“The Sound of Silence” is the song that propelled the 1960s folk music duo Simon & Garfunkel to popularity. It was written in February 1964 by Paul Simon in the aftermath of the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy. An initial version preferred by the band was remixed and sweetened, and has become known as “the quintessential folk rock release”. In the U.S., it was the duo’s second most popular hit after “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. Continue reading
“Scarborough Fair” is a traditional ballad of Great Britain. The song tells the tale of a young man, who tells the listener to ask his former lover to perform for him a series of impossible tasks, such as making him a shirt without a seam and then washing it in a dry well, adding that if she completes these tasks he will take her back. Often the song is sung as a duet, with the woman then giving her lover a series of equally impossible tasks, promising to give him his seamless shirt once he has finished. Continue reading
這首歌原本是祕魯的民俗音樂家丹尼爾阿羅密亞斯羅布列斯( 1871~1943 )的作品，1956 年首先被艾多阿德法爾以吉他獨奏的方式發表，1965 年，歐洲著名的「印加民俗樂團」再度灌錄此曲，恰巧被到巴黎旅行的保羅賽門( Paul Simon )聽到，保羅賽門相當喜歡這首曲子，一時興起填上英文歌詞，回到美國後和搭檔亞特葛芬柯( Art Garfunkel )一同灌錄成唱片，於 1970 年發行後風行全球，這首曲子因此成為南美洲最具代表性的一首民謠，後來出版的南美民謠專輯中，這首歌幾乎不曾被遺漏掉。 Continue reading
“Cecilia” is a song written by Paul Simon. It was first recorded by Simon and Garfunkel for their 1970 album Bridge Over Troubled Water. When released as a single, it reached #4 in the US charts. The single did not chart in the UK, despite being released as the follow-up to Simon and Garfunkel’s number one hit “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. Continue reading
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” is the title song of Simon & Garfunkel’s album of the same name. The single was released on January 26, 1970, though it also appears on the live album Live 1969, released in 2008. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 28, 1970, and stayed at the top of the chart for six weeks. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” also topped the adult contemporary chart in the U.S. for six weeks. This song’s recording process exposed many of the underlying tensions that eventually led to the breakup of the duo after the album’s completion. Continue reading