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Paul Simon & Friends
Gershwin Prize for Popular Song
(Shout! Factory)
First Appeared in The Music Box, June 2009, Volume 16, #6
Written by John Metzger
Mon June 15, 2009, 06:30 AM CDT
Few songwriters in the history of American music are truly worthy contenders
for the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Named after George and Ira Gershwin,
the award was initiated by the Library of Congress in 2007. Considering the
tremendous levels of depth and diversity that the Gershwins exhibited in their
work, it will be difficult to maintain a consistent stream of nominated artists
who are capable of standing toe-to-toe with the brotherly team. While Bob Dylan
would have been the obvious choice to be honored first, the government
institution instead tapped Paul Simon to be its inaugural selection; strangely,
Dylan has yet to be decorated, as Stevie Wonder was named the second and only
other recipient.
To draw attention to the newly created award, a star-studded concert was held
in Simon’s honor at Washington, D.C.’s Warner Theatre. Throughout the evening,
an array of artists — from James Taylor to
Stephen Marley — assembled to perform
his songs. Simon himself even made a brief appearance, rekindling his
collaborative relationships with Art Garfunkel, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and the
Dixie Hummingbirds on Bridge over Troubled Water, Diamonds on the
Soles of Her Shoes, and Loves Me Like a Rock, respectively. He also
unveiled Father and Daughter, which, oddly enough, was the only song to
be featured that was written after the release of his blockbuster comeback
outing Graceland. A few archival videos were also incorporated into the
program’s architecture, including Simon’s duet with George Harrison on
Homeward Bound, which was taken from Saturday Night Live, as well as
the mesmerizing and haunting rendition of Mrs. Robinson that he delivered
during a public memorial service for baseball star Joe DiMaggio.
The real highlights of the concert, however, were the interpretations of
Simon’s material that were presented as he waited in the wings. Within the hands
of others, his songs gently were pushed away from their moorings and given ample
room to breathe. Frequently, they drifted closer to the various genres from
which Simon originally had pulled his ideas. Dianne Reeves, for example, steered
Something So Right toward its jazz-imbued, R&B-inspired roots, while
Yolanda Adams and Jessy Dixon turned Gone at Last into a rousing,
gospel-soul revival. Elsewhere, Marc Anthony embraced the fiery salsa beat of
Late in the Evening, and pianist Philip Glass built the intricate guitar
patterns of Sounds of Silence into a majestic, classical composition.
At other moments, Simon’s tunes simply gained new perspectives. The ghosts of
Southern life floated through the ethereal atmosphere conjured by Alison Krauss
and Jerry Douglas on Graceland, while
Lyle Lovett found the wry humor as
well as the torment that lurks inside 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.
There’s no doubt that over the years, Simon’s songs have become such familiar
companions that it’s easy to miss how restless his spirit typically has been. In
truth, he seamlessly has incorporated an amazing breadth of musical styles into
his compositions. The sum total of the nearly two-hour extravaganza that was
held to acknowledge his receipt of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song
undeniably was a strange meshing of commerce and art. Yet, it also emphatically
made a clear-cut case for any doubters. While his selection may have been
surprisingly unconventional, Simon was utterly deserving of the honor.  ½
Of Further Interest...
Brett Dennen - So Much More
Paul Simon - You're the One
Various Artists - Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan
Gershwin Prize for Popular Song is available from Amazon.
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2009 The Music Box
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