The greatest songwriter of the last 100 years

It's the off season and I feel like digressing.........

Not too far of the beaten track here but in controversial territory for a "proper" musician - who am I talking about? This songwriter is American and to me is not only the greatest songwriter of the last 100 years but is also the greatest American songwriter.

His exquisitely crafted songs have drawn on early rock & roll (particularly doo-wop), reggae, salsa, jazz, gospel, blues, New Orleans, and African and South American music. In an unassuming, distinctive voice he speaks of matters personal and universal with attitudes ranging from the whimsical to the reverent.

He stands apart from most songwriters of his generation in that he has created a wide-ranging body of work in which the purely musical vocabulary - of style, instrumentation, and sounds - is as evocative and as expressive as his lyrics.

So, who is it? Jerome Kern, George Gershwin?

No, its Paul Simon.

From his first harmonising with Art Garfunkel to his collaborations with Ladysmith Black Mambaza, Simon's work stands head and shoulders above his generation, unique in his ability to touch the hearts and minds of audience.

So, I hear you ask, what is this to do with a choir. Very little directly I suppose except for this - this is an artist committed to reaching out to his audience, conveying meaning from each inflection, drawing deep inside to communicate his message.

We can learn a lot by listening to all styles of music - try some Paul Simon for size.

I include here a little known track - the subject of this song was Paul Simon's English girlfriend Kathy, the song "America" features her and it is said she was his muse during his time in England.

The text is beautiful, as is Simon's delivery.

Enjoy



I hear the drizzle of the rain
Like a memory it falls
Soft and warm continuing
Tapping on my roof and walls

And from the shelter of my mind
Through the window of my eyes
I gaze beyond the rain-drenched streets
To England where my heart lies

My mind's distracted and defused
My thoughts are many miles away
They lie with you when you're asleep
And kiss you when you start your day

And this song I was writing is left undone
I don't know why I spend my time
Writing songs I can't believe
With words that tear and strain to rhyme

And so you see I have come to doubt
All that I once held as true
I stand alone without beliefs
The only truth I know is you

And as I watch the drops of rain
Weave their weary paths and die
I know that I am like the rain
There but for the grace of you go I