The 500 - #202 - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme - Simon and Garfunkel

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

---

Album: #202
Album Title: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
Artist: Simon And Garfunkel

Genre: Folk Rock
Recorded: Columbia Studios, New York, U.S.A.

Released: October, 1966
My age at release: 1
How familiar was I with it before this week: Somewhat

Is it on the 2020 list? No
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: A Simple Desultory Philippic

There is a quote, often ascribed to Vladimir Lenin, which says: "There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen." During our summer of 2024, this seems powerfully applicable. We live in a time charged with international tension, wars, assassination attempts, consequential worldwide election campaigns, a humanitarian crisis, racial and cultural hostility, and environmental disasters.

1966 had its own upheavals. It, too, was time of global strife, with events that, in some ways, are eerily similar to the summer of 2024.

• Political protests against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War were raging on college campuses.
• The Mississippi Marches sought an end to segregation and advancements in civil rights, while the Watts Rebellions protested racist police actions in Los Angeles.
• Military coup d états rocked Indonesia, Syria, Burundi, Nigeria, the Central African Republic and Ghana.
• Cold War Russian/U.S. tensions moved into the heavens. The Soviets blasted two Kosmos spacecraft into orbit, while the U.S. launched the Gemini program. The race for space supremacy was on in earnest.

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin takes the first "selfie" from space (1966)

• A U.S. submarine lost (and then found) a hydrogen bomb on the ocean floor.
• Mao Zedong introduced China's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution to his people and abortion and gun-rights took centre stage in the election of Ronald Regan as Governor of California. (Spoiler: the Republican former actor wasn’t on the side you might think...for either issue.)
• Natural disasters, including earthquakes, tornadoes, record cold spells and snowstorms claimed thousands of lives.
• However, it was an avoidable, man-made tragedy that made headlines in Aberfan, Wales. On October 21, 116 children and 28 adults died when a coal waste heap slid and engulfed a primary school.

Aftermath of the coal waste slide in Aberfan in southern Wales.

Throughout this tumultuous period, arts and entertainment thrived -- perhaps fueled by chaos, acrimony and uncertainty of the times. Twelve records on The 500, including three in the Top 10, were released in 1966. An additional 19 records on the list were recorded that year and released in 1967, among them, The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which landed at #1.

Then, there was album #202, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, the third studio release from folk rock musicians Simon and Garfunkel. It was the second of three records by the New York duo to appear on the list, although Simon has an additional two as a solo artist. I shared a little about their history, as well as a story about my late "aunt" Jean in a December, 2023, post centered on their fourth record, Bookends.

Album cover for Bookends (1968).

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme includes several songs that were "recycled" from Simon's debut solo record, The Paul Simon Songbook, written during his time in England. PSR&T is considered a breakthrough record for the pair and many critics identify it one of their best. It peaked at #4 on the Billboard charts but eventually sold more than three million in the United States, which gave it triple platinum status.

Album cover for The Paul Simon Songbook (1965).

I was familiar with several songs from the record; however, prior to this week, I had never listened to it in its entirety. The song that struck me has a title that is a mouthful: A Simple Desultory Philippic (or How I Was Robert McNamara'd into Submission). Originally recorded on the aforementioned Simon Songbook, the tune was penned as a playful parody of American musician Bob Dylan's 1965 protest song Subterranean Homesick Blues.

Single for A Simple Desultory Philippic.

In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, Simon admits he was exploring Dylan's style, saying:

"One of my deficiencies is (that) my voice sounds sincere. I've tried to sound ironic. I don't. I can't. With Dylan, everything he sings has two meanings. He's telling you the truth and making fun at the same time."

With a playing length of fewer than two and a half minutes, this lyrically dense parody packs a lot of references into its three verses and six line bridge. Simon name-checks numerous contemporary politicians and artists, including Norman Mailer, The Beatles, Mick Jagger, Ayn Rand, Andy Warhol, Lou Adler, Lenny Bruce, and even his singing partner, Art Garfunkel.

Simon (rear) and Garfunkel in New York (1966).

When asked about the title in an interview, Simon offered the following:

"I was having fun. I thought it would be funny to use those unusual words 'desultory' and 'philippic,' in a song title, and I also wanted to sneak in some Lenny Bruce, who was my favorite comedian. That line, 'How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission,' is pure Lenny."

To be desultory is to be laid back or indifferent, while a philippic is a bitter, verbal attack. It's derived from a speech Greek Statesman Demosthenes delivered in opposition to the military ambitions of Philip II, King of Macedon, in 351 B.C. Heady stuff to be sure, but all presented with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Simon's clever and reference-dense lyrical satire got the educator in me thinking. I have, in the past, invited students to rewrite or parody lyrics to songs that lend themselves to that challenge -- swapping out more contemporary or personal events for a stanza in Billy Joel's We Didn't Start The Fire, for example.

Billy Joel's 1989 song, We Didn't Start The Fire, is a fast paced list
of 119 significant cultural events from 1949 (his birth year) to 1989.

Just last year, several clever groups of Grade 7 students rewrote and performed two stanzas from The Breaks, from Kurtis Blow. The 1979 hip-hop hit, the first of the "rap" genre, features four line stanzas that follow a predictable AABB rhyming scheme. In each, Blow comically describes unfortunate situations that people encounter in life and have to deal with because, "That's the breaks."

Album cover for the single, The Breaks, Kurtis Blow (1979)

The activity, which can be viewed in its entirety here, offered students the chance to rewrite the track by humourously infusing contemporary problems. I even created a Karaoke-style track that the most courageous could use to perform their rap, while classmates supported them with the "That's the Breaks / That's the Breaks" call and response.

\My example (which I absolutely rapped for the wide-eyed class) is below.

So, after hearing Simon's lyrics for A Simple Desultory Philippic, I wondered if I could update it and infuse personal political and pop culture perspectives. 

The challenge I gave myself was to try to match Simon's overall construction and rhyme scheme, while swapping out his '60s references with my own ('80s-Present). I tried to stick to his meter, but that proved too challenging. If you are interested in seeing the original lyrics and then reading my parody of Simon's parody of a Dylan song, check it out here. I am not sure if this has "middle school lesson potential" yet -- but, we'll see.

This post and that small creative exercise were a pleasant respite from the chaos of the summer of 2024 which, sadly, beckons my return to reality. That's the breaks!  Thanks for reading.

The 500 - #203 - Bad - Michael Jackson

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

---

Album: #203
Album Title: Bad
Artist: Michael Jackson

Genre: Pop, Funk, Soul, Hard Rock, R&B
Recorded: Westlake Studios, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Released: August, 1987
My age at release: 22
How familiar was I with it before this week: Very

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #194, moving up 10 spots
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Man In The Mirror

Four years ago, as we navigated the unpredictable Coronavirus pandemic, my wife and I discovered the Disney+ program WandaVision. The nine-part mini-series was the first television program released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and set after the events in the 2019 film Avengers: Endgame.

One might expect this to be typical superhero fare. After all, it featured Wanda Maximoff (aka: Scarlet Witch) and the android Vision, two characters well established in the MCU. However, it was the promotional trailer release that piqued our interest and convinced us to subscribe to the newly available Disney streaming service. This short video, shot in black and white, featured the song Twilight Time from 1950's vocal group The Platters. The vid depicted our former heroes in a situational comedy setting eerily reminiscent of I Love Lucy episodes (1951-1958).

Screen Capture for the Official Trailer to WandaVision.

Ten minutes into the first episode and we were hooked. The show was part sit-com, part mystery -- think I Love Lucy meets The Twilight Zone (1959 - 1964). We had so many questions:

• Why are these 2020 characters living and hiding their superpowers, in the idyllic world of 1950s Westview, New Jersey?
• Why is the show leaning on the campy and cliche television tropes from that era?
• Why was Vision alive? Thanos had killed him in Avengers: Endgame, right?
• Who is the mysterious person whose hand is shown in a television studio in the final credits, watching the final credits?

  

  Final Credit screen capture featuring a mysterious onlooker.

Our delightful bewilderment continued when the second episode featured the same characters appearing in a fictional world that had all the trappings of a ‘60s era sitcom -- clearly reminiscent of the Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1967),...including promotional material.

WandaVision shot (left) compared with the Dick Van Dyke Show promo.

It soon became evident that WandaVision was going to be a mysterious and nostalgic trip through the decades, depicted through the tropes and cliches from situation comedies in each. Wisely, the Disney channel released the episodes weekly rather than dropping the entire series for viewers to binge watch. Consequently, there was plenty of time for online speculation and for fan predictions and theories to percolate.

Wanda's changes through the episodes/decades.

At the same time, January to March, 2021, I was teaching remotely. I had started the year with a delightful group of Grade 7 students in person. However, as our province, Ontario, entered the second wave of the pandemic, we reluctantly returned to online learning. Always on the hunt to engage students and build community, I thought about ways the WandaVision premise could connect to our learning. Then, I was struck by a plan.

• What if each student was assigned a random decade and found a song that others might enjoy.... a "Bop"?
• The student could then, privately, send me a presentation slide which would feature the song as an embedded YouTube video.
• Included on the slide would be three bullet points of research -- about the song, the artist, the album or the themes in the lyrics.
• I would present the slide (in order to keep the student identity private) and would play the song throughout the week in our virtual learning environment.
• At the end of the week, we would use a Google Form to vote each song from the chosen decade as a Bop or Flop. The top two songs, or any song receiving 60 per cent Bop status, would remain in our class playlist.
• We would then reveal the students who chose each song and created the accompanying slide presentation.
• I began by sharing three songs from the ‘40s in order to provide an example to guide them.

  

  One of my example slides - Stardust by Artie Shaw -- it was voted a Bop.

The activity was a hit. My students were excited to have their songs shared and hear the music chosen by classmates from the ‘50s through to the 2000s. With six decades over six weeks, this turned out to be a wonderful way of bonding the class during a time of dreary isolation -- short, bleak winter days coupled with another pandemic lockdown. It also connected to multiple curriculum expectations -- visual literacy, writing, research and history.

The success of this collaborative WandaVision music project in 2021 prompted me to make it part of my regular program and, for the fourth year in a row, it has been received enthusiastically. The eclectic playlist we create throughout the unit never fails to delight me. Songs ranging from Mr. Sandman by The Chordettes (‘50s) to I'm A Believer from The Monkees (‘60s) to Earth, Wind and Fire's September (‘70s) bring diverse sounds to our work periods. With literally thousands of popular songs from which to choose, each year takes on a slightly different tone. One artist, however, has consistently made the cut every year -- The King of Pop , Michael Jackson.

The King of Pop - Michael Jackson.

One year, a student locked into ‘70s Michael, performing with his brothers, The Jackson Five, on the soft rock ballad I'll Be There. Another discovered the disco/funk audio splendor of Rock With You from 1979's Off the Wall (#68 on The 500). Another class found Jackson's work from the ‘80s with the hard rock dance track Beat It, and the title track from this week's record, Bad.

Cover for the single, Bad, from Michael Jackson

Bad, the single, exploded into the pop culture zeitgeist on August 31, 1987, when the 18-minute video premiered on a primetime CBS special called The Magic Returns: Michael Jackson. Directed by Martin Scorsese, the short film was, in part, inspired by scenes from the musical West Side Story. Shot in a Brooklyn subway station, the protagonist Darryl (portrayed by Jackson) is a young man returning to his old, tough neighbourhood after being away at a private school on a scholarship. Darryl is greeted by his former street gang, which included actor Wesley Snipes in one of his first roles. At first, the reunion is friendly, but becomes awkward when Darryl's street credibility is challenged. In an attempt to show the group that he is still "bad", Darryl considers robbing an elderly man before having second thoughts. The dance sequence that follows, featuring the song Bad, has become iconic, as has the leather outfit Jackson wore as Darryl.

A screen capture from the Scorsese directed short film, Bad.

It is, like many things from the ‘80s, a piece of pop culture history that has aged imperfectly. When we watched the video in class there were a few chuckles and a lot of questions. However, by week's end, the song was voted a Bop and became part of that year's playlist rotation.

That's the thing about Jackson, he fearlessly took risks. It was a message I deliver often in our Grade 7 classroom, "swing for the fences with your artistic endeavours".  If you are brave enough to push your creativity to new limits it is worthy of respect, even when it doesn't work out. This was not, I reminded them, dissimilar to the risk they took by picking a song during our WandaVision music challenge. They knew it might be a Flop -- and that's okay.

Admittedly, Jackson had more hits than misses in his career. In 1991, the album Bad became the second best-selling record of all time, eclipsed only by Jackson's previous record, 1982's Thriller (#20 on The 500). Bad had only had nine tracks on it, and seven of them were singles, with five songs hitting #1 on Billboard charts. The first single from the album, I Just Can't Stop Loving You, was a chart-topper in June, 1987. The final song released as a single, Liberian Girl, wasn't promoted until July, 1989 -- 25 months later. For anyone who lived through "Michaelmania", it felt like he was an constant artistic force.

Single cover for Liberian Girl - released in the U.K. in 1989.

I plan on sharing the WandaVision Music Experience with my students again in the next school year. Although pandemic lockdowns and virtual learning seem to be a strange thing of the past, the unit still builds community through the coldest and bleakest days of winter. I am always surprised by the interesting choices that students make and I am keen to see if Jackson's streak continues in 2025.

The 500 - #204 - Modern Times - Bob Dylan

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

---

Album: #204
Album Title: Modern Times
Artist: Bob Dylan

Genre: Folk Rock, Blues, Rockabilly, Americana
Recorded: Clinton Recording Studios, New York City, U.S.A.

Released: August, 2006
My age at release: 41
How familiar was I with it before this week: Not at all

Is it on the 2020 list? No
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Workingman Blues #2

The opening act, sometimes called the warm-up or supporting act, is a performer or ensemble who entertains a crowd at a concert in advance of the feature act or "headliner".  This can be a challenging gig. Opening acts are typically given a smaller area on the stage on which to work, which can mean a reduced light show and less sound equipment. This is because they often need to perform in front of the headlining band's equipment. Add to this the sporadic arrival of a disinterested, unenthusiastic audience and it is easy to understand how this might be disheartening.

The first large rock concert I attended was in the summer of 1980 when Van Halen came to London, Ontario. I wrote about the experience in 2020 in the context of their debut record (#415). At the time, I didn't know about, or expect, an opening act and was delighted when Canadian punk/garage rock band Teenage Head hit the stage. Much to my surprise, the audience quickly turned hostile. People around me began to boo and jeer and some even launched pennies and disposable lighters at the Hamilton-based quartet. My excitement soured to confusion and then discomfort as my 15-year-old brain came to terms with the darker side of an eighties, teenage rock and roll crowd.

Frantic City - the 1980 record from Teenage Head.

Fortunately, things have improved for opening acts. Technological advancements allow for easier and shorter transitions between performances. A larger stage can be provided and opening acts are promoted as a feature of the evening's entertainment, with some even billed as "co-headliners". In fact, there have been times when I attended a performance because of the opening act. One such example was detailed in a 2019 post when I shared the story of attending a Coldplay concert in Toronto in order to see their supporting act, Manchester's Elbow.

My ticket stub from the 2009 Coldplay/Elbow concert in Toronto.

In November, 2006, I got a chance to see Bob Dylan in my hometown of London, Ontario, thanks to the typical generosity of my pal and former guest blogger Steve "Lumpy" Sullivan who secured tickets to a private box through his industry connections. We were intrigued about seeing Dylan, an Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe winning member of multiple Halls of Fame. However, we were more excited about the opening act -- Foo Fighters.

My ticket stub from the 2006 Dylan/Foo Fighters concert in London, Ontario.

Dylan was promoting his thirty-second studio release, Modern Times, a record marketed as the third part of a conceptual trilogy which began with 1998's Time Out Of Mind (#410 on The 500) and Love & Theft (#385) from 2001. It was received well by critics and it debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts, making Dylan the oldest living person to achieve this feat. All three records were heralded as an artistic comeback for Dylan, who had struggled to find his musical identity throughout the '80s and '90s.

The Dylan Trilogy, Time Out Of Mind (1998), Love And Theft (2001)
and Modern Times (2006).

As well, Foo Fighters, the American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994, were touring in support of their upcoming release – a live, acoustic recording dubbed Skin and Bones. The original five-piece band comprised Dave Grohl, guitars and vocals; Pat Smear, lead guitar; Chris Shiflett, guitars; Nate Mendel, bass; and Taylor Hawkins, drums. They were joined on stage by Rami Jaffee, Petra Haden and Drew Hester (playing piano, violin and percussion respectively).

Foo Fighters - Acoustic line-up - five of eight members shown.

Despite being a massively successful stadium act, Foo Fighters shouldered a heavy load of criticism from music fans. Many found their brand of up-tempo hard rock a bit formulaic and repetitive. A friend once said to me: "Every song sounds the same and Grohl isn't a good singer -- if it wasn't for his success as a drummer with Nirvana (his legendary first band with three albums on The 500) we wouldn't have ever heard of them."

Nirvana (Grohl on left).

I disagree with that opinion. Grohl has written some terrific and radio-friendly hits (Best Of You, Everlong, Times Like These, Learn To Fly, Big Me). Furthermore, the band (particularly Grohl and the late Taylor Hawkins) brought incredible positivity, enthusiasm and joy to their performances - not to mention philanthropy. Grohl clearly loves what he does and the high-energy Foo shows are punctuated by his levity and unbridled passion. Grohl was, in my opinion, destined to be a rock star ... and he clearly loves every minute of it.

Lumpy, my wife, Angela, and I had passed on an opportunity to see Grohl and his Foo Fighters  in New York City the previous summer.  We were there with 40 friends and family for Angela’s and my wedding. Foo Fighters were playing at The Beacon Theatre, but we opted to attend an event called Rock and Roll Karaoke at Arlene's Grocery in the Lower East Side (a story I shared in a 2021 blog post). Consequently, when the final note of Everlong rang through the John Labatt Centre in London on that November evening in 2006, Lumpy and I were on our feet in riotous applause.

About thirty minutes later, Dylan and his four-piece band hit the stage, opening with his 1965 hit, Maggie's Farm. It was one of a handful Dylan songs with which I was familiar – at the time. However, it was unrecognizable. Dylan had taken up an unusual arrangement which deceptively hid the original melody. He was positioned at a piano, stage left, and faced his band -- Doug Lancio, guitar; Tony Garnier, bass; Jim Keltner, drums; and Bob Britt, guitar. He  remained there for the entire 16-song set, never once playing guitar or singing at centre stage or even addressing the audience. Would "Hello, London" be too much to ask?

Dylan and his band -- if we got a wave from Dylan, I missed it.

Don't get me wrong. The musicianship was incredible and I was entertained, but his interaction with the audience was disappointing. In retrospect, I would have enjoyed the show much more now that I am familiar with more of his songs -- many from the aforementioned trilogy.

Comparing the two groups revealed a weird juxtaposition -- the somber, seemingly dour Dylan contrasting starkly with the high-energy, ebullient Grohl who punctuated his set with London-centric jokes and amusing stories and anecdotes - including one about his guitarist, Nate Mendel, encountering Bolognese sauce at the catering table and assuming it had bologna in it.

I am still not sure why the two acts were paired together. Throughout the show, Grohl made it clear that he and his band were delighted to be opening for "a legend". In an interview on VH1 Storytellers, Grohl  said Dylan was a fan of the  band, particularly their song Everlong. I suppose that is the difference. The Foo Fighters are entertainers first and musicians second. Dylan is pure musician.