Punky's Dilemma
"Punky's Dilemma" | |
---|---|
Song by Simon & Garfunkel | |
from the album Bookends | |
Recorded | October 5, 1967 |
Studio | Columbia Studio A, New York City |
Genre | Folk rock |
Length | 2:10 |
Label | Columbia |
Songwriter(s) | Paul Simon |
Producer(s) | Paul Simon , Art Garfunkel, John Simon (record producer) |
"Punky's Dilemma" is a song by American music duo Simon & Garfunkel from their fourth studio album, Bookends (1968).
Background[]
"Punky's Dilemma" was one of two songs (the other being "Overs") that Paul Simon offered to director Mike Nichols for his film The Graduate.[1] Nichols was not particularly taken with either, which led to Simon writing "Mrs. Robinson".[1]
The song was partially worked on by John Simon,[2] who was hired to "kick-start" the recording when Paul Simon had writer's block.[3] Morgan Ames, writer for High Fidelity magazine, attended a recording session during which "Punky's Dilemma" was being constructed, in October 1967.[2] The team spent over 50 studio hours recording "Punky's Dilemma," re-recording vocal parts, sometimes note by note, until they were satisfied.[4]
Composition[]
"Punky’s Dilemma" is breezy and minimal musically, with a soft jazz-style percussion and seemingly improvised guitar lines dominated by seventh chords.[5] It employs breakfast-food images to lampoon Hollywood and the film industry. It improbably takes an "abrupt left turn" in its third verse, when the singer begins to fantasize himself an admired soldier.[5]
Notes[]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b Eliot 2007, p. 90.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Fornatale 2007, p. 66.
- ^ Fornatale 2007, p. 62.
- ^ Simon & Garfunkel interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
- ^ Jump up to: a b Bennighof 2007, p. 39.
Sources[]
- Bennighof, James (2007). The Words and Music of Paul Simon. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-99163-0.
- Eliot, Marc (2010). Paul Simon: A Life. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-43363-8.
- Fornatale, Pete (2007). Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends. Rodale. ISBN 978-1-59486-427-8.
External links[]
- Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers
- 1968 songs
- Simon & Garfunkel songs
- Songs written by Paul Simon
- Song recordings produced by John Simon (record producer)
- Song recordings produced by Paul Simon
- Song recordings produced by Art Garfunkel