Muzikland

筆者對於Paul Simon 的印象一直都停留在 Simon & Garfunkel 的年代﹐因為他們重覆的歌曲太多﹐所以一直錯覺他們的價值不高﹐還只是那兩三首歌的把戲而已。

直到80年代﹐有一陣子筆者很想重溫﹐甚至深入認識70年代的音樂﹐於是本來一些不大聽的 Rock Music﹐我都是買來仔細去聽﹐於是 Billy Joel﹑Carol King﹑Bread﹑Creedence Clearwater Revival﹑America﹑Deep Purple﹑Led Zeppelin 等等的經典專輯或精選盤都一下子列入我的 Collection 之內﹐這也包括了一張 Paul Simon Greatest Hits, Etc 精選。

Paul Simon Greatest Hits, Etc. (1977/CBS) Track List:
01 Slip Slidin' Away
02 Stranded In A Limousine
03 Still Crazy After All These Years
04 Have A Good Time
05 Duncan
06 Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
07 Something So Right
08 Kodachrome
09 I Do It For Your Love
10 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
11 American Tune
12 Mother And Child Reunion
13 Loves Me Like a Rock
14 Take Me to the Mardi Gras
















購入這張精選的原因﹐無非就是為了那首 Mother And Child Reunion﹐因為慣聽的都是 Lin Ying 的 Cover Version 及許冠傑的改編粵語版“制水歌”﹐倒是很想看看原版的蘆山真面目﹐而且在Let’s Sing 歌書中﹐常常看到一首50 Ways to Leave Your Lover﹐感覺很有趣﹐另外在 Billboard 資料書也看到一些上榜歌曲如Kodachrome﹑Still Crazy After All These Years﹐還有我一直錯誤以為Slip & Slide 的Slip Slidin' Away。既然都有些經典了﹐而且當時香港的Columbia 唱片﹐都是跟隨日本以 CBS/Sony 為 Label﹐愛搞特別的我﹐遇到一張英國版 CBS 的 Paul Simon 精選﹐當然吸引我把它列入 My Collection 吧。不過﹐我得老實說﹐聽了唱片一兩遍﹐原來Slip Slidin' Away 不是Slip & Slide 啊﹐而且Paul Simon 的聲音有點柔弱﹐不是我的杯中茶﹐於是印象裡就只留下那首Mother And Child Reunion 而已﹐然而我覺得許冠傑的“制水歌”其實還要好聽啊。到了唱片轉入CD年代﹐唱盤也壞了﹐這張唱片就一直保存得完好無缺﹐一塵不染﹐因為根本沒機會溫習。



















到了 CD年代﹐因為在筆者的聆聽經驗中﹐又一次 Seventies Revival﹐於是又從CD中﹐進口了一批70年代的重要專輯或精選了。我不得不說﹐縱使 Paul Simon 曾有一張 Graceland 專輯大紅﹐找來一班黑人玩甚麼 World Music﹑到非洲開Concert﹑得到 Grammy Award﹐我總覺得玩 Gimmick 多於實際﹐一點也不感興趣。倒是後來又為了那張橫跨 Columbia 及 Warner 年代的Paul Simon Negotiations and Love Songs 1971-1986 精選﹐確是超值﹐於是就買了一張學習一下而已。

Paul SimonNegotiations and Love Songs 1971-1986 (1988/Warner) Track List:
01 Mother And Child Reunion
02 Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
03 Something So Right
04 St. Judy's Comet
05 Loves Me Like A Rock
06 Kodachrome
07 Have A Good Time
08 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
09 Still Crazy After All These Years
10 Late In The Evening
11 Slip Slidin' Away
12 Hearts And Bones
13 Train In The Distance
14 Rene And Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War
15 Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
16 You Can Call Me Al

經過多年後﹐再一次接觸 Paul Simon 的 Solo Works﹐感覺還好﹐對於那首You Can Call Me Al﹐也沒那麼反感了﹐或者作為一張 Easy Listening 精選﹐感覺還不錯聽吧﹐不過我心裡還仍然以為﹐他那具可聽性的歌曲﹐也就應該這麼多而已吧﹐於是我對 Paul Simon 的認識﹐也停頓在1986年﹐直到如今﹐想法依然沒改。


Mother And Child Reunion﹕登上美國 Billboard流行榜第4位﹐英國流行榜則得到第5位。女聲合音之一為Cissy Houston﹐她是Whitney Houston 的母親。歌曲原收錄於“Paul Simon” (1972/Columbia) 專輯中。有說歌名由於Paul Simon 看到一本中國餐館菜譜中那雞與雞蛋而引發﹐也有說是因為Paul 的寵物狗意外給汽車撞死了﹐引發他想起與母親的關係。香港方面﹐有許冠傑的粵語版“制水歌”﹐收錄於“鬼馬雙星”(1974/Polydor) 專輯中。
(Paul Simon)


No I would not give you false hope
On this strange and mournful day
But the mother and child reunion
Is only a motion away, oh, little darling of mine

I can’t for the life of me
Remember a sadder day
I know they say let it be
But it just don’t work out that way
And the course of a lifetime runs
Over and over again

No I would not give you false hope
On this strange and mournful day
But the mother and child reunion
Is only a motion away, oh, little darling of mine

I just can’t believe it’s so
Though it seems strange to say
I never been laid so low
In such a mysterious way
And the course of a lifetime runs
Over and over again

But I would not give you false hope
On this strange and mournful day
But the mother and child reunion
Is only a motion away

Oh the mother and child reunion
Is only a motion away
Oh the mother and child reunion
Is only a moment away

**********

Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard﹕登上美國 Billboard流行榜第22位﹐英國流行榜則得到第15位。歌曲原收錄於“Paul Simon”(1972/Columbia) 專輯中。
(Paul Simon)


The mama pajama rolled out of bed
And she ran to the police station
When the papa found out he began to shout
And he started the investigation

It’s against the law
It was against the law
What mama saw
It was against the law

The mama looked down and spit on the ground
Every time my name gets mentioned
The papa said oy if I get that boy
I’m gonna put him in the house of detention

Well I’m on my way
I don’t know where I’m going
I’m on my way I’m taking my time
But I don’t know where
Goodbye to Rosie the queen of Corona
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
Me and Julio down by the schoolyard

In a couple of days they come and
Take me away
But the press let the story leak
And when the radical priest
Come to get me released
We was all on the cover of Newsweek

And I’m on my way
I don’t know where I’m going
I’m on my way I’m taking my time
But I don’t know where
Goodbye to Rosie the queen of Corona
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard

**********

Kodachrome﹕登上美國 Billboard流行榜第2位﹐至於英國方面﹐沒有推出單曲﹐因為歌名涉及品牌及產品Kodak 35mm Film Kodachrome.﹐BBC電台拒播﹐而 Kodak 方面﹐要求歌名旁註明Kodachrome ® is a registered trademark for color film﹐然而90年代末﹐他們還是採用為其產品的廣告歌。歌曲原收錄於“Paul Simon”(1972/Columbia) 專輯中。
(Paul Simon)


When I think back
On all the crap I learned in high school
It’s a wonder
I can think at all
And though my lack of education
Hasn’t hurt me none
I can read the writing on the wall

Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world’s a sunny day
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama don’t take my Kodachrome away

If you took all the girls I knew
When I was single
And brought them all together for one night
I know they’d never match
my sweet imagination
Everything looks worse in black and white

Kodachrome, etc.

**********

American Tune﹕登上美國 Billboard流行榜第35位﹐旋律根據Hans Hassler 所作的“Mein Gmüth ist mir verwirret”而寫﹐不過它也是根據 Bach 的作品“Sacred Heart Of St. Matthew”而寫的歌。歌曲原收錄於“There Goes Rhymin' Simon”(1973/Columbia) 專輯中。
(Paul Simon)


Many's the time I've been mistaken
And many times confused
Yes, and often felt forsaken
And certainly misused
But I'm all right, I'm all right
I'm just weary to my bones
Still, you don’t expect to be
Bright and bon vivant
So far away from home, so far away from home

And I don't know a soul who's not been battered
I don't have a friend who feels at ease
I don't know a dream that's not been shattered
or driven to its knees
But it's all right, it's all right
We've lived so well so long
Still, when I think of the road
we're traveling on
I wonder what went wrong
I can't help it, I wonder what went wrong

And I dreamed I was dying
And I dreamed that my soul rose unexpectedly
And looking back down at me
Smiled reassuringly
And I dreamed I was flying
And high above my eyes could clearly see
The Statue of Liberty
Sailing away to sea
And I dreamed I was flying

We come on the ship they call the Mayflower
We come on the ship that sailed the moon
We come in the ages most uncertain hour
and sing an American tune
But it's all right, it's all right
You can't be forever blessed
Still, tomorrow's going to be another working day
And I'm trying to get some rest
That's all I'm trying to get some rest

**********

50 Ways To Leave Your Lover﹕登上美國 Billboard流行榜冠軍﹐至於英國則得到第23位。歌曲寫於Paul Simon 剛與首任妻子Peggy Harper離婚之後﹐歌曲原收錄於“Still Crazy After All These Years”(1975/Columbia) 專輯中。
(Paul Simon)


The problem is all inside your head
She said to me
The answer is easy if you
Take it logically
I’d like to help you in your struggle
To be free
There must be fifty ways
To leave your lover

She said it’s really not my habit
To intrude
Furthermore, I hope my meaning
Won’t be lost or misconstrued
But I’ll repeat myself
At the risk of being crude
There must be fifty ways
To leave your lover
Fifty ways to leave your lover

You just slip out the back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You don’t need to be coy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Hop on the bus, Gus
You don’t need to discuss much
Just drop off the key, Lee
And get yourself free

She said it grieves me so
To see you in such pain
I wish there was something I could do
To make you smile again
I said I appreciate that
And would you please explain
About the fifty ways

She said why don’t we both
Just sleep on it tonight
And I believe in the morning
You’ll begin to see the light
And then she kissed me
And I realized she probably was right
There must be fifty ways
To leave your lover
Fifty ways to leave your lover

**********

Still Crazy After All These Years﹕登上美國 Billboard流行榜第40位﹐歌曲原收錄於“Still Crazy After All These Years”(1975/Columbia) 專輯中。
(Paul Simon)


I met my old lover
On the street last night
She seemed so glad to see me
I just smiled
And we talked about some old times
And we drank ourselves some beers
Still crazy after all these years
Still crazy after all these years

I’m not the kind of man
Who tends to socialize
I seem to lean on
Old familiar ways
And I ain’t no fool for love songs
That whisper in my ears
Still crazy after all these years
Still crazy after all these years

Four in the morning
Crapped out
Yawning
Longing my life away
I’ll never worry
Why should I?
It’s all gonna fade

Now I sit by my window
And I watch the cars
I fear I’ll do some damage
One fine day
But I would not be convicted
By a jury of my peers
Still crazy
Still crazy
Still crazy after all these years

**********

Slip Slidin' Away﹕登上美國 Billboard流行榜第5位﹐至於英國則得到第36位。歌曲原收錄於“Paul Simon Greatest Hits, Etc.”(1977/Columbia) 專輯中。
(Paul Simon)


Slip slidin’ away
Slip slidin’ away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you’re slip slidin’ away

I know a man
He came from my home town
He wore his passion for his woman
Like a thorny crown
He said Delores
I live in fear
My love for you’s so overpowering
I’m afraid that I will disappear

Know a woman
Became a wife
These are the very words she uses
To describe her life
She said a good day
Ain’t got no rain
She said a bad day’s when I lie in bed
And think of things that might have been

And I know a father
Who had a son
He longed to tell him all the reasons
For the things he’d done
He came a long way
Just to explain
He kissed his boy as he lay sleeping
Then he turned around and headed home again

God only knows
God makes his plan
The information’s unavailable
To the mortal man
We work our jobs
Collect our pay
Believe we’re gliding down the highway
When in fact we’re slip slidin’ away

**********

You Can Call Me Al﹕登上美國 Billboard流行榜第23位﹐至於英國則得到第4位。歌曲原收錄於“Graceland”(1986/Warner) 專輯中。
(Paul Simon)


A man walks down the street
He says why am I soft in the middle now
Why am I soft in the middle
The rest of my life is so hard
I need a photo - opportunity
I want a shot at redemption
Don’t want to end up a cartoon
In a cartoon graveyard
Bonedigger Bonedigger
Dogs in the moonlight
Far away my well-lit door
Mr. Beerbelly Beerbelly
Get these mutts away from me
You know I don’t find this stuff amusing anymore

If you’ll be my bodyguard
I can be your long lost pal
I can call you Betty
And Betty when you call me
You can call me Al

A man walks down the street
He says why am I short of attention
Got a short little span of attention
And wo my nights are so long
Where’s my wife and family
What if I die here
Who’ll be my role - model
Now that my role - model is
Gone Gone
He ducked back down the alley
With some roly-poly little bat-faced girl
All along along
There were incidents and accidents
There were hints and allegations

If you’ll be my bodyguard
I can be your long lost pal
I can call you Betty
And Betty when you call me
You can call me Al
Call me Al

A man walks down the street
It’s a street in a strange world
Maybe it’s the Third World
Maybe it’s his first time around
He doesn’t speak the language
He holds no currency
He is a foreign man
He is surrounded by the sound
The sound
Cattle in the marketplace
Scatterlings and orphanages
He looks around, around
He sees angels in the architecture
Spinning in infinity
He says Amen! and Hallelujah!

If you’ll be my bodyguard
I can be your long lost pal
I can call you Betty
And Betty when you call me
You can call me Al



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Simon & Garfunkel - Wednesday Morning, 3 AM. (1964)
Paul Simon - Paul Simon Song Book (1965)
Simon & Garfunkel - Sounds of Silence (1966)
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Simon & Garfunkel - Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits (1972)
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