Controversial Opinion - Simon and Garfunkle

[Magenta82]

I've long harboured this opinion and so far the people I've voiced it to have been split so I thought I would throw it out to you lovely ladies.

Paul Simon is a genius, his songs and music are amazing, however, pretty much every cover version is better than the original that was sung by Simon and Garfunkle.

So Mumsnet, AIBU?

Concert in Central Park on Sky Arts on TV right now!

Ive jus5 come to say this 😃

He was handsome. They are perfect together and I dont think any covers are a patch on what they created together. Ah, I wish I was a teen in those free and easy days. Although Central Park was terrifying in that era wasnt it?

Maybe… I agree that Paul Simon is a genius, still listen to his best of album regularly.

However I find Bright Eyes to be one of the most emotionally moving songs ever. How much I’d still think that without having seen Watership Down though, I’m not sure…

i prefer Nirvana’s cover of the Man who Sold the World to Bowie’s original.

I completely disagree, S & G are an absolute legend.

Paul Simon is definitely one of the greatest ever songwriters, but that doesn't mean his performances of those songs are the greatest versions. When I compare any cover version to the original, I imagine the cover artist wrote it and the writer is covering it, and see if it changes my thinking. Do this with several Simon & Garfunkel songs and their versions can sound like wishy-washy pared-down versions that are used commonly in modern adverts - which are often condemned on mumsnet.

I agree with posters above that the Bangles cover of Hazy Shade of Winter is far better than the original, and even Gerard Way's (of My Chemical Romance) compares well.

Some cover versions are infinitely superior to the original - a previous discussion on mumsnet discussed Badfinger's "Without You" and just about everyone agreed that most cover versions were better, especially Harry Nilsson's and Mariah Carey's.

@JudgeJ ".....I have never and will never forgive that Madonna woman for ruining American Pie......"

"That Madonna woman"
Love it 😂😂😂

I love Elvis Costello's version of How Much I Lied better than the Gram Parsons original not just because it's better, but because Almost Blue, the album it was on, was comprised of cover versions of country music I would never have listened to if he hadn't introduced me to it.

I went on to listen to more country music but this version is so simple and beautiful I always weep

I have spent a happy afternoon you tubing S&G videos and cover versions of songs. Agree about Nirvana and Man Who Sold The World incidentally. Thank you OP, I’ve had a lovely time. I finished by watching the programme about Bob Marley coming to the UK that was shown BBC4 last night, a most enjoyable few hours

I'm glad I inspired people to listen to some music the love at least!
I listened to the boxer and then left the amazon music algorithms to do their thing. I had a great music selection that made a long car journey much better.

Loved S&G since my teens and don’t think I know any of the covers mentioned here BUT a couple of years ago heard Kathy’s Song by Eva Cassidy and think it’s truly sublime

That's the one I think of when bringing to mind great S&G covers.

Firstaid kit is really interesting if you look on you tube there are some short videos about how they grew up and came to form Firstaid kit.

I heard their America cover in a clothes shop. First thinking "Oh I'm not sure about this" then changed my.mind and asked who the artist was. Still listen to them now.

I do agree re Bob Dylan and Neil Young.

I have The Graduate on now. What a soundtrack nothing compares to those two voices together. It cant be copied.

The Graduate is one of my favourite films. I skipped school to go and see it at the cinema and at the end stayed and watched it again as I loved it so much.

That film was my introduction to Simon and Garfunkel and I have loved their music ever since. Every single time I hear SOS I am back at that cinema as a 14 year old

I'd add Hazy Shade of Winter by the Bangles

Exactly.

Their voices combined...
And sound of silence is a song of its time.
And should be respected as such.

Oh that's been mentioned

I like some of the covers mentioned a lot but totally disagree!

Nope, this must be a wind up, I don’t believe this is an opinion anybody can genuinely hold. YABVVVVU

As @PurpleEmpress says, the S&G tribute show is worth attending.

This doesn’t really count as a cover, but it’s lovely. IMO.

If you said Bob Dylan i would definitely agree, a better song writer than singer/performer

Agree that they wrote stunning songs and amazing lyrics. They also didn’t have access to the technology we have today to record more impressive works. No autotune, no digital orchestration, no multitracks. Their voices weren’t magnificent, but they were authentic. The others were highly edited. The guy from disturbed is a baritone, S&G are both tenors. So many differences.

The problem with a lot of S&G covers is that the artist is trying too hard to make something that sounds different without straying too far from the original. Disturbed's version of Sound of Silence is just one long gimmick on the crescendo. Yes he's got a great voice but the whole arrangement is simply about him getting louder and louder, and he tries to tweak the phrasing which just spoils the whole flow of the lyrics.

Similarly with Mumford and The Boxer, he alters the phrasing slightly which doesn't change it enough from the original it just spoils the lyrical flow. In fact I'd say it actually completely ruins all the emotion in the final verse. And his odd over-pronunciation of the 'la la la' parts - he sounds more like 'lar la lai' - makes them sound contrived.

First Aid Kit's America works so well because they stay true to the original musical phrasing and have the same natural harmony that S&G had.

Me too. I saw them in concert years ago, and will never forget that night. Nobody ever sings their songs as wonderfully.