You nailed it. "Scarborough Fair" is a medieval English folk song. The counter-melody, "Canticle" is a reworking of lyrics Simon wrote for a 1963 anti-war protest song. Believe it or not, there are only 3 instruments on this recording - acoustic guitar, bass, and harpsichord, which is a keyboard instrument that was popular in the 18th century.

@dggydddy59

Жыл бұрын

There was definitely a bell like sounding instrument, whether a xylophone or a celeste or chimes also, it can be heard playing the same four note figure again and again. In the middle before the whole thing repeated itself there was either a flute or recorder.

@narabdela

Жыл бұрын

What about the flute/recorder that comes in about 4:30 then? I think you've got your facts wrong.

@Sprenklefish

Жыл бұрын

@@narabdela this is the first time I’ve ever heard those instruments in this song.

@jamescallaghan1183

Жыл бұрын

@@narabdela I believe those were added in the soundtrack for the movie..."The Graduate"... The flute is not on the the album that had the song on it.

@johncampbell756

Жыл бұрын

@wyomarine The anti-war song doesn't have to have been about Vietnam. It's definitely about war though.

This is a medieval song. In medieval times, the herbs mentioned in the song represented virtues that were important to the lyrics. Parsley was comfort, sage was strength, rosemary was love, and thyme was courage.

I don't know if anyone has mentioned it yet, but the words "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme" refer to four herbs that - to the medieval mind had deeper meanings, and lovers, etc would often leave various herbs out to leave messages. These four meant the following: Parsley was comfort, sage was strength, rosemary was love, and thyme was courage. This is such a beautiful song, performed flawlessly.

@NavvyMom

Жыл бұрын

Good, I was looking for someone to comment on herbs and their symbolism. I do keep seeing them as representing slightly different things over time and to different peoples, but glad you said it.

@jennifergriswold6240

Жыл бұрын

They are also additives that make a meal (or relationship) more palatable.

@alloallie

Жыл бұрын

I was thinking it was more that these were often the herbs used for embalming the dead in medieval times. So, juxtaposed with the war lyrics, it's more of a "I have to go to this pointless war. If I die, please take care of me".

@user-bg7dp5fu7v

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Taun I never knew that!

@CabinFever52

Жыл бұрын

I know it makes a perfect pork sausage seasoning combination.

Some things I've heard; parsley, sage, romemary, and thyme are ingredients for a love potion. The speaker uses past tense "She was a true love, but I'm dying now and it is too late" The tasks are impossible -an acre of land between the sea and the shore... Green for camouflage. The war (Garfunkel was doing vietnam) was the 100 years war. If you died in year 99 you may well have forgotten the cause.

This song is of a girl in Scarborough who broke his heart, and the only way he’ll accept her back is if she completes these impossible tasks. And this actual song was written in like the 12th century “medieval times” and had like 13 verses.

@tammyjohnson8924

2 ай бұрын

Wow. I never knew these things

@arizonaskye3917

2 ай бұрын

Yes and if I'm not mistaken, the "Fair" is not like most people today would think. It was more of a day of trade where ships would come in from many different places with a lot of buying and selling, trading etc.

That instrument is a harpsichord and really gave it that medieval sound.

You always have to remember, we were sitting around smoking pot and listening to this type of music. It was perfect!

It's the Harpsichord that makes it sound medieval... Beautiful song.

@Mi5terMarc

Жыл бұрын

Ironically, more commonly thought of as a baroque instrument, though it was featured in renaissance music and (possibly?) very late medieval.

@lexdunn4160

Ай бұрын

It sounds medieval because that's when it was written, using a scale called the Dorian mode, also a common musical convention. The artistry of this song is magnificent. A little disappointed in the young man's lack of appreciation.

Fun fact: This song was featured on the soundtrack to the classic movie, "The Graduate".

@marymays8846

Жыл бұрын

Oh man The Graduate was the best movie. Love it then and now.

@robynsmith3040

Жыл бұрын

Great film.

@OneEyedJack1970

Жыл бұрын

"Oh no, it's completely baked."

@marymays8846

Жыл бұрын

@@OneEyedJack1970 aahhhh man*****

@OneEyedJack1970

Жыл бұрын

@@marymays8846 That's my favorite line from the movie.

It is an ancient English folk song. You guys got it!

@lylekincaid6091

Жыл бұрын

My high school prom song 1971

@oreally8605

Жыл бұрын

Since 1253. In England. The fair stopped in 2020 because of corona. It hasn't resumed it's 770 year old history since.

@sparky6086

Жыл бұрын

@@oreally8605 All part of the destroying established culture at every opportunity, by the Globalists.

@TheDivayenta

Жыл бұрын

Plus a war protest song alongside it by Paul.

@rollomaughfling380

Жыл бұрын

*_Ancient_* England was still in the Iron Age during the Roman Conquest, and this song certainly didn't come from back then. There wasn't even an _England,_ much less an English language back then. People spoke various forms of Gaelic and Germanic languages. The lyrics for this song were first collected in the 18th century, the references to _Scarborough Fair_ and the herbs in the 19th century, and the melody you hear on that part of it was first recorded in 1947 by Mark Anderson.

We sang this in our middle school chorus class, and it was glorious. I’m now 55 and thinking “That was kinda dark for pre-teens”.

This song was released at a time when the news every night listed the number of casualties in the Vietnam War for the day, usually accompanied by footage of the latest offensive taking place there. It truly was a time of contrasts, where men and women half a world away fought for something “they’d long ago forgotten.” This made this song such a deeply moving song for our times.

@markdettra1794

11 ай бұрын

Yes , the Vietnam war for breakfast , lunch , & dinner on tv. I was there .

From wikiepdia "Scarborough Fair" (Child 2, Roud 12) is a traditional English ballad.[1] The song lists a number of impossible tasks given to a former lover who lives in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. The "Scarborough/Whittingham Fair" variant was most common in Yorkshire and Northumbria, where it was sung to various melodies, often using Dorian mode, with refrains resembling "parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme" and "Then she'll be a true love of mine."[2] It appears in Traditional Tunes by Frank Kidson published in 1891, who claims to have collected it from Whitby.

@oreally8605

Жыл бұрын

It was an actual fair that started in 1253. In England. Corona stopped it in 2020, and it hasn't resumed since.

@angelbulldog4934

Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@daviddragavon7555

Жыл бұрын

Woof, that's news and no mistake!

@Roddy1965

Жыл бұрын

@@oreally8605 Damn. So many plagues, and only one stopped it.

@kevinunderwood4104

Жыл бұрын

@@oreally8605 From what I've read, it's resuming this year.

As unusual as this sounded to y'all, this 1966 cover of a centuries-old traditional English tune, combined with their own "Canticle," was one of their signature songs, maybe their best known one after "Bridge Over Troubled Water." It was very popular even into the seventies and everyone seemed to love it. It still gives me chills and sometimes brings a tear to my eye even today. It was cool to see Amber responding to the harpsichord and recorder.

The story of this song is sung from the perspective of a soldier who was killed in battle....he asks for all these impossible things knowing that it will remind his lover of him now that he is gone and it also speaks of the futility of war.

Amber is in her element.....two stories at one time and beautiful vocals and instrumentation.

If you have not reacted to their song called "America" you should put it in your list for sure! And Amber's inner flower child will love "The 59th Street Bridge Song"!!

Folk music was still really influential in popular music in the mid to late 1960s, and S & G embodied the best of it with this song. I always heard a basic Irish folk ballad in this and the obvious medieval influences.

Listen to the background lyrics. "A soldier cleans and polishes a gun" and "fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten". The meaning of the song is that while the population is going to fairs and dancing they are ignoring the killing going on in Vietnam.

When most people think of Simon and Garfunkel, they think of this one. One of their best and most well known.

My generation was introduced to this song in the movie The Graduate and it is tremendous

After watching you guys for the past six months, and not knowing your precise ages, I am convinced nonetheless that Amber may have been born 35 to 40 years too late. She definitely has that hippie chick vibe and I can easily picture her back in “our day” with her sun dress and sandals, flowers in her hair and love beads around her neck running through fields of daisies and swaying gently to the music of our lives being played. Sorry you weren’t there to live it but it’s fun watching you live it vicariously now.

@randysandford4033

Жыл бұрын

I think she should dress up "hippie" for us one day and play some of our 60s psychedelic music. Maybe 5th Dimension.

@Paladin70

Жыл бұрын

@@randysandford4033 I’m thinking maybe I Love The Flower Girl by the Cowsills.

@KimMoonbmwmoonie

Жыл бұрын

@@randysandford4033 on a recent Halloween show she did just that!

@jxchamb

Жыл бұрын

I assume she's early 40's so born about 20 years too late.

@AaronLitz

10 ай бұрын

Definitely.

This is the perfect music for when you are really stressed out.

Part of what sets Paul Simon above others is his vast knowledge of different styles. Songwriters who tap into that like Sting, Peter Gabriel, Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, Harry Chapin, James Taylor, Carole King, etc are the ones who have works that endure through the decades.

I'm so darned proud of you two! The growth of this channel is incredible and it's because you give the people what they want! Here since the early days!

@carltonbakerii8274

Жыл бұрын

Hear, hear!

@fido46

Жыл бұрын

@@carltonbakerii8274 my favourite reactors for sure.

@giuliogrifi7739

Жыл бұрын

You may be right, but, actually, to give the people what they want is not always good or...wise !

@BlackHatCinephile

Жыл бұрын

@@giuliogrifi7739 Serf.

@andyanderson3628

Жыл бұрын

@@giuliogrifi7739 It's just a motto on their shows. Nothing more.

Scarborough Fair," popularized in the United States by the 1960s singer-songwriting duo Simon & Garfunkel, is an English folk song about a market fair that took place in the town of Scarborough in Yorkshire during medieval times.

@lexdunn4160

Ай бұрын

That's really not what the song is about. It is about the young man's death.

Paul Simon discovered this song while touring the English folk clubs before he became famous. It's such a S&G classic now. This studio version is one of their most beautiful recordings.

@tammyjohnson8924

2 ай бұрын

I agree it’s beautiful even before knowing of its origin but knowing it only makes it even more beautiful. I’m sure many fans of this song are mystified as I was about what I considered widely used seasonings used in every day cooking. Beautifully done by these two whose voices harmonized like those of angels

@user-bo6rd8vv6e

2 ай бұрын

@@tammyjohnson8924 Along those lines, may I suggest "Let No Man Steal Your Thyme" by the Pentangle who also incorporated old English ballads into their repertoire. One member of the Pentangle was Bert Jansch, another influential folk musician who covered "Anji" by Davey Graham, an instrumental guitar solo which Paul Simon also covered. Back then the English folk revival was packed with talent, including John Renbourn, Richard Thompson, Jacqui McShee, Sandy Denny, Martin Carthy. They in return were highly influential to American folk icons like Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, as well as the British rockers like Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.

@stephenhowell5611

21 күн бұрын

It was Martin Carthy's version of an old english song, Simon basically copied it, Carthy was not happy. Simon wrote the Canticle part and then had the audacity to slap a copyright on it.

@user-bo6rd8vv6e

21 күн бұрын

@@stephenhowell5611 Paul Simon had gained prior professional experience with musical copyrights whilst working in the Brill Building. Carol King and Neil Sedaka were among his contemporaries there. Carthy and Simon eventually played together years after this dispute. During those earlier times, many traditional songs were freely exchanged amongst peers at coffee house venues and open-air busquing. Dylan and many others either wrote their own lyrics, or made slight changes which were then copywritten. The people who understood the business end of the music business did acquire legal rights to songs they did not compose originally. The same thing happened to a lot of blues and folk musicians, once the songs went into public domain. The melody for Presley's "Love Me Tender" was originally known as "Aura Lee", a Civil War era ballad. It's really sour grapes to complain about somebody making your version famous, particularly if you were too naive to obtain a copyright for your specific rendition, yet shared it's technique with working pros.

My mom's favorite. My whole life, if anyone mentioned parsley, sage, rosemary OR thyme she started singing. She still does it lol.

The interesting thing about this song is the point/counterpoint of the first voice (the top lyric) with its story of unrequited love and the 2nd voice (bottom lyric) which is telling the story of a soldier who was killed and is now buried on the hill. Now recall that this was released in 1964 - the height of the Vietnam war, and put the two things together. It's beautiful, yet sad and a little bit spooky.

@dr.burtgummerfan439

Жыл бұрын

"7 O'Clock News/Silent Night" is another good one. Gives me chills.

@ShannonR1969

Жыл бұрын

Active US involvement in fighting the Vietnam War didn't begin until late 1964, and the album this was on was released in 1966. It was released as a single in 1968.

@sarahjane8146

Жыл бұрын

The line “she was once a true love of mine” takes on a very different meaning after the lines on war. I see them initially as wistful, but late in the song as looking back through a dark veil, of trauma, maybe death.

@user-ii4zf5iq3t

Жыл бұрын

It is one of the most recognizable soundtrack songs from *"The Graduate" 1968.*

@Paladin70

Жыл бұрын

First US troops were sent into battle in Viet Nam on March 8, 1965, so 1964 was certainly not the height of the war. Those of us who were more than children back then remember well that the turmoil in America started on October 21, 1967 when the very first anti-war demonstration took place in Washington D.C. The Pentagon was breached in a full scale riot with about 50,000 protestors taking part.

This was playing in my car and my ten year old grandaughter heard them for the first time and said they sound like angels singing.

The beauty of coming of age in the sixties and early seventies was the wde array of music we were exposed to. We didn't have play lists and we couldn't carry our records and record player around. What we did have was AM radio, and the DJs were our friends. We listened to (and danced to) all kinds of music...country, rock, instrumental...something for everyone.

@odiebryer2144

Жыл бұрын

This is the best way to explain our time as any. A couple of days ago I heard a younger (even younger than Jay & Amber, BTW ♥) reactor ask -- if there was no internet, how did new artists get heard. It was the DJ's. They would have been their best friends. "Word of mouth" was also used, I guess, but probably not as effective, though. I'd never heard of something called "playlists" but we all had our own favorites, of course. We all had some singles (45's) and 33 lp albums to create our Playlist of music to listen to at home or at a friend's place. And we did -- I remember taking some 45's or an album or two to a friend's place for a party or two or the years when I was a teenager in the 60's. And they would return the favor. Of course, I only had a little turntable to play my stuff on. It was my parents who had a "stereo" so if I wanted to play my music, it had to be when my parents weren't using theirs. And they played very different music than I did. Naturally. Anyway, if we wanted to listen to music much, there was the radio and there was only AM, FM was not a thing (as we say nowadays)! 😂

I love the way Paul Simon weaved an old traditional English Folk Song into his own composition. Thanks for reacting.

This is a huge hit for them and it was played constantly on the radio I still know all the words! Beautiful lyrics very mellow big hit for Simon and Garfunkel❤

@Doc552

11 ай бұрын

If you get a chance, listen to Dangling Conversation. Same lp as this beautiful song but the lyrics are perfect. Commentary on couples who are not in love

It's a Canticle. That's why you get the "vibes." "And to fight for a cause so long ago forgotten." The song was one of several of Simon and Garfunkel's songs used in "The Graduate." Plastics Ben. Plastics. Bottom line...a song from a different time. So, so much better than now.

@connieb4372

Жыл бұрын

I turned my twin girls (now age 37) onto Simon and Garfunkel when they were super little, watching The Concert in Central Park and, of course, when they got a bit older, The Graduate. They then went on to get their complete body of work and now know far more songs and facts about the group than I ever knew. That line from the movie... "Plastics Ben... Plastics" is one of our favorite quotes! Made me smile when I read your comment!

Fun fact, In 1964 to 66 Paul Simon came to England for an extended stay, he was sure that all American country music had it's origins in Britain, he found himself at a country music fair in Cropready a village near Banbury (ride a white horse to Banbury cross) in Oxfordshire he heard a melody being played across the field the instrument was a flute played by Ian Anderson (lead singer of Jethro Tull) Ian told him it was an old 12th century ballad, but that he had been playing an arrangement created by Martin Credy (a singer and performer of old English songs) although Paul never met Martin he made sure that Martin received all of the royalties for the arrangement. Paul Simon is an honest and ethical man.

Go back and listen to this again. You kind of need to listen to both parts separately and then listen a third time to see how they work together. We aren’t going as far back as medieval times, think maybe the time of the Seven Years War or American Revolution. This is the pre-industrial Revolution world. So in the dominant part, a guy asks his to make him a shirt or tunic. Simple woven fabric, no fancy seams, just a labor of love. And they dream about that little farm where they can live together in peace. There is only one little problem. The second voice is that of a soldier who sleeps on cold ground away from his love. We know he is British because of the red coats (scarlet battalions). He doesn’t know why he is fighting and his future will probably be a graveyard on a hillside. This song was released when the Vietnam War was raging. On one hand it is a love song but when you put the pieces together it is a powerful anti-war song.

@dogstar7

Жыл бұрын

Great take on this song and the times it was recorded in. Simon & Garfunkel represented the American English-traditional folk music revival (sometime called Scots-Irish plainsong) that shoe-horned-in between Beatlemania and John Sebastian/Buffalo Springfield folk-rock. They themselves were the younger generation of acts like Peter, Paul & Mary and Brothers Four and before them The Weavers featuring Pete Seeger

@sourisvoleur4854

Жыл бұрын

The problem is, all the things he asks his former love to do are impossible. You can't make a shirt without seams. You can't reap grain with a sickle of leather or gather it in heather. You can't find land between the sea and the shore. He's basically saying, no, I will *NEVER* get back together with you.

@Skotavus

Жыл бұрын

@@sourisvoleur4854 I had always heard the line as "sickle of lead", as in it would be too soft/poison the land... but apparently I've misheard that as the official lyrics to this version do say "sickle of leather".

Jay & Amber, you'll love their "Sounds Of Silence", "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" and "I Am A Rock" !!! Also Paul Simon solo- "Loves Me Like A Rock", "Kodachrome" and "Late In The Evening" and many more!!!

One of the few commercial songs by S&G NOT written by Paul Simon. It is an old English traditional song. Before Simon learned the song, Bob Dylan had borrowed the melody to create his song "Girl from the North Country", which is featured on 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan' (1963). The lyrics of Scarborough Fair puts forward the concept of unrequited love. The yearning is felt throughout the song, creating a perfect medieval love story in the process. A young man delegates certain impossible tasks to his lover with the condition that she would have to finish those to be able to come back to him.

@davidjames3080

Жыл бұрын

The Scarborough Fair part he's borrowed, but Canticle was written by Paul Simon.

@altaclipper

Жыл бұрын

Paul Simon was happy to take credit for it, though. He eventually paid back some of the royalties to the guy who taught him the song in the first place.

@lordhoot1

Жыл бұрын

@@altaclipper AKA the great Martin Carthy, the elder statesman of modern English folk music

@davidjames3080

Жыл бұрын

@@altaclipper not entirely correct. It was only part of the guitar arrangement that Paul Simon had used that he had heard from Martin Carthey. It wasn't Carthey's song so he was not entitled to royalties, although Paul Simon agreed on a one off settlement payment for use of the guitar arrangement when Carthey used a music publisher to sue him. It did cause a rift between the two though, not resolved until 30 odd years later when Paul Simon invited Carthey to sing the song with him on stage at the Hammersmith Apollo. In fact Paul Simon also made very little from this song. The sad fact is a common one - the music publisher that Carthey used to try and sue Paul Simon actually secretly acquired the rights to the song unbeknownst to Simon and Carthey. And Carthey only received half the 20k dollars settlement (the publisher keeping half). The consequence being that said music publisher made an absolute fortune from the song while Paul Simon and Andrew Carthey made very little. A fact that Carthey acknowledges, and now, apparently he and Paul Simon get along well.

This is a traditional English folk song from the Middle Ages. It's a matter of unrequited love, whereby the young man gives the girl a list of impossible tasks to become his true love. She, in turn, gives HIM a list of impossible tasks (the second thread in the song).

This is my absolute favorite Simon & Garfunkel song - I'm so glad you chose it. Their voices blend so beautifully in it. You identified it correctly - it is an Old English folk ballad from the Middle Ages. There are 2 theories about its subject. Some believe the singer is giving a former lover a list of tasks to perform in order to "be a true love of mine". The herbs - parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme - were ingredients associated with love potions & love charms during the Medieval period. Others feel the singer is dying and the requests he is making are instructions for his embalming & funeral - as the deceased's loved ones would be the ones preparing the body for burial. In this case, the herbs - parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme- were used in embalming at the time. Simon & Garfunkel were introduced to the song by English folk singer, Marty Cathy. They overlaid the traditional lyrics with the lyrics of another song they had written, "Canticle" - about the destructiveness of war. Both theories fit with S & G's version as several young men of their generation were going to war, leaving behind sweethearts, with too many of these young soldiers only returning home in flag-draped caskets. The addition of these lyrics made it a popular anti-war anthem in the early days of the Vietnam War. It is truly a haunting and ethereal song.

@chivalryalive

Жыл бұрын

Those herbs were also used in embalming!? 😲 I looked it up years ago and, the spices were said to have other 'mystical' effects upon people, as I read. --I cannot recall what those properties were said to be at this time though.. 😞 You say "love charms and love potions"? --Sounds good to me! 🙂

@joiedevivre2005

Жыл бұрын

@@chivalryalive Mostly to block the smell of decomposition. Rosemary has astringent properties that may have slightly slowed the process.

@kennbrown4638

Жыл бұрын

Mine too.

@lindaarranga4536

Жыл бұрын

Amazing information

@andrewmorton9327

Жыл бұрын

Martin Carthy.

This is actually two songs melded together in a perfect harmony. The title is actually Scarborough Fair / Canticle, the first being based on medieval hit from the Middle Ages and the second and original Paul Simon piece about world peace. ✌️

@johnnybmean74

Жыл бұрын

This is not from the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages were from late 5th to the late 15th centuries. Many of the lyrics in this song can be traced back to the Scottish Ballad "The Elfin Knight" from 1670. That's "Clearly" After the Middle Ages. Know the topic before you comment on it, Dummy.

I am shocked that Amber didn't pick up on the second set of lyrics even after two listens. But it's so easy to be entranced by Art's angelic vocals and the gentle folk lyrics that you miss Paul's darker lyrics about impending war that will shatter the peace and beauty of the main part. Such a brilliant composition made even better by the almost subliminal echoes of war. Great song, great artists, great composition, great reactors, what more do want?

@goldilox369

Жыл бұрын

Honestly? I'm 42, and I've heard this song hundreds of times. But, I didn't catch the darkness of the second set of lyrics until last year when I really read the lyrics in full.

@terri2494

Жыл бұрын

@@goldilox369 I’m 61 and I’ve just recently learned about them with some other reaction videos. We didn’t have the album, which I assume had the lyrics. We just listened when it came on the radio and did our best to follow along. No pause, no rewind. It was pretty common to not really understand the lyrics, because of my limited vocabulary or limited understanding of life and the world at large. I’m learning the real lyrics to a number of songs I grew up with. In some cases I like my inaccurate version better - but not this time. Sad but hauntingly beautiful song.

@Chrisrob90406

Жыл бұрын

I grew up with the dual but did not have the album. I had NO IDEA until you pointed it out that there were anti-war lines in the background. I wonder how many of my peers knew.

@richardsteiner8992

Жыл бұрын

Kind of reminds of me of their 7 O'clock News / Silent Night, although that one is a little more in your face.

@Samhalta

Жыл бұрын

Now that you mention it, it makes me think a bit of Rimbaud's poem "Le dormeur du val" (The Sleeper in the Valley). It describes a beautiful, sunny valley wit a river and flowers, and there's a soldier sleeping there but something progressively starts sounding a bit wrong. The last sentence is "He has two red holes in his right side" (something like that, I'm a native French speaker and don't know the literary English translation). It goes from very contemplative to shocking when you read that last sentence, and the feeling I get from this song is a bit similar.

I am 69, still rocking, and remember getting lost in the lyrics to this trippy masterpiece. I enjoy your channel. let's all keep open minds. great music is waiting to be discovered.

The sub verse tells the ancient story of a soldier who goes to war, dies, and is buried on a hillside. There is real place in England called Scarborough Fair on the coast. It is very popular even today.

The full name of the song is Scarborough Fair / Canticle. As others have mentioned, the song originated as an old English ballad and that is covered by the lyrics that mentioned Scarborough Fair, the list of spices, and the various tasks the singer is asking his love to do. The Canticle parts are the other lyrics, which are actually from a completely different Paul Simon song called "The Side of the Hill" and are sung in what's called counterpoint to the 1st set of lyrics. I'm no musician so my understanding of these terms is vague. But I do know I love the way it sounds. Here is an excerpt from the Wikipedia article on the song. "In London in 1965, Paul Simon learned the song from Martin Carthy,[28][29] who had picked up the song from the songbook by MacColl and Seeger[30] and included it on his eponymous 1965 album. Simon & Garfunkel set it in counterpoint with "Canticle", a reworking of the lyrics from Simon's 1963 anti-war song "The Side of a Hill",[31] set to a new melody composed mainly by Art Garfunkel.[30][32] "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" appeared as the lead track on the 1966 album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, and was released as a single after it had been featured on the soundtrack to The Graduate in 1968.[30] The copyright credited only Simon and Garfunkel as the authors, which upset Carthy, who felt that the "traditional" source should have been credited.[30] The rift persisted until Simon invited Carthy to perform the song with him as a duet at a London concert in 2000.[30] Simon performed the song with the Muppets when he guest-starred on The Muppet Show. Before Simon learned the song, Bob Dylan had borrowed the melody and several lines from Carthy's arrangement to create his song "Girl from the North Country",[33] which is featured on The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963), Nashville Skyline (1969) (with Johnny Cash), Real Live (1984) and The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (1993)."

@tedcole9936

Жыл бұрын

Thanks, awesome info.

@laurin4405

Жыл бұрын

Dunno how I've never heard of it before(maybe I've just not dived deep enough into the Repertoire), but Looked up & listened to "The Side of a Hill" just now Thanks:}

@andrewpetik2034

Жыл бұрын

That 'counterpoint' makes this song absolutely perfect....amazing....

You would like "America" from their "Bookends " album...matter of fact, you'd like the whole album.

The next time you listen to this, try to catch the lyrics to both levels: Simon and Garfunkel reel you in the the delicacy and the beauty, but the message of both songs is harsh and sad. That's one of the reasons this stays with you. This duo writes songs with lyrics you have to pay attention to as well as music that is mesmerizing.

I remember a few years back Art Garfunkel was pulled over in Manhattan, and what the NYPD found in his glove box wasn't parsley, sage, rosemary, or thyme.

From the movie “The Graduate” where actor Dustin Hoffman longs to be with the woman he loves in college. It’s a great scene when “Scarborough Fair” plays.

Just one of many beautiful songs that Simon and Garfunkel recorded.They were wonderful in every respect, fantastic melodies, clever lyrics and beautiful harmonies.Their albums were phenomenal and contributed so much to the wonderful era of the 60's and 70's.

You picked up on a medieval vibe for the Scarborough Fair part of this song right away. It's no surprise either as it has been traced back as far as 1670. A young man sets up impossible tasks for a woman to perform to win his love.

Simon was on SNL 14 times over the years but I smile remembering him in a turkey suit singing Still Crazy After All These Years.

The point about the 'Scarborough Fair' part is that the tasks set are impossible, meaning that this girl he once knew can never do anything to win his love. The way it's mysteriously intertwined with the war (or anti-war) song is so great.

@suzannejane1035

Жыл бұрын

Yet she did them.

@medted

7 ай бұрын

Impossible because he knew he would not return, hence the acre of land to rest his bones. As a veteran this song always brings me to tears for my friends who did not come home.

I believe I hear a harpsichord (15th century) in this. Unlike a piano (which strikes strings with felt-covered hammers), the harpsichord has mechanical 'fingers' which pluck the strings. This gives it a very different sound. Great song. Great reaction.

It's still captivating after 50 years

I’ve listened to this song most of my life and it took about 30 years before I realized it was basically saying “hey, if you run into my ex, tell her we’ll get back together when hell freezes over.”

What a classic. My parents owned this album. I grew up listening to it. This is actually the first S&F song you've reacted to from that album. I recommend "Homeward Bound", "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)", and "For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her".

@juliewhite7469

Жыл бұрын

Great suggestions! "Homeward Bound" especially 💙

I thought I heard the harpsichord in my ear especially at the end. S & G were sooooo famous when I was in high school. They had #1's for a very long time. Be blessed.

Simon & Garfunkel are my favorite artists on this planet (if they're terrestrial at all 😉). Their music is pure magic, what you can't assert from any newer music. This says not someone who is 80 years old and listened to it in his youth, this says a not even 20 year old boy who had already heard a lot of "modern" music. Refreshing reaction, if you want to have more information about the song check out the video by "Polyphonic". Greetings from tiny Switzerland😚

The layering of the vocal harmonies is amazing. Dreamy and atmospheric.

@chivalryalive

Жыл бұрын

I feel like I'm floating upon a cloud each time I listen to it! 😲

This is my *SECOND* fave song of all time!!! No 1 is Suite:Judy Blue Eyes by CSN and 3rd fave is Greensleeves

Love love LOVE these harmonies! Their voices blend so beautifully! They are so wonderful. Still praying they reunite. 😌💜

@tomhayston9888

Жыл бұрын

I hate to say but I hope they don't reunite. Their voices at plus 80 years old will not be the same as in their prime. I look at Paul McCartney singing Yesterday recently and, even though hard to say, it was hard to listen to. I've seen The Moody Blues several times from the early 70's to the late 90's, Justin Hayward and John Lodge have always had very powerful voices but had to bring them some female vocalists to deal with the highs they used to be able to handle. The worst I heard was Crosby, Stills and Nash performing 'Silent Night' in I believe Washington I few years back. I honestly don't think that the musical talent that came out between the early 60's to the mid 70's will ever be duplicated. Just my opinion!

@BarbaraPryor-Smith

Жыл бұрын

@@tomhayston9888 you may be right. The one exception to this that I have heard in a recent live appearance was the Tokens singing The Lion Sleeps tonight. The lead singer Jay Seigal I believe, his voice has not changed!! Amazing. But my thoughts here were about an emotional healing between Paul and Art. So much bitterness. Regrettable, so I still hope. 😌💜

@user-ii4zf5iq3t

Жыл бұрын

@@BarbaraPryor-Smith They need to do that "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". I git a kick out of watching their earliest black & white video of it. Happened across. The Bird. ....is a word. lol

@BarbaraPryor-Smith

Жыл бұрын

@@user-ii4zf5iq3t the Tokens HAVE done it recently, and they sound the same!!! Seriously! And numerous people have reacted to it. Robb Squad did too I think, but not sure if it was the older version or the more recent one. So fun!! 😊

Amber slapped it immediately. Such a cool sound from the day. Simon and Had were together only a short time, their music was incredible. All man Brothers, Jessica. Thanks again.

THE GRADUATE is a very popular film amoung the zillions of college students from the late 1960s. We were in class of 1968 & 1969. A young Dustin Hoffman plays a recent graduate who is seduced by Anne Bankroft, who plays a Cougar. Several S & G hits on the soundtrack including Scarborough Fair.

"Scarborough Fair" is a traditional Medieval British folk tune about forbidden love. Simon & Garfunkle layered it with the poem/song "Canticle" which was about the Vietnam War, to fit modern times.

Movie recommendation: The Graduate. From the late sixties - one of the most iconic films of the period. Heck, one of the most iconic films of all time. Made a star of Dustin Hoffman. Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack. (Including Scarborough Fair.)

I work in a grocery store. Whenever somebody buys one of these herbs I start singing this song. I get every kind of reaction. Everything from "shut up and keep bagging my stuff to " wow that's really cool".

We grew up the melody. First time in 50 years I’ve seen the lyrics😳

First Simon & Garfunkel song I ever heard!! Back when folk music was sooo popular!!!

One of the most hauntingly beautiful songs ever written.

The greatest ballad ever.

Simon and Garfunkel was my absolute favorite concert of all time. A few favorites are America, The Boxer, He Was My Brother, Hazy Shade of Winter... So many!

I'm 58 and I love this song. My HS choir practiced this many times yet never performed it in concert. Loved it since then which was late 70s early 80s; graduated HS in '82.

@Isleofskye

Жыл бұрын

58? No Youngsters,please,my friend :)

@jamessimmons1486

Жыл бұрын

Loved this song when it came out. I’ll be 60 this year and it still gets me.

@Isleofskye

Жыл бұрын

@@jamessimmons1486 Great Song but only 60? No Youngsters,please,James...:)

Simon and Garfunkel were childhood friends. They wrote their first song at 13. ☮🧡🎶

They singing in Rounds and this song is very Renaissance in Style. Such a beautiful song..

I don't know an existence without this song. It's always been there &, I love it. They performed this with Andy Williams, on his show. It's, actually, a great version, enhanced by a 3rd voice.

@chivalryalive

Жыл бұрын

The Andy William's Show? --I'll look that up! Thanks! 🙂

@chivalryalive

Жыл бұрын

I found it! 😲 So beautiful! --Thanks for directing me to it. 🙂

Sung it, played it. A staple in my life. ❤️

Great song and it's in the movie The Graduate which is excellent if you haven't seen it. The whole movie is full of Simon and Garfunkel.

One of my favorite verses from the old song is: Love imposes impossible tasks, Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. But none more so than any would ask. She once was a true love of mine. Kinda wraps up the whole song.

This is an old English folk song - remember Simon & Garfunkel were considered a folk duo when they emerged. They used the Canticle to turn it into an anti-war song. Scarborough Fair was later used in the soundtrack for The Graduate and then released as a single. It's one of those songs you can mellow out to.

Guys....This is a MASTERPIECE! Period

The main lyrics of the first round is a love song and the counterpoint of the rondeau is a call to war. Both are wistful, beautiful melodies but it's a bit of a paradigm shift when you realize how opposite the lyrics of each part are. I know the first is a medieval melody, I'm not sure if the second is. I think combining them was genius.

This was in the movie "The Graduate" You guys need to see it.

Strong childhood memories of S&G on the record player. I just love them. Stunning.

There's another duel Named seals and croft..the song " hummingbird" was there big hit back in the 70s....they had a lot of great songs

@marymays8846

Жыл бұрын

Yes, Yes, Yes, on Seals and Crofts. Anything of theirs.

@dalejestes8166

Жыл бұрын

I already know j&a reacted to summer breeze a while back

This song is cathartic for me because it takes me to another place in time where love, beauty and tragedy consumed my life. I love the song because it makes me feel again.

@user-ii4zf5iq3t

Жыл бұрын

I know. My heart immediately started to feel full. 🎶

I grew up with this song. Then I became a teenager and smoked a joint to it at exactly the right moment and it melted me. (I know that doesn't make sense but it's the best description the English language can grant me). This experience, and others like it, engaged the childlike, inquisitive part of my mind and I've been into science, philosophy and cultural history ever since. It's interesting how something as abstract as music can change the trajectory of your life.

I was only a few years old when this came out in ‘64. It was one of those songs you couldn’t escape if you lived on the planet in the 60’s!

Spot on, Scarborough Fair is a Medieval English folk song! This version is actually a blend of that and Canticle, which Paul wrote. I love that ethereal medieval sound!

Great lyrics. 'Homeward Bound',, 'I Am A Rock', and of course 'The Sound Of Silence' are just a few of my favorites.

Not for nothing (as someone a heck of a lot smarter than I) once told me: "music is what you make of it, and it's appeal is universal. You don't have to be able to understand the meaning (or even the words being sung), as long as it makes you FEEL. Thanks for making my evening!

1. Saturday Night At The Fair [Steve Harley] 2. Find My Love [Fairground Attraction] 3. A Trip To The Fair [Renaissance]

A truly incredible song. Other ones from Simon & Garfunkel you have to hit: "THE DANGLING CONVERSATION," "POEM ON THE UNDERGROUND WALL," "The Sound Of Silence," "I Am A Rock," "America," "Kathy's Song," and "Homeward Bound"

@josepharnold1345

Жыл бұрын

Second I Am A Rock

@badplay156

Жыл бұрын

The song Patterns is one of the best angry/hopeless songs I have ever heard

@elizabethfranco1284

Жыл бұрын

Oh yes definitely America

@user-ii4zf5iq3t

Жыл бұрын

I love the sound of Homeward Bound.

@NavvyMom

Жыл бұрын

I thought they did Sound of Silence a while back. No?

This (Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme) was the first album I ever bought in 1967 when I was 9. The entire album was magical and I wore out the grooves playing it.

WOW 3.5K views in only 33 minutes after posting????/ WTH? This just shows the Love and respect we have to you two beautiful souls. Love, Light and blessings to you and the family.

An ABSOLUTE Classic,, Lee Michaels "Do You Know What I Mean"

The amazing harmonies 😮

Oh My Lord ❤️ an Amazing, Incredible song....

Scarborough Fair is a song from the Middle Ages (14th Century) about unrequited love with the lovers giving each other impossible tasks before they could be together. Scarborough is a town in Yorkshire and a fair was held there from the 14th Century until the 18th Century. 46 years' ago I was a member of two choirs when I was at school. One choir sang nothing but songs from the Middle Ages and we sang Scarborough Fair a lot because it was a favourite. Simon & Garfunkel released this song in 1967 and it formed part of the soundtrack for the film The Graduate. The Vietnam War was going on at around that time too.

Another MUST HEAR Classic,, Dave Loggins "Please Come To Boston"