"... [Paul] Simon had genuinely intergenerational appeal. He shared with us young passengers the joyful and terrible news of adulthood with patty-cake rhymes ('mama pajama,' 'drop off the key, Lee') and jaunty rhythms, scored by a panoply of ludicrous and wonderful-sounding instruments—from the hooting cuíca in 'Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard' to the triumphant parade drums of 'The Obvious Child.'"
From "Paul Simon: Fathers, Sons, Troubled Water" by Daniel Drake (NYRB).
It's interesting, the music a parent shares with a child and imagines suits the child's interests and needs.
I agree that Dylan's "Forever Young" and Cat Stevens's "Father and Son" are not good children's music. And maybe the even both deserve the adjective "maudlin." Especially the Dylan song, which is one of the Dylan songs I dislike. Now, "Father and Son" — that's a great song. Love it. (And commenters: Don't revisit the old topic of Cat Stevens's religion. I will consider it a threadjack and delete.)
No, that's not maudlin at all. It's incredibly brilliant. But not a children's song. Maybe good for a teenage boy and his father, but it's hard to imagine any father and son who could both identify with it and enjoy it together.
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“Father and Son” helped me be a better dad to my now-adult son. I’m sure that’s true of a lot of other dads. If the mark of a good singer is changing the world with your music, Cat Stevens’ legacy is secure.
Run, don’t walk, to listen to There Goes Rhymin’ Simon several times in its entirety — every song a masterpiece, something even Bob Dylan has difficulty delivering in a single album.
As for maudlin father/son songs does anything really hold a candle to Chapin's Cat's in the Cradle?
Best Father Son song I know was Harry Chapin's "Cats in a Cradle" kinda sad lyrics but terrific song.
Good Lord. Does anyone at the NYRB know how to write? Pretentious drivel.
When my sons -- now in their thirties -- were young I took them to see Barry Louis Polisar. Wait for the punch line. The kids totally cracked up at that song and also The Underwear Song.
I liked the renditions of songs Paul Simon did on SNL last night, especially Can't Run But.
Simon keeps it interesting. But I missed the turkey suit from 42 years ago.
Alun Davies who plays guitar on that Cat Stevens clip is still touring with him when healthy.
In late 2005, when Stevens (now known as Yusuf Islam) returned again to write and perform, he did so with the amicable support of his friend and long-time right-hand man Davies, although nearly three decades had passed, and the two men had followed extremely different paths during the interim. Davies continues to perform with Yusuf to the present day, in addition to pursuing other musical projects.
As if to underscore those different paths, Alun's first question after the show: "Where can I get a pint?"
J. Farmer.... Sorry did not see your response - you beat me to it!
How about...
A Boy Named Sue
And he said, "Son, this world is rough
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
And I know I wouldn't be there to help ya along
So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
And it's the name that helped to make you strong"
Yeah he said, "Now you just fought one hell of a fight
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do
But ya ought to thank me, before I die
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
'Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you "Sue"
Yeah what could I do, what could I do
I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
Called him my Pa, and he called me his son
And I come away with a different point of view
And I think about him, now and then
Every time I try and every time I win
And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him
Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!
Simple Man
Mama told me when I was young
"Come sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely to what I say
And if you do this it'll help you some sunny day"
"Oh, take your time, don't live too fast
Troubles will come and they will pass
You'll find a woman and you'll find love
And don't forget, son, there is someone up above"
"And be a simple kind of man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can"
Hot Rod Lincoln
My pappy said, "Son, you're gonna' drive me to drinkin'
If you don't stop drivin' that Hot Rod Lincoln."
I stumbled into what may be Simon's last really great song. It was written for a kid's movie (The Wild Thornberrys) and it's about how Paul was too busy for his first slate of children and he wasn't going to miss his second chance.
Paul Simon - Father And Daughter
Not hard at all. I and my three older male sons (22, 20, 17), all enjoy the song.
The younger (13) likes it, but he actually does not really identify with that spiritual experience, yet.
Sting did All this Time for his father. I could listen to that song with my child, because it has a good line right at the end, which reveals a truth that every child should learn from their father: "Men go crazy in congregations, they only get better one by one"
No one tops Van's song Common One (end of Summertime in England) for a song you want your daughter to catch you (her father) singing. "It ain't why why why why. It just is"
plus the lovely harmony (in live versions on you tubes 81 concert) of pee wee ellis and mark isham. Sounds good on any and every Sunday with your daughter, in the background, doing chores, reading lalala
Maybe it shouldn't be surprising, but it's interesting that popular music has so few songs about parent-child relationship. Especially by singers in the 40s and 50s. I suppose "My Way" could be a father talking to a son, but the lyrics say "My friend." In opera the parent-child thing is all over the place, especially in Verdi.
I used to sing songs to my kids to get them to sleep. I know the words to a few Paul Simon songs, but they never gelled. My son liked Pogues songs about whores and alcoholics (particularly Sally Maclennane). Sad songs by folksingers like Jez Lowe and Joe Purdy were also mainstays.
My daughter sometimes asked for a happy song and I would have to tell her that I didn't know any happy songs. Eventually I dredged up some Beatles songs for her happy song request.
I think it's very healthy for everyone to go through a Simon & Garfunkel period. I've not cared as much for Paul Simon's music since. It's not been bad and Graceland was a lot of fun. But, he's never had the emotion impact individually that S&G had on me. A Sunday morning with S&E is a wonderful thing!
As for maudlin father/son songs does anything really hold a candle to Chapin's Cat's in the Cradle?
Wasn't that song actually about toxoplasmosis, but they removed the words with > 2 syllables for marketing purposes?
Another vote for There Goes Rhymin’ Simon - just a great record with several classic songs that have not aged at all. Sounds like a Greatest Hits record: Loves Me Like a Rock and Kodachrome are just two of the many great songs. Easily one of the best records of the 70s in that genre.
The song Sonny Boy was written in 1928 as a goof by a team of songwriters who wanted to write the soppiest, most maudlin song possible. They succeeded. Jolson ate it up and it became a huge hit.
Father and Son is my favorite Cat Stevens song. Tea for the Tillerman -- a masterpiece.
My son, just turned 25, and I have talked about life in similar terms.
I, and he, if he were to hear it, would find this song so very twee.
Mike and the mechanics, In the Livings Years. Makes me tear up every time. My dad passed 7 years ago.
Sticking with the father and son theme, and of There Goes Rhymin’ Simon, I just listened to the whole thing again and I had forgotten about St. Judy’s Comet which is a lullaby to his little boy. It’s very sweet. Nice piece of music too.
I love Father and Son as well. A great use of a 2nd POV.
It's a stunning and gorgeous song.
If you want NOT maudlin, find a copy of the Disney Pediatric AIDS benefit album, and listen to Bob Dylan sing "This Old Man Goes Rolling Home." Quite the experience.
https://www.amazon.com/Disney-Our-Children-Pediatrics-Foundation/dp/B000008FOZ
It's interesting, the music a parent shares with a child and imagines suits the child's interests and needs.
Music has long been a bonding experience with my boys. At time surprisingly positive: my now 18,12, and 7 year olds love some groups I shared with them like The Who, Queen ELO, GnR, VH, Elton John, The Police. At times they've shocked me embracing acts like Motley Crue, Nirvana, Peal Jam, and the Foos. My wife hates that my son told his first grade teacher his favorite song was Shout at the Devil. I've been shocked to find complete rejection of other acts which seem very similar like Ozzy and WASP which I introduced hoping they would embrace as pre-game energy drivers.
We listen to Harry Chapin's greatest hits but I don't highlight Cats in the Cradle when they're around. It is shocklingly accurate but I've always felt the best music/art pulls a single element to build the full story. It's effective but can also carry you far beyond reality.
Anyway I just love to see the expressing their own opinions.
I used to sing songs to my kids to get them to sleep.
The rest of the family used to sing California Dreaming to get my youngest asleep. We still sing it on road trips.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN3GbF9Bx6E
Leader of the Band
"Cat's in the Cradle" gets to me every time. My dad spent plenty of time with me, and I have spent plenty of time with my son, but it still makes my heart ache. (Have I spent enough time with my dad? Hmm...)
This post immediately brought to mind Simon's "Father and Daughter", which another commenter already mentioned. It is a song to share with your children - especially as I had two young daughters at the time it came out. The promise of a father watching out for you is a good one for kids.
As for Stevens' "Father and Son", I heard it when I was in high school, and it was evocative and memorable. If you enjoy the song, go to YouTube and search for the Yusuf Islam (Stevens) live version on the Tiny Desk Concert. It seems even richer now, given his age.
Have you heard the version of "Forever Young" from "Biograph?" Dylan recorded that take shortly after he wrote it, on a reel-to-reel in his lawyer's office, for copyright registration. It's just him and a guitar, and has a quite different approach. It's somewhat jaunty, in the style of a children's song, and the chorus has none of the down-on-one-knee stretched-out wailing of the released version ("Faaaw-evah Yeee-uuuuuu-u-hung ...")
Utterly unpretentious, not the least bit maudlin, and I find it very affecting.
(The worst version is the one from "The Last Waltz" where they turned it into a Boomer Anthem -- the lyrics should have been changed to "May _WE_ staaa-aaay Forever Young.")
It was insulting to Simon to place him with the other artists in the first paragraph. Because, unlike them, he can actually sing.
Bob Dylan? Not even.
Bruce Springsteen? Well, he can yell pretty well.
Joni Mitchell? OK, she could sing.
Randy Newman? If by "singing" you mean being flat on every single note, I guess that would qualify.
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