing she was so happy for him! In the 90s, she and my dad were vacationing at a resort in Puerto Vallarta, and mom realized they were walking right behind Stevie Wonder and his wife on the grand staircase. She told me, "I could have reached out and touched him!" "Oh Momma, please tell me you didn't..." She didn't, but she wanted to! She also said, "Stevie's wife is absolutely gorgeous! Do you think he knows that?" Yeah, I'm sure he's aware.😂🤣 Dad had no idea who Stevie Wonder was.🙄Nerd!😏
Phoebe Snow fact: Billy Joel had a song that he was hesitant to put on his next album, thinking it was too sappy. When Phoebe Snow and Linda Ronstadt heard the song, they told Joel that he MUST include it on the album. The song - Just the Way You Are. The rest is history.
If you think that you've not listened to Billy's entire catalog. It's incredibly extensive. For instance, "We Didn't Start the Fire' and " Angry Young Man" were hardly bubble gum, lol. Go down the Billy Joel rabbit hole one day and listen to his more obscure stuff. He's truly a genius storyteller. ☺️
I have sang "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" as a kid, to my kids and now to my grandkids. Absolutely love it. When we need to run an errand and we don't want the grandkids to know what we're doing we just say "I'm gonna slip out the back jack" 🤣🤣
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 I always had a lot fun singing "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" with the great rhyming. I still remember the words to the main chorus. "Just slip out the back, Jack. Make a new plan, Stan. You don't need to be coy, Roy. Just get yourself free. Hop on the bus, Gus. Don't need to discuss much. Just drop off the key, Lee. And get yourself free." I always considered it a fun, novelty song.
My first favorite song as a little kid was “Cecelia” by Simon and Garfunkel, I just loved the percussion. Still a fan of Paul Simon after all these years. Such a talented artist!
As a kid growing up in the 70s, I always heard it as “don’t need to be corduroy”. Couldn’t understand what he had against corduroy - I loved my corduroy pants 😂 Also - check out Rick Beato’s interview with Steve Gadd. Phenomenal interview and they also touch on how he came up with that drum riff. Love your videos!
I love that song. Paul Simon is one of the best singer's in my opinion. He has so many great songs. Mother and child reunion is one of my favorites. Late in the evening from the movie one trick pony is one of my favorite songs. I love Phoebe snow's song poetry man another favorite of mine.
It never occurred to me that it was a silly song. It always struck me as pretty serious....and get yourself free, indeed. A year later, he'd release the heart wrenching "Slip Sliding Away." Always thought of it as a follow up to "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover."
I remember the first time I heard this song. I had moved to a new home and had a long country bus ride to school (over an hour) and the bus driver had a radio hooked up in the bus. This song is the first song I really remember listening to on that bus ride. The rhyming structure caught my young ears (4th grade) and I used to sing along with it during those long bus rides. Thanks for bringing the memories back Professor.
So Paul's toddler wasn't the only child who benefitted from his fun lesson in rhyming!💖 I made up a game to play with my son when he was in elementary school. My son loves Star Trek, and Mr. Spock and Data were his favorite characters. The game was, "How would Mr. Spock say it?" This encouraged him to expand his vocabulary. Example: Instead of saying "Birds of a feather flock together" Mr. Spock might say; "Avian animals with similar plumage tend to associate with those who most visually resemble themselves."
@@allrequiredfields Yeah, due to the length of the ride (most days it was over an hour long with some winter days approaching 2 hours) the bus driver added a stereo to the bus. It Wasn't the best but it sure made those long bus rides a bit more endurable.
I was in grad school when the track came out. The student newspaper published a list of the best places to drink off campus entitled "Fifty Ways to Lose Your Liver."
As a teen with fresh Fifty Ways it helped me see relationships differently. Less panacea. Teaching rhymes makes sense, but under it all, I think Paul needed closure. Love the song. Thanks Adam! You are truly the Professor of Rock.
Another Paul Simon episode = GOLD! I was in a long running show with a live band and there was moment where I “beat up” the lead singer and the drummer would play a little beat. One night I asked him if he knew the opening of “50 Ways” and he started playing for me every night. This is one of my all time favorite songs and I have used it and referenced it a lot! And still, I didn’t know this story. Thanks, Adam!
LOVED this one Professor!!! I still get amazed at how you can play 3sec of a song and bring back a lifetime of memories and this one was full of them!!! Thanks, as always, for the memories…❤😊
My Dad's name was Roy, and we used to tease him with the "Don't need to be coy, Roy." lyric. He didn't like that, and always said he hated this song. On another Simon-related note, I used lyrics from *"Kodachrome"* as the quote on my Senior Page in the yearbook in 1999. My English teachers were not too pleased to see *"When I think on all the crap I learned in high school, it's wonder I can think at all. And, I know my lack of education hasn't hurt me none."* listed there, and I was stopped by all 4 of them individually, telling me I knew better than be using double negatives in a sentence. I guess, none of them noticed where I gave credit to the source. I just really loved the song.
10 bucks says they each knew! Being educators they got the last laugh making you only think about the grammar, and forever wondering if they actually knew where the quote was from. Educators are great like that. Cheers!
I think it's easy to lose sight of how brilliant Art Garfunkel is. I mean, in the shadow of Paul Simon. If he couldn't sing, Art might have been a math professor at Columbia U. Real bright guy.
I didn't really know the English language yet when I first heard 50 ways to leave your lover. But even without understanding the lyrics, I loved everything about it. Still do. It's a tiny piece of exquisite art in a huge and often overly elaborate musical universe.
@@ProfessorofRock I did like Art's singing a bit better than Paul's but I never really heard enough of Art singing solo since Paul did most of the lead vocals on their songs, Hall and Oates were like them with Daryl Hall doing the lead singing and John Oates was mainly backing vocals and guitar playing and solos Thank You Professor.
One of my favorite songs from Simon and Garfunkle is For Emily Whenever I May Find Her. "When I woke and felt you near, I kissed your honey hair with my grateful tears. I love you girl, oh how I love you." That has to be one of the most beautiful and romantic lyrics ever written. Paul Simon is a genius.
Memories of driving a Ford van on I35 south in a winter storm at just barely moving speed, the highway iced over and the strong cross wind slowly forcing me sideways across the roadway into the next lane, the song ending and the disc jockey then playing "Slip Sliding Away". Sometime in the 1980's
DEFINITELY one of the finest songwriters of our era! I remember listening to this song on the radio not long after it was released, and recognized it as an unusually good song lyrically, which is rather rare in popular music.
My girl sings this song to me when she isn't happy with me, sometimes more seriously than others. Paul is such a great writer that he can write a song as kinda a goof and hit number 1, I remember my mom was upset when Simon and Garfunkel broke up but after hearing his solo album she was no longer upset. Paul is definitely one of the greatest American songwriters ever. Fantastic episode professor!!
The song "My Little Town" is also on Art Garfunkel's 1975 "Breakaway". Art reunited again with Simon & also James Taylor to do the Sam Cooke classic "Wonderful World" (from Art's 1978 "Watermark" album).
As a kid, I remember everyone knowing the part where he starts naming ways to leave!! I remember a character using the rhyme to teach Mork something on Mork and Mindy! Paul Simon knew this song would form earworms in heads for years!!
I wasn't aware of this being his biggest solo hit, but it is a great one. Simon is one of the best songwriters of the rock era. Great episode, professor. My personal favorite is, You can call me Al.
Hi Professor, nice to see the latest promotion of the multi-talented Paul Simon. I second a fan’s suggestion you feature Johnny Clegg, of whom Paul is a fan. I'm an Art Garfunkel fan, too. It seems you always mean single song when you refer to a hit, though writing does not specify it. But Paul Simon had two US #1 hits if one counts the album “Still Crazy After All These Years.” Marie Osmond told a joke about “50 ways to leave your brother.”
I love Johnny Clegg's music! For those not familiar: Johnny Clegg & Savuka, was a multi-racial South African band formed in 1986 by Johnny Clegg after the disbanding of Juluka. Savuka's music blended traditional Zulu musical influences with Celtic music and rock music that had a cross-racial appeal in South Africa. They had a pretty popular hit in the USA with their gorgeous song, "Dela" which was featured in the "George of the Jungle" movie with Brendan Fraser. Here's a link to that perfect love song, and one of my top "feel-good" songs to listen to when the world seems ugly and hate-filled: th-cam.com/video/y9POxYRcwvc/w-d-xo.html I agree, an episode about Johnny Clegg would be fascinating. Sadly, Mr. Clegg passed from pancreatic cancer in 2019 so he's not available for interviews.
@@LazyIRanch Thanks very much for all that information on the late great Johnny Clegg, Lazy I Ranch. I’m a big fan of his work solo and with Juluka and Savuka and of course his and their dancing on stage was amazing. Of course the linked song is one of his best, along with “Scatterlings Of Africa,” “Fever,” “Asimbonanga,” “Kilimanjaro,” “Ring On Her Finger,” “Great Heart,” “Cruel, Crazy Beautiful World”…
Bridge Over Troubled Water is the first song I ever learned the full lyrics to and that whole album evokes early childhood for me to this day. I think The Sound of Silence is one of the most profound poems ever written. The musical arrangement just adds to the intensity. So, it doesn't surprise me a bit that Paul turned a rhyming game with his son into a great song.
It’s not a matter of which was better, the duo or Simon alone. Very few of this world can match Simon‘s ability to put words and music to our lives. But the early Simon wrote with the intention of knowing his long time friend Garfunkel would be lending his beautiful voice. Once that magic was gone, Simon couldn’t force what he couldn’t feel. Thank goodness he still could translate his feelings into a different kind of magic.
IKR? I wonder why that doesn't get mentioned more often. The snare drum in the beginning is a whole mood, it gives it an almost military marching feel that to me seemed to symbolize glumly trudging towards one's destiny, until the funny lyrics kick in and we are let in on "the joke" and we are cheering the singer on in his quest to get himself free!😃❤🩹
My son really liked this song whenever I played because his nickname is used as one of the men's names. My favorite will always be "Scarborough Fair", but who doesn't love Paul & Chevy Chase in the video for, "You Can Call Me Al"?! My second favorite Paul Simon song. 🤠
Good morning Adam and music lovers. How cool os this. Paul Simon is national treasure.. Not only as part of Simon and Garfunkel, but his solo albums were masterpieces as well. His level of song mastery to me became obvious with the There Goes Rhymin' Simon album, with genius works like Kodachrome, Love Me Like A Rock, and American Tune. Later songs like 50 Ways jst cemented that legacy. Looking forward to this one. Thanks Adam.
@@ProfessorofRock How could I not brother, after all the work you put in? Appreciation is an important part of life, and I greatly appreciate you, my friend.
I always loved Paul Simon's songs. Like most people, with or without Art. I was young and knew a man who had just got married. I congratulated his wife on becoming Miss Robinson, she looked at me funny but I had not seen the movie that had just come out. Lol.... he always made such great music. Good show as usual.
@@ProfessorofRock it is. I think I was in the second grade. I got into trouble a couple years before for singing Celia at my grandma's house at a family dinner. I was walking down the hall singing "making love in the afternoon with Celia up in my bedroom" then I heard my dad say " what the hell are you singing. Funny thing is I heard it at home while he was playing the record.
Love Paul and Call Me Al is my favorite song! You can't hear it without feeling a mood lift. I can't hear it without picturing him and Chevy Chase, love that video.
The first time I remember hearing "50 Ways" was in the early nineties when my sister had been giving her first CD Boombox upon graduating high school and received Paul's compilation record *Negotiations and Love Songs.* Shoetly after we purchased a carousel CD player, my mother purchased the *Still Crazy...* album, and I heard the song in the context of the ones surrounding it. As the 90s and my teen years progressed, I had more than one occasion to relate to the different feelings of frustration and regret that Paul mused about on this album. The Year 1997 when I was 17 was the first time I remember hearing that my father would divorce my mother, even though he didn't make that move for another 6 . I also remember thinking about another single, "Have A Good Time", in the context of my 17th birthday and how I was having a lousy school year. Since then, I have figured out that he must also have been singing about the Fallout from when he and Garfunkel split up 5 years earlier and how "My Little Town" was something I could relate to, coming from a similar small town environment to one Adam Reader. That part of the saga including Paul making the joke at the Grammys about Stevie not issuing an album in 1975 is something I learned about recently. I can just imagine the amount of giggles both dudes had over it in the aftermath. The most interesting part has to do with how Paul was not the most prolific writer while Stevie had an ethic of writing a song a day 50 years ago.
Thanks, @AnnaTrail-xp8pr . One thing that I probably have said too often below uploads by the Professor of Rock is how my date of birth is January 1980.
50 ways was my 7 year old sons favorite song. Anytime it came on the radio he would be belting it out from the back seat. Paul Simon is truly a brilliant songwriter and singer!
Paul Simon, man what can I say that has not already been said, he influenced my younger years before I even knew his name, koda chrome reached deep so deep that I ended up writing a poem based off of it , I always miss heard the lyrics and thought he said " coat of chrome" lol😂😂. Well I may have heard it wrong for over a decade but it still inspired me. I place upon him a title that few artists in the music business ever let people hear. He was a true musician, questioning, answering, and always keeping it fresh
Paul Simon is a genius lyricist. 50 Ways..was never a favorite, but I remember playing a CD of his greatest hits for my kids to fall asleep to when they were little. My daughter used to ask for "Mama Pajama." She's 30 now, and still thinks of Paul Simon as her bedtime music. My favorite might be Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes.
Always makes me think of John Valby and his X rated version. Had never heard of him when friends said we had to go see him live. Place was packed and after a few beers, his show had everyone laughing.
Love the song, occasionally (?). But I’m truly amazed that “You Can Call Me Al” wasn’t any where near the top of the charts. I guess people don’t count endless plays on MTV (remember when they played music?) Highly favored by many people who I suppose don’t count😮
I am such huge Simon & Garfunkel fan, and I think Simon is one of the greatest song writers, if not the greatest, of the 20th century. I often sing 50 Ways as I walk my dog because it's such a fun song to sing. As for Art, I always like the song he sang for the movie Watership Down "Bright Eyes." I know Art didn't write it, but I love his soothing voice on it. I wish that song was more popular.
❤🎉 Paul Simon is an amazing artist. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover, and You Can Call Me Al are two great silly songs that hit it big. Who would have thought Paul would produce a song like this after the classic compositions with Art Garfunkle? Thanks Professor! Great Wham! shirt.
This is only my third or fourth favorite Paul Simon solo tune. First is probably "You Can Call Me Al" because I see the video in my head, and it cracks me up and makes me happy every single time! This is followed by a tie of "Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard" and "Mother and Child Reunion" with "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" ending up in fourth place. I always thought he said, 'You don't need a decoy, Roy...' LOL
Paul Simon is an underrated U.S. music legend. Wow, I think I lived "50 ways..." when it was released. Fortunately, years later I met the love of my life and we have remained happily married 30 years and counting. "My Little Town" is better when one grows older. Man, Adam, you are really taking me down a long memory lane today. Thanks.
Here's another song I didn't like as a child but do now. Still, my Paul Simon solo faves are Loves Me Like a Rock and Call Me Al (and that fantastic video! ).
@@ProfessorofRock Mainly I like the substance of it. The agonist goes from dejected to downright gleefull with the advent of the new tail. It's pretty sweet.
Ahhh.. I was five when this came out… it’s always been one of my favorites… my mom had just left my dad… we connected with this song.. it brings back memories.
@@RBS_me too so I have to listen. End of the month going to see Jeff Dunham last time was during the election so here we are again. He is hilarious don't know what side he's on but you laugh your a**off
My mom played the "Still Crazy" album all the time. Those songs bring back memories. I love "My Little Town". That and Art's "All I Know" are on my playlist for work.
One night many years ago I was up late trying to write a new song. I switched to bass from guitar trying to shake something loose from my brain. I hit what I thought was gold and I recorded it. The next day I played it back and my girlfriend was blown away. “You have something great here.” I said “Yes I do… it’s a definite hit song..” It was this song, shook from my brain.
@@cheriem432 no the riff was stuck in my subconscious from when my dad used to spin the 45 when I was little. And it popped up out of the blue and I realized what I’d done the next day.
So much of the pop music of the 60’s & 70’s brings a sense of euphoria that’s not easy to describe. I snapped up the opportunity to accompany a friend and his parents just to see Simon and Garfunkel live in 1984 at BC Place Stadium, Vancouver. Awesome, despite the poor acoustics of the venue!
I've seen this song credited as one of the reasons Punk Rock was able to gain an audience, as people were tired of lifeless, boring songs...I love Simon&Garfunkel, but Paul Simon's solo career has always made me itch...(You picked "The Boxer", so obviously, you're a man of culture)
Poll: What is your pick for the song with the COOLEST Drum part from the Rock era?
Wipeout
Come Together
Toto "Roseanna"
Crossroads, Tracy Chapman.
Tomorrow Never Knows - The Beatles
Mentioning the book, "Catch 22" reminded me of one of my favorite anecdotes about famous authors.
The late novelist Kurt Vonnegut informed his pal, Joseph Heller, that their host (at the fancy party they were attending), a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel Catch-22 over its whole history.
Heller responded - “Yes, but I have something he will never have . . . enough.”
May all of you have... ENOUGH!
@LazyIRanch actually got to see Mr Vonnegut speak in person years ago. One of the highlights of my college years!
Thanks!
@@williamsanders2439 WOW! I'm envious! I love Vonnegut, and so does my son. I have found some audiobook recordings on TH-cam of Vonnegut reading his own works, but I would have loved to have heard him in person.
Thanks for sharing this. Catch-22 is one of my favorite books of all time. I don't usually do this, particularly with music, but this book just hits me on every level. The movie is underrated but nothing close to the book. Given the amount of material to work with in the book, I think it did an admirable job capturing the idiocy and contradictions of war and all the insane characters involved.
I love it!
Paul Simon is what I describe as one of the world’s great wordsmiths. they are few and far between.
He has his books and his poetry to protect him. He is shielded in his armor. 😉
Art Garfunkel has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard
My favorite is Benedictus. The harmony is incredible!
My fav Art song is A Heart in New York.
Paul Simon is just timeless his music has spanned generations and whether you're a fan or just a casual listener Paul's music will definitely brighten your day
Amen!
A one man Lennon & Mcartney.Best of the best.
Just hop on the bus Gus! Don't need to be coy Roy. Make a new plan Stan and get yourself free!! GBY. Jim
@@jimsmith9301 love it
He’s a master songwriter
I remember Donnie & Marie Osmond had a variety show back in the 70's very similar to the Sonny & Cher show and they would do a little monologue with some bantering back and forth and when Donnie said one particular joke to Marie she replied that she would like to talk about the Fifty ways to leave your *BROTHER* which I thought was a cute line. Cheers from Ottawa, Canada🍁
It was. The whole show was designed to be wholesome and cute.
I was young when i saw donny and marie. I just remember singing and talking.
I watched Paul Simon’s recent interview by Colbert on the Late Show. He said he wasn’t a perfectionist, he just got a song to where he didn’t hate it. that’s the standard of brilliance. He’s got a very interesting life story.
Fav Paul Simon tune ... "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes". The SNL performance was/is amazing too.
In 1999 Paul Simon and Bob Dylan came to St. Louis together.. I loved Bob Dylan and still do. But Paul Simon had everyone singing along with nearly every song. Simon has written the sound track of a lot of people's lives.
Well put! That is so true.
I saw them in Memphis Tennessee around the same time. Very memorable time.
Love the "Wake Me Up Before You GoGo" shirt.
I used to sing this to my infant daughter back when as we danced in her room. We got in trouble when my wife came home while we were rocking as she switched the (loud) radio off.
Busted!
Can you imagine needing a tutor in math & Art Garfunkel shows up at your door? Only way to top that is Brian May tutoring you in Astrophysics!
No kidding!
🤣
I wonder if he is a lecturer for college students
@marktait2371
Punctuation is your friend, friend.
There is a *tremendously* strong correlation between music and mathematics that I doubt the general public realizes, so Art and Brian being heavily into math makes sense to me! 😇
Simon and Garfunkel made the most beautiful harmony that I’ve ever known. I can’t help but sing with them when I hear their music.
Paul Simon became one of the greatest songwriters ever by keeping his eyes and ears open every waking minute for anything that could become a song, be it a Chinese restaurant menu (Mother And Child Reunion), or this great one.
So true.
A song about the colonic combination of the mother, chicken, and the child; the egg?
I'd like to hear the rest of that story about the Chinese restaurant menu. (Did he have a chicken egg foo yong?) That's my favorite Paul Simon song... I think.
@@Chapps1941 You've got it
@@beenaplumber8379 It's in his bio. He was at a Chinese restaurant, perusing the menu for a dish to order, and came across one called "Mother and Child Reunion". And as our friend above deduced, it is indeed a chicken and egg dish.
Simon and Garfunckel are genuine American treasures.
No question!
My Mom used to play this song a lot when I was growing up. I honestly never paid too much attention to it, wasn't one of my favorites. As I got older, I grew a deeper appreciation for it. Now, I really like it. Go figure.
I'm glad you lucked out and had a mom with great taste in music! Me too, and I miss her sumpthin' awful.
I actually remember watching that Grammy Award ceremony with my mom, when Paul Simon thanked Stevie Wonder for NOT releasing an album that year. I also remember watching the Grammys the year before, when Stevie won several categories and my mom was squealing she was so happy for him!
In the 90s, she and my dad were vacationing at a resort in Puerto Vallarta, and mom realized they were walking right behind Stevie Wonder and his wife on the grand staircase.
She told me, "I could have reached out and touched him!" "Oh Momma, please tell me you didn't..." She didn't, but she wanted to! She also said, "Stevie's wife is absolutely gorgeous! Do you think he knows that?" Yeah, I'm sure he's aware.😂🤣
Dad had no idea who Stevie Wonder was.🙄Nerd!😏
@@LazyIRanch - what a great story! TY for sharing this. :)
Phoebe Snow fact: Billy Joel had a song that he was hesitant to put on his next album, thinking it was too sappy. When Phoebe Snow and Linda Ronstadt heard the song, they told Joel that he MUST include it on the album. The song - Just the Way You Are. The rest is history.
This is an amazing fact!
Yeah, nice song but then didn’t he divorce the idea for that song?
@@gailabert7976What does that have to do with anything?
I believe everything Billy Joel touched was overly sappy. Except for Uptown Girl and it's video. That is some bad ass stuff!!!!!
If you think that you've not listened to Billy's entire catalog. It's incredibly extensive. For instance, "We Didn't Start the Fire' and " Angry Young Man" were hardly bubble gum, lol.
Go down the Billy Joel rabbit hole one day and listen to his more obscure stuff. He's truly a genius storyteller. ☺️
I think Paul Simon will go down as one of the greatest American Poet from the 20th Century.
Paul Simon's _Graceland_ is absolutely sublime. I've been listening to that quite a bit lately.
I agree! Great record!
I remember my mom playing that album when it came out. Love that album.
One of the BEST. Diamonds on the soles of her shoes!!!!! A-wa A-wa
One of the best albums ever.
That's one of my favorites.
S & G sounded so great together even after the breakup but I can understand Simon's frustration with Art.
I have sang "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" as a kid, to my kids and now to my grandkids. Absolutely love it. When we need to run an errand and we don't want the grandkids to know what we're doing we just say "I'm gonna slip out the back jack" 🤣🤣
Thanks!
Haha!
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 I always had a lot fun singing "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" with the great rhyming. I still remember the words to the main chorus. "Just slip out the back, Jack. Make a new plan, Stan. You don't need to be coy, Roy. Just get yourself free. Hop on the bus, Gus. Don't need to discuss much. Just drop off the key, Lee. And get yourself free." I always considered it a fun, novelty song.
Um, "I have *sung*"?
My first favorite song as a little kid was “Cecelia” by Simon and Garfunkel, I just loved the percussion. Still a fan of Paul Simon after all these years. Such a talented artist!
Really? Not exactly appropriate for a little kid. I was too embarrassed to play my record if my mother was within hearing distance!
As a kid growing up in the 70s, I always heard it as “don’t need to be corduroy”. Couldn’t understand what he had against corduroy - I loved my corduroy pants 😂
Also - check out Rick Beato’s interview with Steve Gadd. Phenomenal interview and they also touch on how he came up with that drum riff.
Love your videos!
I love that song. Paul Simon is one of the best singer's in my opinion. He has so many great songs. Mother and child reunion is one of my favorites. Late in the evening from the movie one trick pony is one of my favorite songs. I love Phoebe snow's song poetry man another favorite of mine.
Great lyricist!
All great songs.
'Still Crazy' and 'Fifty Ways' are still my all-time favourite Paul Simon songs.
Carrie Fisher telling anyone else the problem was all inside their head is projection. Having said that, I absolutely adored both her and her mother.
It never occurred to me that it was a silly song. It always struck me as pretty serious....and get yourself free, indeed. A year later, he'd release the heart wrenching "Slip Sliding Away." Always thought of it as a follow up to "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover."
I remember the first time I heard this song. I had moved to a new home and had a long country bus ride to school (over an hour) and the bus driver had a radio hooked up in the bus. This song is the first song I really remember listening to on that bus ride. The rhyming structure caught my young ears (4th grade) and I used to sing along with it during those long bus rides. Thanks for bringing the memories back Professor.
Thanks for watching!
So Paul's toddler wasn't the only child who benefitted from his fun lesson in rhyming!💖
I made up a game to play with my son when he was in elementary school. My son loves Star Trek, and Mr. Spock and Data were his favorite characters. The game was, "How would Mr. Spock say it?" This encouraged him to expand his vocabulary.
Example: Instead of saying "Birds of a feather flock together" Mr. Spock might say; "Avian animals with similar plumage tend to associate with those who most visually resemble themselves."
Great story!!!!
WHAT? You had a bus ride to school with music? That would have been fantastic.
@@allrequiredfields Yeah, due to the length of the ride (most days it was over an hour long with some winter days approaching 2 hours) the bus driver added a stereo to the bus. It Wasn't the best but it sure made those long bus rides a bit more endurable.
I was in grad school when the track came out. The student newspaper published a list of the best places to drink off campus entitled "Fifty Ways to Lose Your Liver."
As a teen with fresh Fifty Ways it helped me see relationships differently. Less panacea. Teaching rhymes makes sense, but under it all, I think Paul needed closure. Love the song. Thanks Adam! You are truly the Professor of Rock.
Another Paul Simon episode = GOLD! I was in a long running show with a live band and there was moment where I “beat up” the lead singer and the drummer would play a little beat. One night I asked him if he knew the opening of “50 Ways” and he started playing for me every night. This is one of my all time favorite songs and I have used it and referenced it a lot! And still, I didn’t know this story. Thanks, Adam!
Graceland is one of the greatest albums of all time.
LOVED this one Professor!!! I still get amazed at how you can play 3sec of a song and bring back a lifetime of memories and this one was full of them!!! Thanks, as always, for the memories…❤😊
One of the saddest songs of all time was Art's "Bright Eyes" from Watership Down.
A beautiful song from an animated movie that runs on nightmare fuel.
My Dad's name was Roy, and we used to tease him with the "Don't need to be coy, Roy." lyric. He didn't like that, and always said he hated this song.
On another Simon-related note, I used lyrics from *"Kodachrome"* as the quote on my Senior Page in the yearbook in 1999. My English teachers were not too pleased to see *"When I think on all the crap I learned in high school, it's wonder I can think at all. And, I know my lack of education hasn't hurt me none."* listed there, and I was stopped by all 4 of them individually, telling me I knew better than be using double negatives in a sentence. I guess, none of them noticed where I gave credit to the source. I just really loved the song.
10 bucks says they each knew! Being educators they got the last laugh making you only think about the grammar, and forever wondering if they actually knew where the quote was from. Educators are great like that. Cheers!
@@BearJwG agreed.
Glad to see you could read the writing on the wall. 😉
Your school marms “correcting” Paul Simon’s lyrics is such a joke.
What have they ever published? Let me guess: Absolutely nothing.
I think it's easy to lose sight of how brilliant Art Garfunkel is. I mean, in the shadow of Paul Simon. If he couldn't sing, Art might have been a math professor at Columbia U. Real bright guy.
The professor is a confessor , a supressor of stressors ...and a snappy dresser .....lol
Ha ha! Thanks my friend!
I didn't really know the English language yet when I first heard 50 ways to leave your lover. But even without understanding the lyrics, I loved everything about it. Still do. It's a tiny piece of exquisite art in a huge and often overly elaborate musical universe.
I always used to sing this song with my mum, and we'd have fun listing the various different rhymes.
So fun!
I used to use girls names for the rhymes.
Paul and Art were a great pop music duo of the 60's and 70's.🎤🎶🎸🎶🎹🎶🥁
Amen!
@@ProfessorofRock I did like Art's singing a bit better than Paul's
but I never really heard enough of Art singing solo since Paul did
most of the lead vocals on their songs, Hall and Oates were like
them with Daryl Hall doing the lead singing and John Oates was mainly
backing vocals and guitar playing and solos Thank You Professor.
One of my favorite songs from Simon and Garfunkle is For Emily Whenever I May Find Her. "When I woke and felt you near, I kissed your honey hair with my grateful tears. I love you girl, oh how I love you." That has to be one of the most beautiful and romantic lyrics ever written. Paul Simon is a genius.
One of my favorites as well. Just the most beautiful lyrics and music.
Memories of driving a Ford van on I35 south in a winter storm at just barely moving speed, the highway iced over and the strong cross
wind slowly forcing me sideways across the roadway
into the next lane, the song ending and the disc jockey then playing "Slip Sliding Away". Sometime in the 1980's
DEFINITELY one of the finest songwriters of our era!
I remember listening to this song on the radio not long after it was released, and recognized it as an unusually good song lyrically, which is rather rare in popular music.
AMen!
Because he can really write lyrics.
My girl sings this song to me when she isn't happy with me, sometimes more seriously than others. Paul is such a great writer that he can write a song as kinda a goof and hit number 1, I remember my mom was upset when Simon and Garfunkel broke up but after hearing his solo album she was no longer upset. Paul is definitely one of the greatest American songwriters ever. Fantastic episode professor!!
Thanks!
There really are 50 ways to leave your lover. Maybe even more than 50!
The song "My Little Town" is also on Art Garfunkel's 1975 "Breakaway". Art reunited again with Simon & also James Taylor to do the Sam Cooke classic "Wonderful World" (from Art's 1978 "Watermark" album).
As a kid, I remember everyone knowing the part where he starts naming ways to leave!! I remember a character using the rhyme to teach Mork something on Mork and Mindy! Paul Simon knew this song would form earworms in heads for years!!
Saw Paul Simon on the Graceland tour. It was one of the best concerts that I ever attended.
I wasn't aware of this being his biggest solo hit, but it is a great one. Simon is one of the best songwriters of the rock era. Great episode, professor. My personal favorite is, You can call me Al.
Same!
It sounds like Art recognized Paul's talent and hitched his wagon to Paul's hard work and musical genius.
Hi Professor, nice to see the latest promotion of the multi-talented Paul Simon. I second a fan’s suggestion you feature Johnny Clegg, of whom Paul is a fan. I'm an Art Garfunkel fan, too. It seems you always mean single song when you refer to a hit, though writing does not specify it. But Paul Simon had two US #1 hits if one counts the album “Still Crazy After All These Years.” Marie Osmond told a joke about “50 ways to leave your brother.”
I love Johnny Clegg's music! For those not familiar:
Johnny Clegg & Savuka, was a multi-racial South African band formed in 1986 by Johnny Clegg after the disbanding of Juluka. Savuka's music blended traditional Zulu musical influences with Celtic music and rock music that had a cross-racial appeal in South Africa.
They had a pretty popular hit in the USA with their gorgeous song, "Dela" which was featured in the "George of the Jungle" movie with Brendan Fraser. Here's a link to that perfect love song, and one of my top "feel-good" songs to listen to when the world seems ugly and hate-filled:
th-cam.com/video/y9POxYRcwvc/w-d-xo.html
I agree, an episode about Johnny Clegg would be fascinating. Sadly, Mr. Clegg passed from pancreatic cancer in 2019 so he's not available for interviews.
@@LazyIRanch Thanks very much for all that information on the late great Johnny Clegg, Lazy I Ranch. I’m a big fan of his work solo and with Juluka and Savuka and of course his and their dancing on stage was amazing. Of course the linked song is one of his best, along with “Scatterlings Of Africa,” “Fever,” “Asimbonanga,” “Kilimanjaro,” “Ring On Her Finger,” “Great Heart,” “Cruel, Crazy Beautiful World”…
As James Brown said, "give the drummer some!"
The right drum part can make or break a song, and Gadd's part is...(chef's kiss).
There Goes Rhymin' Simon!💝
Sucha good record!
@@ProfessorofRock One of my favorite albums. I really enjoyed this episode, thanks Adam!
Bridge Over Troubled Water is the first song I ever learned the full lyrics to and that whole album evokes early childhood for me to this day. I think The Sound of Silence is one of the most profound poems ever written. The musical arrangement just adds to the intensity.
So, it doesn't surprise me a bit that Paul turned a rhyming game with his son into a great song.
"let me explain."
"That will take too long, let me sum up."
?
Paul Simon could have gone to Fezzik for help with any rhymes. Fezzik has a wonderful gift for rhyme.
It’s not a matter of which was better, the duo or Simon alone. Very few of this world can match Simon‘s ability to put words and music to our lives. But the early Simon wrote with the intention of knowing his long time friend Garfunkel would be lending his beautiful voice. Once that magic was gone, Simon couldn’t force what he couldn’t feel. Thank goodness he still could translate his feelings into a different kind of magic.
Grew up with Simon and Garfunkle. Great back story. ❤❤
Thanks for watching!
Paul Simone is definitely one of the greatest songsmith of all time. Great melodies and honest lyrics.
Such cool drumming in this song.
IKR? I wonder why that doesn't get mentioned more often. The snare drum in the beginning is a whole mood, it gives it an almost military marching feel that to me seemed to symbolize glumly trudging towards one's destiny, until the funny lyrics kick in and we are let in on "the joke" and we are cheering the singer on in his quest to get himself free!😃❤🩹
@@LazyIRanch It's great you picked up on the military feel as Steve Gadd played in the US Army Field Band.
The great Steve Gadd!
My son really liked this song whenever I played because his nickname is used as one of the men's names. My favorite will always be "Scarborough Fair", but who doesn't love Paul & Chevy Chase in the video for, "You Can Call Me Al"?! My second favorite Paul Simon song. 🤠
Good morning Adam and music lovers. How cool os this. Paul Simon is national treasure.. Not only as part of Simon and Garfunkel, but his solo albums were masterpieces as well. His level of song mastery to me became obvious with the There Goes Rhymin' Simon album, with genius works like Kodachrome, Love Me Like A Rock, and American Tune. Later songs like 50 Ways jst cemented that legacy. Looking forward to this one. Thanks Adam.
Thanks for watching my friend!
@@ProfessorofRock How could I not brother, after all the work you put in? Appreciation is an important part of life, and I greatly appreciate you, my friend.
Good morning.
I always loved Paul Simon's songs. Like most people, with or without Art. I was young and knew a man who had just got married. I congratulated his wife on becoming Miss Robinson, she looked at me funny but I had not seen the movie that had just come out. Lol.... he always made such great music. Good show as usual.
Thanks for watching!
I used to love singing along to this when I was a kid.
It's so fun!
@@ProfessorofRock it is. I think I was in the second grade. I got into trouble a couple years before for singing Celia at my grandma's house at a family dinner. I was walking down the hall singing "making love in the afternoon with Celia up in my bedroom" then I heard my dad say " what the hell are you singing. Funny thing is I heard it at home while he was playing the record.
Love Paul and Call Me Al is my favorite song! You can't hear it without feeling a mood lift. I can't hear it without picturing him and Chevy Chase, love that video.
The first time I remember hearing "50 Ways" was in the early nineties when my sister had been giving her first CD Boombox upon graduating high school and received Paul's compilation record *Negotiations and Love Songs.* Shoetly after we purchased a carousel CD player, my mother purchased the *Still Crazy...* album, and I heard the song in the context of the ones surrounding it. As the 90s and my teen years progressed, I had more than one occasion to relate to the different feelings of frustration and regret that Paul mused about on this album. The Year 1997 when I was 17 was the first time I remember hearing that my father would divorce my mother, even though he didn't make that move for another 6 . I also remember thinking about another single, "Have A Good Time", in the context of my 17th birthday and how I was having a lousy school year. Since then, I have figured out that he must also have been singing about the Fallout from when he and Garfunkel split up 5 years earlier and how "My Little Town" was something I could relate to, coming from a similar small town environment to one Adam Reader.
That part of the saga including Paul making the joke at the Grammys about Stevie not issuing an album in 1975 is something I learned about recently. I can just imagine the amount of giggles both dudes had over it in the aftermath. The most interesting part has to do with how Paul was not the most prolific writer while Stevie had an ethic of writing a song a day 50 years ago.
THanks Eric
I always figured you as older. Same age as my daughter. Glad you discovered him.
Thanks, @AnnaTrail-xp8pr . One thing that I probably have said too often below uploads by the Professor of Rock is how my date of birth is January 1980.
@@ericbgordon1575 you say what comes to you nothing wrong about that.
Did you grow up in Idaho?
50 ways was my 7 year old sons favorite song. Anytime it came on the radio he would be belting it out from the back seat.
Paul Simon is truly a brilliant songwriter and singer!
Just noting that “Bright Eyes” sung by Art was a huge hit all around the word in 1979 - other than in the US.
Kid Cudi sampled Paul Simon on 50 Ways to Make A Record, probably my favorite cover version. Favorite pop culture is Airplane!
One of my FAVORITES of Paul along with LOVE ME LIKE A ROCK 💟 GOAT among male singers song writers!! Great Job Professor!! Peace 🕊️☮️♾️😎
Thanks for watching ALLEN!
@@ProfessorofRock You Da Mann!!
Paul Simon, man what can I say that has not already been said, he influenced my younger years before I even knew his name, koda chrome reached deep so deep that I ended up writing a poem based off of it , I always miss heard the lyrics and thought he said " coat of chrome" lol😂😂. Well I may have heard it wrong for over a decade but it still inspired me.
I place upon him a title that few artists in the music business ever let people hear.
He was a true musician, questioning, answering, and always keeping it fresh
Or as Ralph on the Muppet Show called it "50 Ways to love your lever" 😊😊😊😊
that was my first exposure to the song. Rowlf by the way.
Beat me to wit
Ha!
I totally forgot about that! Thanks for reminding me!
Thank you! I was trying to think of who did that!
This was my favorite song when i was little. Im 52 now and i still love it.
Paul Simon is a genius lyricist. 50 Ways..was never a favorite, but I remember playing a CD of his greatest hits for my kids to fall asleep to when they were little. My daughter used to ask for "Mama Pajama." She's 30 now, and still thinks of Paul Simon as her bedtime music. My favorite might be Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes.
Thanks!
That’s a great song
His appearance and performance of this song on The Muppets was fantastic!
I love it.
I remember being confused about this as a kid, not knowing the emotional strain that can come from an overbearing partner. Now I get it.
Always makes me think of John Valby and his X rated version. Had never heard of him when friends said we had to go see him live. Place was packed and after a few beers, his show had everyone laughing.
“The Prince of Porn” is not forgotten!
Shame Paul only had 1 #1 but it's an awesome song and Paul has an incredible list of great songs no matter where they ended on the charts.
...ironic, too, that it's with his most tossed off lyrical tune, also! ...go figga......
So many. Too many to count.
FOr sure!
yeh whem you look at the ghits record thought he had more than one
Indeed!
S&G’s concert in Central Park was incredible.
Love the song, occasionally (?). But I’m truly amazed that “You Can Call Me Al” wasn’t any where near the top of the charts. I guess people don’t count endless plays on MTV (remember when they played music?) Highly favored by many people who I suppose don’t count😮
I am such huge Simon & Garfunkel fan, and I think Simon is one of the greatest song writers, if not the greatest, of the 20th century. I often sing 50 Ways as I walk my dog because it's such a fun song to sing. As for Art, I always like the song he sang for the movie Watership Down "Bright Eyes." I know Art didn't write it, but I love his soothing voice on it. I wish that song was more popular.
❤🎉
Paul Simon is an amazing artist. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover, and You Can Call Me Al are two great silly songs that hit it big.
Who would have thought Paul would produce a song like this after the classic compositions with Art Garfunkle?
Thanks Professor!
Great Wham! shirt.
❤❤
I love 50 ways yet can't stand "You Can Call Me Al"
Can't always be serious 😉
You Can Call Me Al is always such a joy!
Art also wrote and performed 'Bright Eyes' for the 'Watership Down' soundtrack. Pretty good.
My favorite book.
Apparently before Paul Simon showed this song to Steve Martin it was 47 Ways to Leave Your Lover 😂😂
This is only my third or fourth favorite Paul Simon solo tune.
First is probably "You Can Call Me Al" because I see the video in my head, and it cracks me up and makes me happy every single time! This is followed by a tie of "Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard" and "Mother and Child Reunion" with "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" ending up in fourth place.
I always thought he said, 'You don't need a decoy, Roy...' LOL
THanks!
It’s such a happy video.
Paul Simon is an underrated U.S. music legend. Wow, I think I lived "50 ways..." when it was released. Fortunately, years later I met the love of my life and we have remained happily married 30 years and counting. "My Little Town" is better when one grows older. Man, Adam, you are really taking me down a long memory lane today. Thanks.
Thanks!
"My Little Town" has some great word pictures in it - I love the line, "And when it rains there's a rainbow and all of the colors are black".
Here's another song I didn't like as a child but do now. Still, my Paul Simon solo faves are Loves Me Like a Rock and Call Me Al (and that fantastic video! ).
It's a great song.
It's so fun!
@@ProfessorofRock Mainly I like the substance of it. The agonist goes from dejected to downright gleefull with the advent of the new tail. It's pretty sweet.
Simon and Garfunkel were my heros. Still love them! Thank You for sharing this history!
Paul and princess leia. 😂
Ahhh.. I was five when this came out… it’s always been one of my favorites… my mom had just left my dad… we connected with this song.. it brings back memories.
Yeah, Doctor Dirty John Valby did a positively filthy parody of this. He's like Weird Al Yankovic, but R-rated.
...well, I'M dirty, too, so I'm OFF to hear it, after Work! ...ha-HAAA!
I wonder if I'll regret trying to find it later.
Saw John Valby during the Iran Hostage Crisis. Filthy but funny. He led the audience in a call and response of F Iran and F The Ayatollah.
@@RBS_me too so I have to listen. End of the month going to see Jeff Dunham last time was during the election so here we are again. He is hilarious don't know what side he's on but you laugh your a**off
@@surlechapeau Yes! I have that on cassette. As far as I know, he's still touring.
My mom played the "Still Crazy" album all the time. Those songs bring back memories. I love "My Little Town". That and Art's "All I Know" are on my playlist for work.
POR !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shark!
I remember that song. I have also heard some humorous versions of this song. Great song
Ha ha!
One night many years ago I was up late trying to write a new song. I switched to bass from guitar trying to shake something loose from my brain. I hit what I thought was gold and I recorded it. The next day I played it back and my girlfriend was blown away. “You have something great here.”
I said “Yes I do… it’s a definite hit song..”
It was this song, shook from my brain.
I'm confused. Are you Paul Simon?
@@cheriem432 no the riff was stuck in my subconscious from when my dad used to spin the 45 when I was little. And it popped up out of the blue and I realized what I’d done the next day.
So much of the pop music of the 60’s & 70’s brings a sense of euphoria that’s not easy to describe. I snapped up the opportunity to accompany a friend and his parents just to see Simon and Garfunkel live in 1984 at BC Place Stadium, Vancouver. Awesome, despite the poor acoustics of the venue!
50 ways to love your liver!!!
Phoebe Snow had a fabulous voice!
Back fell off his saddle. Hope he's allright
He is just pissed Adam won't follow through with interviewing Leo.
Mr Simon definitely is a stellar songwriter...50 Ways is not my favorite, but it is catchy, esp the chorus!
For sure. Love the percussion.
I've seen this song credited as one of the reasons Punk Rock was able to gain an audience, as people were tired of lifeless, boring songs...I love Simon&Garfunkel, but Paul Simon's solo career has always made me itch...(You picked "The Boxer", so obviously, you're a man of culture)
This song and Todd’s onomatopoeia always make me smile . 🌼
For sure!
@@ProfessorofRock Hi ProRo, does that mean you'll do a Todd Rundgren feature?