tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824464142604361129.post660139470613415501..comments2024-03-17T13:35:23.684-07:00Comments on Every Single Paul Simon Song*: AmericaAnother Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17490204558031016152noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824464142604361129.post-41398966349814033472024-01-14T10:06:47.804-08:002024-01-14T10:06:47.804-08:00Anon-- I agree that they are not likely "lost...Anon-- I agree that they are not likely "lost" in the physical sense. Although... people have boarded vessels and ended up in the wrong places. One aimed for Portland, Oregon but landed in Portland, Maine. More extremely, someone aimed for Granada, Spain, and wound up on the Caribbean island of Grenada. So simply being on a bus does not exempt him entirely from being geographically lost.<br />But I agree with you that this is not what is meant here. He means he is "lost" in the psychological sense.<br />I could write an entire PhD thesis on Simon's idea of being "lost," both physically (referring to "Cloudy" and "Me & Julio" to start) and emotionally (many songs come to mind") as opposed to being "home." In short, he's sometimes OK with the wandering life of the troubadour, sometimes not. But he's really never OK with being emotionally "lost," even if he grudgingly accepts that he sort of always is. <br /><br />Another Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17490204558031016152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824464142604361129.post-29841497960939740592024-01-07T20:42:15.324-08:002024-01-07T20:42:15.324-08:00"Kathy, I'm lost, 'I said, but I knew... "Kathy, I'm lost, 'I said, but I knew she was sleeping.'"<br />"I'm empty and aching and I don't know why."<br />Other commenters have said he was stating that he was literally lost.<br /><br />Two things about that. First, they're on public transportation throughout the song so it's not possible for the narrator, himself, to be lost. He might not know where he is , have ever seen the area he is in, but the driver knows where they are and what roads to take to get them where they are going. <br /><br />Secondly, to dispel any possible doubt as to whether he meant he was literally lost, it seems unlikely that he would have followed up, "I'm lost," by , "I'm empty and aching and I dont know why.". Ive driven road trips and gotten us lost but the short time we didnt know where we were never caused any of to feel existential angst.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824464142604361129.post-34459628257682149732019-02-25T08:05:33.946-08:002019-02-25T08:05:33.946-08:00jbdjohnston-- It is once of his best, I agree. Con...jbdjohnston-- It is once of his best, I agree. Congrats on your project! I'd love to hear the result; Irish music is a huge influence on American folk music and I'd love to hear what happens when you "re-Irish" the songs. And I'm happy to share the news of your video-- The more Simon, the merrier.<br />As to your comments on the song, is this couple meant to be "every-couple"? Well, maybe certain ones likely to be in Simon's audience. Many couples (at that time, and now) were more materialistic and career-driven, or may have been military families, etc. and less likely to backpack it across the country.<br />On the other hand, I think people of that age cohort, in any generation, could identify with feeling rootless and curious.<br />Another Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17490204558031016152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824464142604361129.post-67394015596257150032019-02-23T03:13:04.385-08:002019-02-23T03:13:04.385-08:00I love this song. A group of Irish singer / songw...I love this song. A group of Irish singer / songwriters (including myself) have recently started a series of love performance videos of Paul Simon songs on YouTube and we started with this one. The insight we gained from preparing the songs was immense. I realised the extra layer of meaning you refer to but am not sure if you go far enough - I think the song takes the journey of the couple who are Paul and Kathy but could be any American couple trying to make their way as one constituent element of American Life in 1968. A nation searching, aching for something but not sure what it is, slightly paranoid, looking over their shoulder, poking fun at other people and talking to others when they aren't listening (even though they knew the other wasn't listening) and then being surprised by unexpected moments of pure beauty. <br /><br />https://youtu.be/GYhTs3ztd1s if anyone wants to see our video. @anotherpaul if you would prefer the post without the plug I am happy to edit without this second paragraph. We are excited to spread the word of our humble tribute to a hero of all 8 musicians. jbdjohnstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01596685826140268496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824464142604361129.post-75283379441287157022017-11-26T18:45:30.766-08:002017-11-26T18:45:30.766-08:00Hawthorne-- Thanks for the compliment. I can only ...Hawthorne-- Thanks for the compliment. I can only imagine what it was like being a teen at that time of upheaval, with your neighbors yelling at you for being angry that the government lied you into a war that was killing your friends-- how dare you? <br />For what it's worth, I did discover these S&G songs when I was in middle and high school, so I was the right age in not in the right era...<br /> Another Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17490204558031016152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824464142604361129.post-62330046778886977372017-11-25T13:21:41.738-08:002017-11-25T13:21:41.738-08:00Loved this song as a young teen-captured my angsty...Loved this song as a young teen-captured my angsty Catholic school want to be rebel-ness, trying to understand this country of Vietnam and folk songs, assassinations and apple pie.<br /><br />I find myself often drawn back to this song which brings me back to traveling around America with a new love, looking & searching-just like everyone else. And hitchhiking-that lost art.<br /><br />Great site you have here.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08462614408840514299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824464142604361129.post-16101066760953816672014-02-03T18:29:29.830-08:002014-02-03T18:29:29.830-08:00And yes, Anthony, why Simon "finds" abou...And yes, Anthony, why Simon "finds" about America is that everyone else is also "lost."Another Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17490204558031016152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824464142604361129.post-49247815743054654102014-02-03T18:28:52.058-08:002014-02-03T18:28:52.058-08:00Anthony-- it is an interesting thought, isn't ...Anthony-- it is an interesting thought, isn't it, to realize that some specific person wrote a certain song. I have that realization in summer camp. The song-sheets we were given had many traditional songs on them, such as "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore," and "Greensleeves." But then, some songs had names attached, like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Tom Paxton, and of course Paul Simon. "Oh!" I thought, "Someone wrote that one!" <br />The first time Simon says he became aware of songcraft was with the song "Earth Angel."Another Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17490204558031016152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824464142604361129.post-87760434042548565452014-01-29T20:49:26.323-08:002014-01-29T20:49:26.323-08:00This was the first song I ever heard and conscious...This was the first song I ever heard and consciously thought about songwriting as a craft. I'll note that during the moment of epiphany - when, as you note, he "finds" America" - at that very moment, the main theme comes in. This is a further musical clue-in that we've come back to the subject. Being lost, empty and aching, on the New Jersey Turnpike: America indeed.Anthony Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08191242927179670103noreply@blogger.com