Simon & Garfunkel - Scarborough Fair Canticle | My Reaction!!

[@gloriagaddy]

Thank you for reacting to this. For some reason, there are very few reactions to this gorgeous song and it's a shame so many people are unaware of its beauty.

[@stephaniegeer1691]

Agreed. More often reactors chose the regular version,its a shame really.🎶❤️✌🏻

[@JudyCarter-kl7be]

Back when music was magical, beautiful. A true work of art and worth listening to

[@brendatartaglia3861]

It was so magical. I could say they seemed channeled from a higher place

[@Athena621]

Still a number of good harmony groups around, here in 🇮🇪 we enjoy the songs of The Lost Brothers or Ye Vagabonds.

[@billofalltrades2633]

Exactly ! Well said !

[@dillodefense]

Nothing today can soothe the soul as much as Simon and Garfunkle.

[@drittttt]

Absolutely. But everyone needs to check out a duo called Kings of Convenience. Listen to every song of their first 3 albums. Probably the Simon and Garfunkel of the new millennium.

[@rrowe1961]

I don’t think they ever recorded a bad song most of their material is other worldly beautiful

[@headlibrarian1996]

Perhaps not bad per se, but the Bangles remake of Hazy Shade of Winter is miles above the original.

[@JR-dp5xm]

The lyrics not so clearly heard, but about war are "On the side of a hill in the deep forest green, tracing a sparrow on a snow-crested ground, Blankets and bedclothes, the child of the mountain sleeps unaware of a clarion call. On the side of a hill a sprinkling of leaves washes the grave with silvery tears. A soldier cleans and polishes a gun. War bellows blazing in scarlet battalions. Generals order their soldiers to kill and to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten."

[@Peter-oh3hc]

Those lyrics make the song imho. It hit hard as an early teen with Vietnam on the news every night

[@brendareum3771]

Thank you for explaining and providing these lyrics

[@JellaFan]

Love this song!

[@k9raven960]

This is 2 songs sang at the same time. Scarborough Fair / Canticle

[@TheDivayenta]

Scarborough Fair is an old English folk song. Paul wrote the Canticle verse as an anti war protest. So they are layering two Melodie’s at once.

[@irishgrl]

I detect no anti war lyrics. If you read them you’ll see it’s impossible instructions for the lady to complete to prove her love.

[@kims.schinkel8212]

​@@irishgrl, read her comment carefully. "Canticle" is the anti-war song.

[@SceptiGus]

Came in to say the same. We'll done

[@whiterabbit75]

I always thought it was a canon, where the second singer is repeating the same lyrics a measure or two behind the first. The lyrics are similar enough, that it's easy to miss.

[@kims.schinkel8212]

@@whiterabbit75, what you're describing is a round. This was a masterful use of the canon, the lyrics of which were totally opposite so as to present a thoughtful contrast of moods, even though the music sounded similar. A compelling reason to really listen to the lyrics.

[@inthedarkanonymous5625]

They don’t even touch the music. It just floats out of them.

[@scm0717]

Love this.

[@pamscarr8696]

"Scarborough Fair (fair) During the late Middle Ages the seaside town of Scarborough, in Yorkshire, was an important venue for tradesmen from all over England. It was host to a huge 45-day trading event starting on 15 August, and continuing until the end of September" The writer is asking someone if they are going there for the event. If they were, to look up this woman who was a seamstress. He wanted her to make him a shirt of a specific fabric and color. This seamstress had once been a true love of his.

[@stephanieharding9764]

The singer is asking them to do impossible things (such as make a shirt without seams or needlework and find an acre of land between the land and sea) before she will be his ‘truelove’. In other words ‘get lost’ but politely.

[@gigicostlow4414]

@@stephanieharding9764 And to reap it with a sickle of leather. One of the old versions of the song says to wash the shirt in a dry well. It is a medieval love song similar to some country and western ones. lol

[@papercup2517]

There's not a lot really to suggest the lady is a seamstress, since before industrialisation most women would have had a basic knowledge of needlework and garment construction. And making him a special shirt is not the only strange task he asks of her. Each task has a catch to it, that makes it impossible to fulfil. In other versions such as one I have in an old nursery rhyme book from the 1950s, the woman responds with reciprocal tasks she asks of the man, which are just as frustratingly impossible. I think the implication is clear, that for some reason, the union - or reunion - is impossible. It could be due to reasons of class, or the marital status of one or the other, which would put the song into the category of courtly/ chivalric love - a medieval concept from the days when girls were married off for economic and/or family alliance reasons many of which would have resulted in loveless marriages. Old lovers would have to be left behind as she entered her new life. To fill that aching space in the heart young men might court such ladies who were either married or well above their station, without any real hope of consummation. If she liked or loved him, she might give the man a token to wear into battle or jousting games, and he might compose beautiful poetry and songs for her...and so on... It was a fashion; I think it was conceived of as a very pure kind of love, because it was without expectation of marriage and with little chance of sexual contact. Or as has been suggested by some, this could be a ghost story and either one or both of the protagonists has died, making their future union unattainable. It's fascinating to unpick the various threads in the lyrics (like that intricate, magical cambric shirt) to see where they lead one.

[@lathedauphinot6820]

I had heard the song was as old as the Plague and that the reunion was unattainable because the lovers had “crossed over”, and that “parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme” was a corruption of something like “hearts, they say, grows merry in time” after a loved one is taken. But I wasn’t there then, so I don’t really know! P.S. I just listened to Martin Carthy, who taught the song to Paul Simon and Bob Dylan, sing the song, and he has a late verse: “When you have done and you’ve finished your work, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme; you can come to me for your cambric shirt. Then you’ll be a true love of mine.” So maybe one had crossed over and the other had not yet.?

[@papercup2517]

@@lathedauphinot6820 Yes, that was how my nursery rhyme book version ended, IIRC. That was after the list of her reciprocal demands to him. That quote was interesting, I don't think I'd heard that explanation before. It does sound similar (to P, S, R & T) if you mumble the words! Could well have altered over time. Although I did read another explanation, also related to death... I think it was that those herbs could be used for embalming a corpse or (perhaps more likely) scenting the casket in which the dead person lay.

[@Epic-vb7fi]

"Their vocals are massaging my brain"😂 how true

[@marypenebaker898]

My Middle School choir performed this song in a ratings competition in 1979. We received an excellent. To this day, I know my Alto part. ❤❤❤

[@gigicostlow4414]

My high school choir did it in 1977 or 78. I sang 2nd soprano then. We won at a school choir competition doing it. Still love the song as much now as I did then.

[@deborahcornell171]

@marypenebaker898 I was in Junior High (before it was called Middle School so yep, I'm old) when this song came out & I hoped our Choral group would do it. We didn't but we did do "My Heart Is Offered Still To You"..a beautiful 16th century Madrigal that helped us perform well in a couple of competitions. It was beautiful, haunting & gave me that same strange feeling all Medieval music gives me so I was happy with it.🩵✨️🩵

[@carla220]

The song is performed in layers. Canticle is the vocals in the background written by Art Garfunkle. The front vocals are actually a folk song sung in royal courts in England from the 1500's.

[@andrewspam]

Scarborough Faire is an old English folk song. Canticle is an anti-war poem. They blended the two together seamlessly.

[@mottjones2876]

One of my favorites by S&G. I love the way their voices go back and forth from in unison to the otherworldly harmonies. Not to mention the two melodies intertwined. Brilliant.

[@gregroberts8240]

Paul simon ,a song writer equil to lennon McCartney. and if ever a person were born for the sole purpose to sing its art Garfunkel! if you haven't checked out either 'the boxer ' or ' Mrs. Robinson ' you must . if u have , then Paul Simon's solo work ' still crazy after all these yrs' ...oh ,and S&G's ' my little town ' !

[@KATHYHenning]

It's like they know who comes in to steal your heart like a theif in the night.

[@Roughneck_723]

Great song very deep in meaning

[@Linda-w8d]

At the time of this release, us BABY BOOMERS were deep in the weekly deaths of our brothers, boyfriends, uncles in the Vietnam War. We sought Simon and Garfunkel in our bedrooms at night to get away from the weekly horrors of war that were being brought to us courtesy every night by CBS and NBC. A beautiful song, but brings back such traumatic memories for us. Thanks for this.

[@sharidyer4332]

Very true, Linda. It's also why I couldn't watch Forest Gump more than once.

[@magiegainey5036]

So beautiful. No auto tune. Just beautiful talent. ❤

[@yellowstonekat]

I’m happy you enjoy Simon and Garfunkel, Polo. Sending light n love

[@sandramoore]

Enchanting in every way. It's like time traveling back into the Middle Ages when we might believe that fairies could cast a spell on us that would last for 100 years.

[@SnailMailShell]

3:43 ❤ the dissonant harmony here! I like that they used the clavichord instead of a flute or woodwind to accompany the guitar.

[@leeswhimsy]

One of my very faves by them. It just transports me.

[@oldcatlover]

Simon and Garfunkel as well as The Association. The best that music had to give for it's time.❤❤❤

[@angb6561]

IMO...BREAD...should also be included in this group. They had a lot of hits.

[@Graciebeliever]

I watch this often. I love the song and the reaction.

[@13_13k]

This song always reminds me of being about 5 years old on Easter Sunday at the Catholic church my family went to and went to elementary school at. There were two guys and a girl about 18 or 20 years old and the girl was the older sister of a neighboring family and they had accoustic guitars and they sang this song in front of the whole packed church for Easter Mass. There must be seating for 300 or 400 people in that church. This would have been 1970 and very progressive for the church being that this was a "hippie" song to a lot of conservative Catholics. But they did an amazing job covering this song. It obviously made a huge impact on me.

[@globehopp3r]

This is a mid-17th century song that has been covered by a lot of artists. It's interesting to contrast this version with Bob Dylan's Girl from the North Country, which also samples the song and was also released in the 60s.

[@cmbaker1150]

A beautiful soft drift down the river on a raft. A truly enchanting song.

[@Beatlejamie]

The lyrics are awesome! A old English folk song intermixed with anti war slogans. This was an anti-Vietnam song so subtle it was played on the radio. Listen again “washes the grave with silvery tears“ “A soldier cleans and polishes a gun“ “Generals order their soldiers to kill” “To fight for a cause they’ve long ago forgotten” “War Bellows blazing in Scarlet battalions” It is a Paul Simon work of art

[@lynette.]

This song was the first Simon and Garfunkel I ever heard .Still gives me chills I also used to sing it in a folk group back then.

[@jakemoeller7850]

Simon and Garfunkel are a backdrop to my teen years. They will always be at the top of my musical favorites.

[@lorierush6561]

Beautiful and other worldly. Haunting.

[@rubbersole79]

Art Garfunkle was given the voice of an angel.

[@ClearlyBlissful]

I think you’d like The Association. Great harmonies with songs like “Never My Love” and “Cherish”.

[@buckleymordecai9605]

As you know by now, a 'Classic'.

[@tcanfield]

A series of impossible tasks is listed one after another + ......"then she'll be a true love of mine".

[@billbryant9995]

I've listened to this song many times, hundreds of times. It'll never grow old, a true gem. Another hidden gem of theirs is "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her." Thanks for this review!

[@scm0717]

Oh, I start playing "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" on repeat. I can't get enough of that song. So erethal and romantic.

[@billbryant9995]

@@scm0717 That's awesome, me too!

[@inakigarcia3476]

Agree! And also Kathy's Song...

[@dawnt5487]

April Come She Will is also a gem

[@scm0717]

@dawnt5487 💯

[@Hank-the-Writer]

The song is a painful weaving of love, beauty, and a bloody battle.

[@SmittenKitten.]

You might like the movie "The Graduate" with a young Dustin Hoffman. Not only is the OST excellent (a lot of S&G), but the themes and message are timeless.

[@beadybaby]

I think most school choruses do this song at one time or another. I had a radical teacher in seventh grade who had us sing “the boxer” in concert. There was a key word that was changed to wolves. Lol

[@lynnfallon6612]

My husband recently passed away. He loved it when you reacted to Lynryd Skynyrd

[@So-pp9nq]

An ethereal song to soothe our souls ✨❤️

[@melissagottlieb3381]

Great song ❤

[@yvesbarriere2922]

One of their best songs. The harpsichord bring us back to the 18th century. Very dreamlike. Excellent request .

[@pattymesagal2654]

i thank simon and garfunkel for putting this out -- when we were young (70 years ago) we got to listen to different songs and thoughts and to learn and grow.

[@snapdragon8888]

Such gentle harmonies.

[@revaflowers3115]

This is a very old medieval English folk song. I remember singing a version this in grade school back in the day. In the 60s when this version came out ,Art Garfunkel was listed as a co-writer. But not of the song ,just this arrangement I think.

[@loriprovencher8984]

It's actually two songs sung at the same time; Scarborough Fair and Canticle. Canticle was written by Paul as an anti-war song. Scarborough Fair is an old English folk song. If you look up the lyrics, Canticle lyrics appear in parentheses. Interestingly parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme are often used together in cooking. The tune always helps me remember which herbs go together.😄

[@cindyhardy915]

Dude. Listen and watch the live version with Andy Williams. It’s beautiful

[@kellwood1404]

I closed my eyes, was shocked at my reaction. It was a fav long ago.

[@headlibrarian1996]

Peter, Paul, and Mary were another folk group with a similar style, and were contemporaries of Simon and Garfunkel. Consider also Fairport Convention’s 1969 album Liege and Lief, specifically the tracks Matty Groves and Tam Lin, adapted from traditional British Isles folk material.

[@skmarrama]

This was a brilliant piece of music. Polo, take it deeper. The song is about soldier going off to war. One melody telling his true love to prepare for his burial. The alternate story is the soldier in war. The whole thing is so incredibly deep, you could study this for a while before you fully comprehend the lyrics.

[@billofalltrades2633]

Grew up in the 70s, some of the best music ever made! These guys can harmonize! A great pair of artists! Love your reaction!

[@nicholaschupka4150]

I love Paul Simon's guitar style and technique. This song is a perfect example of all the little flair he throws in here and there, all while singing those complex melodies.

[@nancymcdermott880]

It's a truly beautiful piece. It's wonderful how much you enjoyed this!

[@kathyolney4083]

This is another one of their beautiful songs!! It was time I just missed...but I loved their sound. It's so peaceful in our crazy world!! 💫 He was gonna meet someone at Scarborough Fair 😂😂😂

[@larryjurkovskis4612]

Folk music pure and from the Heart ❤️

[@gigicostlow4414]

Love this song. I was a little kid when Simon & Garfunkel released their version. The Canticle comes from their song, "The Side of a Hill" which is an antiwar (Vietnam war) song. Putting the 2 songs together this way was a genius idea imo. I have loved Simon & Garfunkel since the 60's.

[@kellyhoward6941]

I'm so glad you did this one!! I used to put headphones on, put in the 8-track tape of the album (yes, this was in the 70s), & let it, as you put it so well, massage my brain. Incredibly beautiful sound! Thanks, Polo!!

[@flutesong5527]

This song goes back to at least the 17th century and has been sung by many, many vocalists since then. Before Simon and Garfunkle, I heard this song as a lullaby.. This is the golden period of Simon and Garfunkle. I was in a trio, totally not famous, but adequate, that opened a folk concert that they played on. It was the most heady and amazing couple of hours. Peter, Paul and Mary, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez! I couldn't turn around without almost screaming like a fan-girl. These artists remain a driving force in folk music forever.

[@kellyhoulton2998]

One of my absolute favs. It's about war and is a protest song, in part.

[@devonvergiels5185]

So high on my list of making me feel relaxed and how I wish the the world would be.

[@steadfastneasy26]

@POLO REACTS If you seriously enjoyed the harmonies on this then you should def check out "Seven Bridges Road" by the Eagles. Part acapella. Very rich. You'll love it. "Time Canon" from Triumph is completely acapella and quite impressive also.

[@stephaniegeer1691]

Oh THANK YOU for checking this version !!! This is my ULTIMATE FAVORITE VERSION!!! S&G have the most SOOTHING voices and BEAUTIFUL harmonies…great reaction! 🎶❤️✌🏻

[@kak2tnt]

This was my first clarinet solo when I was I was in 6th grade. My Mama was so proud.

[@classicrocklady6288]

Couldn't wait for you to get to this one! For this one the lyrics are so important as they are actually singing two songs simultaneously. Loved your reaction, as always!

[@tracygahagan1872]

Not to take away from Simon and Garfunkel bc they are excellent, but another great band is America. I listened to them when I was a kid. in the 70s and it wasn't until this past year that I realized what a great sound they had. Their harmonies were excellent. One song of theirs is Sister Golden Hair.

[@Heartstrings_Skyla]

Lovely ❤

[@PamBoehmeSimon]

My absolute fav S&G song ever.

[@pixxz4737]

Back to my days of innocence 😊

[@ranmyaku4381]

This in fact 2 songs in one. The traditional Scarborough Fair originally written from a medieval melody. Simon & Garfunkle then wrote a secondary melody they masterfully entwined and was a protest song. Their harmonies are just so beautiful and haunting it's my favourite Simon & Garfunkle song. They also did an interesting version of Silent Night you might want to listen to this December. It's actually got a real nightly newscast in the background adding another layer to the simple carol.

[@sunshinespiritmindfulnessa1355]

I was just a kid when this came out, and I didn't know what it was about either, but I was mesmerized. Everything I ever wanted to hear in harmony started with these guys. Thanks!

[@nicolewhitt83]

Amazing harmonies can be heart with Crosby, Stills and Nash! More amazing songs!❤

[@megmodaff5989]

Crosby, Still and Nash have that brain massaging harmonic sound if you're interested

[@rebeccaryderagreetotally.5895]

Those days of our (I'm 75) were extraordinary musically. I still love their music and Paul Simon's since for ever as he soloed his albums except for background.

[@MichaelMcCall-o7z]

Hauntingly Beautiful

[@Goobie77]

You are one of several reactors I follow that remind me how lucky I am to have grown up during the most dynamic time of great music . S & G were popular during my youth.

[@marianfoley5821]

They just got together after a 15 year estrangement. As Art said since they both just turned 83 years old, there is no time to waste. Seems their lunch was a success & when Paul is in New York, they will see each other again. Art is hoping for a musical reunion.

[@franchk8372]

Always so loved this song. 💙

[@DorothySpang]

Sweet Sweet memories from this Beautiful Song 🎶 💕

[@productivepenguin8865]

Another great harmonizing group about this time is The Association with great songs like "Everything that Touches You", "Cherish"...

[@staudtj1]

Your reaction to this Song just reaffirms My Feeling that I grew up at the Best Time for Great Music. I was 8 in 63. You Know, Beatles/Stones Beginnings on World Stage. It was all uphill musically after that . . . Motown/Philly/Soul. We didn't have cell phones, lucky if we had a transistor radio, so the Music was everything!

[@ThomasBell-bx4js]

If you would like to hear more of their harmonies, another Paul Simon melody and his beautiful poetry, listen to The Dangling Conversation.

[@lanapoulliot7682]

I've always loved this song. I never realized it had antiwar lyrics in it

[@Jude_196]

OMG - Can't BELIEVE I MISSED THIS ONE!! One of my FAVS of ALL TIME!! Watching now: HOPE YOU ENJOYED it as much as I DO!!! :) HUGS!

[@kylekerwin4993]

Great way to put it Polo, they are mesmerizing. But your comment about their massaging your brain made me laugh because even though I never thought about their music in that sense. But spot on for that reaction. I agree they have such great harmonies together that I don’t think anyone else can match this level of harmony perfection. Yes there are other harmony greats throughout time (Ex. Bee Gees), It’s hard pressed to say who’s the best of all time, but Simon and Garfunkel have to be one if not the greatest.

[@andylynch473]

Kathy's song and April comes she will ❤

[@jossetteking4967]

Absolutely beautiful and magickal. I love this song. I find it very peaceful and relaxing. Thank you for reacting to it.

[@susandecorrevont2262]

There is two different songs that they layered for this song! So beautiful

[@d_Howard]

The album that this song is from has many more delightful offerings. Worth a listen.

[@KATHYHenning]

This is beautiful.

[@jonathansmith3742]

She once was a true love of mine.

[@channonskinner50]

This is one of my favorite songs. However, as a kid I remember watching Paul Simon do this with the Muppets. If you get to see it, it is SO much fun.

[@chadjohns6955]

This song sounds like a dream sequence

[@georgelynch6139]

Intertwining 2 separate songs together into one, sad it’s related to the evil of war but with such angelic vocals

[@beabarber4300]

This isn't just one song - it's two. The base song is a very old British folk song - Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme - which is about a lover's quarrel. The format is very old - very like call and response singing but in a format that a LOT of these old British songs have. For example, John Barleycorn. The man starts it off by saying he'll be her true love again if she makes him a cambric (fine linen) shirt with no seams or needlework - an impossible task. She comes back at him by saying she'll be his true love again if he ploughs an acre of land between the sea and the high tide mark, then plants it with one peppercorn, reaps it with a sickle of leather and gathers the harvest in a bunch of heather (twiggy brushy scrub plant). All of which is impossible. Intertwined with that is a poem which I think comes from the first world war (could be wrong about that) about the futility and cruelty of war. This version came out at the height of the anti-Vietnam war protest movement, and became something of an anthem for that cause. Andre Previn (famous composer & classical musician) plays the harpsichord in the background. A truly beautiful song, loaded with meaning.

[@StingrayMk1]

That was a good one, Polo! ❤🎉

[@pamelamyers9613]

Beautiful

[@krisstone-tolcher579]

There is a beautiful live version with Andy Williams. Amazing harmonies

[@jamesloughran7278]

I watch many reactors here and you are the first one to reacts to this song. It's c my favorite asimon and Garfunkle and Iove your description of it massaging your brain.