4 Paul Simon Songs That Keep the Lyrics Simple and Still Soar

When he chooses to do so, Paul Simon can pull off verbal gymnastics on a par with just about any other songwriter. But he also knows how to dial it back when necessary and deliver a simpler lyrical punch.

These four songs from Simon’s imposing catalog don’t include a ton of complicated techniques or thesaurus words. But they still convey the point and the emotion quite well.

“Cecilia”

Bridge Over Troubled Water, the final Simon & Garfunkel album, found plenty of room for stylistic variety. Each new song seemed to present something new and exciting to the listener. And while most of the album skews to the solemn side, “Cecilia” delivers a jolt of lighthearted energy. Homemade rhythms accentuated by studio effects ensure that this one keeps you in its thrall for its entirety. Perhaps Simon realized that adding anything too fancy to his tale of romantic betrayal would have distracted from all that. His first solo album featured “Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard”, which, with its frenetic rhythms and somewhat simple lyrics, feels like a close relative of “Cecilia”.

“Congratulations”

History has proven Simon’s solo career to be full of peaks. Because of that, it’s hard to imagine now that many were skeptical at the time that he’d be able to deliver on his own after splitting with Art Garfunkel. His brilliant self-titled solo album from 1972 answered most of those doubters. As he’d done towards the end of his S&G stint, Simon sought exotic musical frameworks for his lyrics and melodies. “Congratulations”, the last song on the album, sticks to a more traditional singer-songwriter approach, with Larry Knechtel’s bluesy keyboards the defining musical element. In the lyrics, Simon offers straightforward, sarcastic praise for the way his ex mangled his heart.

“Kodachrome”

Simon continued his quest for unique sounds to accompany his songs on the 1973 album There Goes Rhymin’ Simon. That quest took him to Alabama to work with the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, who brought their groove to “Kodachrome”. While the lyrics on the whole are somewhat basic, as evidenced by Simon going the colloquial route and including the word “crap” in the first line, the title offers some quirkiness to throw listeners off a bit. He uses the film coloring terminology to represent modernity, as opposed to the “black and white” of the past. In other words, those idealizing some nostalgic past are kidding themselves, at least in the narrator’s opinion.

“Father And Daughter”

Simon released “Father And Daughter” as a single from the soundtrack of the 2002 animated film The Wild Thornberrys. Four years later, he included a slightly remixed version on his 2006 album Surprise, making it the lone track on that record without input from Brian Eno. We’ll admit that the verses to this track, which he penned in honor of his young daughter, feature plenty of multisyllable words spit out playfully by Simon in somewhat rapid-fire fashion. But we’re focusing on the chorus here when we talk about it being somewhat simple. For example, consider the touching final couplet: “As long as one and one is two/There could never be a father who loved his daughter as much as I love you.”

(Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)