The Boxer: Simon and Garfunkel
When I was in the Peace Corps, getting a box was like celebrating Christmas. My mother sent foods like macaroni and cheese, candy, games and music. My sisters chose the music. They sent the album Bridge Over Troubled Water. I wore it out.
It was released in 1970.
Tags: Simon and Garfunkel
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
June 1, 2010 at 10:45 am
yousendit link:
http://rcpt.yousendit.com/882525955/fc16b248aa56c9f9359102168ba5f8d3
June 1, 2010 at 5:51 pm
I love this song for its wonderful lateral harmony on the last “I am leaving, I am leaving” section..lovely..
as for its history –
In his 1984 Playboy interview, Simon revealed that he wrote this song when critics were writing harsh things about his music – he was the boxer. Said Simon: “I think the song was about me: everybody’s beating me up, and I’m telling you now I’m going to go away if you don’t stop. By that time we had encountered our first criticism. For the first few years, it was just pure praise. It took two or three years for people to realize that we weren’t strange creatures that emerged from England but just two guys from Queens who used to sing rock’n’roll. And maybe we weren’t real folkies at all! Maybe we weren’t even hippies!”
This song took over 100 hours to record. Locations included Nashville, St. Paul’s church in NYC, and Columbia studios
Legendary session drummer Hal Blaine created the huge drum sound during the chorus by banging a heavy chain against the concrete floor of an empty storage closet.
The Li-li-li chorus was inspired by the song “July, You’re A Woman” by John Stewart released in 1968. Stewart was a member of The Kingston Trio and a friend of Paul Simon.
Simon intended “The Boxer” to be the theme song for “Midnight Cowboy”. But after they chose Nilsson’s “Everybody’s Talkin at Me” for the movie instead, Simon tacked on that part about the boxer at the end. Which explains why there’s no correlation between the first 75% of the song and the verse about the boxer.
June 1, 2010 at 11:15 pm
sblake,
Again, you have filled in all the gaps. The song makes more far sense to me now.
I always find the sources and backgrounds of the music fascinating.
June 1, 2010 at 8:43 pm
I just heard Paul Simon sing this very song last week at my son’s college graduation from Brandeis University. Paul Simon was given an honorary degree and agreed to sing one song. This is the song he chose. It was a very energetic and raucous graduation, but when Paul Simon started to sing you could have heard a pin drop. Absolutely wonderful and a graduation I will never forget. Very special for us parents who grew up on Simon and Garfunkel.
June 1, 2010 at 11:16 pm
Sara,
I read about this in the Boston Globe, and I wished I had heard him. Now I’m jealous of you being there.
June 2, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Kat, Brandeis has the video up on their website: http://www.brandeis.edu/commencement/2010/video/simonsong.html
June 2, 2010 at 4:49 pm
Wow,
I sat and listened as if I was hearing it for the first time. The faculty in the back was great to watch. Some has smiles throughout most of the song. I know exactly what they were feeling.
Thanks!