Punky's Dilemma
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| "Punky's Dilemma" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Simon & Garfunkel | |
| from the album Bookends | |
| Recorded | October 5, 1967 |
| Genre | Folk rock |
| Length | 2:10 |
| Label | Columbia |
| Songwriter | Paul Simon |
| Producers | Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, John Simon |
"Punky's Dilemma" is a song by American music duo Simon & Garfunkel from their fourth studio album, Bookends (1968).
"Punky's Dilemma" was one of two songs (the other being "Overs") that Paul Simon offered to director Mike Nichols for his film The Graduate.[1] Nichols was not particularly taken with either, which led to Simon writing "Mrs. Robinson".[1]
The song was partially worked on by John Simon (no relation),[2] who was hired to "kick-start" the recording when Paul Simon had writer's block.[3] Morgan Ames, writer for High Fidelity magazine, attended a recording session during which "Punky's Dilemma" was being constructed, in October 1967.[2] The team spent over 50 studio hours recording "Punky's Dilemma", re-recording vocal parts, sometimes note by note, until they were satisfied.[4]
Composition
"Punky’s Dilemma" is breezy and minimal musically, with a soft jazz-style percussion and seemingly improvised guitar lines dominated by seventh chords.[5] As rock critic Robert Christgau wrote, the song "seems the essence of lightheartedness on casual hearing but is really a poignant and ironic presentation of a young man's military alternatives: resisting or playing along with the draft."[6]
Notes
References
- 1 2 Eliot 2010, p. 90.
- 1 2 Fornatale 2007, p. 66.
- ↑ Fornatale 2007, p. 62.
- ↑ Simon & Garfunkel interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
- ↑ Bennighof 2007, p. 39.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (1973). Any Old Way You Choose It. Cooper Square Press. p. 169. ISBN 0815410417.
Sources
- Bennighof, James (2007). The Words and Music of Paul Simon. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-99163-0.
- Eliot, Marc (2010). Paul Simon: A Life. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-43363-8.
- Fornatale, Pete (2007). Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends. Rodale. ISBN 978-1-59486-427-8.
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Live albums | |
| Compilation albums | |
| Box sets | |
| Soundtrack albums | |
| Videos | |
| Discographies | |
| Other | |
| Sounds of Silence |
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|---|---|
| Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme | |
| Bookends |
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| Bridge over Troubled Water |
|
| Other singles | |
| Other songs | |
