Paul Simon

Tempo: A Rowman & Littlefield Music Series on Rock, Pop, and Culture

by Cornel Bonca

In Paul Simon: An American Tune, Cornel Bonca considers Simon's vast trove of songs in the biographical and cultural context in which he wrote them: from the pop cultural revolution of the 1960s which Simon himself helped to create, the singer-songwriter movement of the 1970s, the turn toward world music in the 1980s that gave the world the monumental Graceland, to the intimate personal turn his music took in the millennial era. Analyzing Simon's albums one by one, often song by song, Bonca provides a deep and artful exploration of the work of one of today's major songwriters.

Genres: Music

211 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC received via NetGalley.

I wouldn't call Paul Simon: An American Tune by Cornel Bonca a proper biography of the singer/songwriter, though the author touches on important events in Simon's life as they relate to his career. Tune is foremost a scholarly work, and thankfully not a wholly biased one because it allows the readers to study one interpretation of Simon's music, then decide if it's worth a listen.

Compared to Marc Eliot's 2010 biography Paul Simon: A Life, Tune is a treat for die-hard Simon fans in that it appears better researched and less sensationalist. If you come to this expecting the standard unauthorized biography gossip - the dirt on the failed marriages, the Garfunkel angst, that unsettling tiff with Edie Brickell earlier this year - you'll leave disappointed.

That's not to say Bonca doesn't explore the personal aspects of Simon's career. Not unlike his peers (Bob Dylan mentioned most often), Simon draws from real life to create, and Bonca deconstructs Simon's song catalog while interspersing brief histories of Simon's progression in his career. As you read Tune you may find amazement in the balance of Simon's failures and successes. Simon, and to some extent Simon and Garfunkel, has always seemed ever-present in pop culture since the 60s, but Tune points out the many struggles Simon faces to stay relevant, especially with the changes in music trends. How does a counter-culture folk/pop star thrive in the early MTV-era? Bonca concedes while Simon is not as prolific as some of his peers the messages in his song holds relevance. I have to agree with that - the first original episode of Saturday Night Live to air after 9/11, and who performs?

Tune is more scholarly then entertainment, but it's not a boring book. It's a good study for anybody who loves music.

[Patrick Quinn · Rating 1 out of 5]

First off, don't let an English lit professor wrote about pop music. Yes Paul Simon's songs are considered poetry by most but the over analysis is boring. Secondly, why is Cornel Bonca so hung up on Simon's height? Referenced multiple times through out and at one point calling him stubby, really? Lastly, he misquote'd some lyrics. Most notably "America" the lyric is "I'm empty and aching and I don't know why" not "I'm eighteen and empty".

[Lucia Juliao · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm moving this to my "read" shelf after spending a few years on the "currently reading" shelf. I'm never going to come back to it and try to finish it. It's terrible. I have at least 3 screen shots from the book showing straight up inaccuracies about Simon and Garfunkel, and I noticed them immediately. I wasn't fact checking while reading. Aaaand, I didn't even get very far into the book! What a piece of garbage

[Pcox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such an interesting and awe inspiring song writer.

[Naomi Krokowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific travel through Simon's ups and downs as a songwriter. Enjoyable and interesting!

[Brucie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Large scale deep and wide appreciation of Paul Simon's entire career. Too much for me to appreciate deeply. Interesting comparison to Bob Dylan. Not so much recognition of Art Garfunkel. The professor has spoken.