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The horse on Seventh Avenue: Paul Simon cover versions

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Here’s a companion thread to Ruby’s eulogy to Simon and Garfunkel, where Paul Simon is quite rightly being praised as one of the great songwriters of our time.

Bridge over Troubled Water has been covered to death: anyone got a favourite version?

But what other Simon covers are there?

The great man must have been quite pleased to have the Kit doing a fine version of America for him when he received (to my mind rather ridiculous) Polar Prize.

More please. Reggae, metal, lounge, salsa: All genres welcome!

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Comments

    • I bought this single when it came out. It’s really a Rick Rubin single performed by the Bangles. In the same way that Electric was a Rick Rubin album performed by The Cult.

      Anyway, I think this one gets bonus points for pissing Paul Simon off so much he went public on how much he hated it.

  4. Elvis Costello once told George Jones that there were some great modern pop songs that George could cover to which George said “Yeah, what would those be then, boy”. Elvis went away and recorded a few demos for him

    • Wow. That’s fabulous. Not seen or heard that before. It’s instantly become my favourite S&G cover. His sense of theatre, the pitch of his voice and his use of that “Anthony Newley” voice, all perfect in the context.

      I guess this is where we use my current favourite meme – As usual the answer is David Bowie.

  18. Paul Simon’s second eponymous album has a special place in my heart. This is my favourite song from it covered by my current favourite rock band.

    Spoon – Peace Like A River

    (Thanks to whomever turned me on to this. I’m very grateful.)

  23. On their day Olodum were one of the greatest live bands ever. They played on the original of The Obvious Child. I was hoping to find footage of an Afro bloc doing a cover and really giving it some, and found Olodum’s own version.

    • I enjoyed that.

      Considering that he’s holding the lyrics in his hand, the singer does rather a good job. But who is he?

      I wonder how many cover versions there are of songs from Rhythm of the Saints. Not as successful as Graceland but a fine album anyway.

      • This is the answer to the who is he question, well almost, we now know who his mum is.

        And here’s two interesting ROTS covers I discovered:

        From Sweden

  26. Good one Tigger. Nice to see we are on the same page. I was trying to post that last night but my computer was playing up.

    Still crazy is very popular among jazzers. Lots of covers.

  30. That was extremely interesting @alias although I think you’ve posted the wrong clip in the middle.

    I’ve never heard of Almaz Yebio. Will try to find out more.

    I had no idea that Ms Mercury, one of the sexiest women I’ve ever seen on a stage (and now married to another woman), had a son. Presumably from a previous marriage.

    Those Brazilians, eh?

    • Certainly not the impression you get from the cover of her brilliant album Feijao Con Arroz CD, maybe I’m jumping to conclusions about gender.

      Apologies for the error, this is what I meant to post. An impressive 5,000 hits for what looks like a college gig.

      • Those percussionists were impressive. Thanks for reposting.

        Know what you mean about Daniela. I was gobsmacked to hear that.

        But she’s a wonderful artist anyway.

        For anyone who hasn’t heard of her :

  34. If Kid and Rigid are going off piste, rather than getting pissed off, I’ll join them with this lovely song which openly states its inspiration from S & G.

    At a “jazz” festival in Seoul!

  39. I’m always fascinated by the distant musical shores that are reached in threads like these. I haven’t travelled far enough to have visited all the above, and can only offer Harpers Bizzare (?), 59th Street Bridge Song (Feeling Groovy).

  43. Here are some impressions from a concert evening by Berlin band The Beez:
    They invited various guests, and everyone had to do a cover version of “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” during their set (including a Beatles cover band who did it as a part of the Abbey Road medley).

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