SIMON & GARFUNKEL - THE BOXER | REACTION

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This is a reaction video used to educated and give my feedback on the song and artist
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[@lala_sparkles8035]

Chod, the drum machine hadn't been invented when this was recorded. This song took over 100 hours to record in multiple locations, including NYC, Nashville, and St. Paul's Chapel at Columbia University. "The legendary session drummer Hal Blaine created the huge drum sound with the help of producer Roy Halee, who found a spot for the drums in front of an elevator in the Columbia offices. As recounted in the 2011 Making of Bridge Over Troubled Water documentary, Blaine would pound the drums at the end of the "Lie la lie" vocals that were playing in his headphones, and at one point, an elderly security guard got a big surprise when he came out of the elevator and was startled by Blaine's thunderous drums."

[@StevenQ74]

Yes, also Simon and Garfunkel worked with "The wrecking crew" kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYmYc3adotdqqsk

[@lala_sparkles8035]

@@StevenQ74 Thanks for the link! Found the movie on Amazon, looking forward to watching it.

[@w.geoffreyspaulding6588]

Sounds like a bit later Zeppelin had the same idea about the drums with When the Levee Breaks when they recorded the record at Hedley Grange.

[@TheToscanaMan]

@@StevenQ74 didn't know The Wrecking Crew. Thanks. Sounds a bit like The Funk Brothers and every Motown hit that ever was. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Funk_Brothers

[@shyphyre]

Both groups of session musicians were contemporaries during the 60s and 70s

[@davidroberts4769]

Drum machines didn't exist when this song was recorded.

[@CCDzine]

Many folk don't recognize how great that fingerpicking is on the guitars.

[@martinsmusic1724]

"....and he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him 'til he cried out..." if that isn't a metaphor for life I've never heard one.

[@angelika_munkastrap4634]

My fave line in the whole song

[@kestrelle5345]

And yet the fighter still remains. You know, the dude abides.

[@sukie584]

The bass harmonica is the strange sounding instrument. It adds so much!

[@WILBURNREACTIONS]

Thank you! Learned something new today. Didn't even know that instrument existed

[@lisarainbow9703]

I assumed it was a Jew's Harp, the sound is similar...

[@WILBURNREACTIONS]

@@lisarainbow9703 Going to go look up these fine instruments now

[@sukie584]

@@lisarainbow9703 understandable, but Bass Harmonica!

[@jamesdignanmusic2765]

So many great instrumental textures in this track. I love the end of the "Lie la lie" crescendo" at the end of the track when a tuba (I think) come in for about eight bars to just reinforce the sound.

[@jeffmartin1026]

"I have squandered my resistance for a pocket full of mumbles, such are promises". That line slays me every time. The opening segment of the first episode of Saturday Night Live after 9/11 Paul Simon ( a NYC resident) sang this song while surrounded by NYPD & Fire Fighters. When he sang the lines "but the fighter still remains" is still one of the most emotional moments of my life.

[@WMalven]

"The Sounds of Silence," "Homeward Bound," and "The 59th Street Bridge Song" are among their earlier hits...all great songs.

[@BethHutter]

I've said it many times- this is one of those albums that you could play from beginning to end and not find a bad song. I've always thought the sound of the drums was supposed to replicate the sound of a boxing glove...but maybe that's just me.

[@NormStrauss]

Boxing glove. Never thought of that before. I think you might be right.

[@thatrobguy]

Check out the recording of this song from The Concert in Central Park. They add an extra verse to the song: Now the years are rolling by me They are rockin' evenly I am older than I once was And younger than I'll be That's not unusual Nor it isn't strange After changes upon changes We are more or less the same After changes we are more or less the same

[@georgelynch6139]

Wow

[@teib757]

glad you know it!

[@Elerad]

That's fantastic. I've heard this song a million times and I never knew there was a "lost verse". Thanks for sharing that.

[@janetf23]

Whenever I'm feeling a little low all I have to do is put on "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon and I feel great again! What a wondrous world we live in that gave us Paul Simon!! 💖

[@Elerad]

I'm glad you enjoyed this so much. It's always been my favorite Simon & Garfunkel piece. Always gives me chills.

[@keymack2477]

"Sound of Silence", "America", "The 59th Street Bridge Song", "Scarborough Fair", "I Am A Rock", "Homeward Bound". And then Paul Simon went on to have a long and brilliant solo career after the duo split! And the live versions of any of these songs from their concert in Central Park are just amazing!!

[@heybooradley4495]

As a kid I used to sneak this album from my brother's room so I could play & dance to Cecelia over and over. Gotta love the xylophone!

[@debralang9467]

Yes! You get the song. The line that's your favorite? That's the one most of us have never forgotten, still shakes us 50 years later. Perhaps try their song, America, next? It's another which tells a story and takes us on a journey with them back there in the 1960's.

[@gwensnyder8313]

Please listen to “America” next!

[@dennisdye7270]

Yes,then listen the the cover of America by Yes

[@brandonious7732]

Their most underrated song is in am a rock. Nobody ever talks about it. So poetically deep.

[@anthonyv1719]

No drum machines in 1967.

[@WILBURNREACTIONS]

Thanks for that clarification. I did not know this was made in 67. That makes more sense also with the drum sound. Vintage forsure

[@wendylynn4318]

Heavy reverb on the snare drum. The album version was recorded in 1969 for the 1970 album release. The original single version was different.

[@georgelynch6139]

The drum machines were human 😎

[@WILBURNREACTIONS]

@@wendylynn4318 I actually want a snare drum from that era 1960's ludwig stainless steel

[@revevsetcandwhatnot8484]

That line in the last verse..."in the clearing stands a boxer...I am leaving, but the fighter still remains" hits home so hard. It conveys that feeling of being in that untenable situation, that you can't bear, but you do... You suffer through. Your still remain because, in that instance, you have to. It's so powerful to me. Paul Simon was a masterful lyricist.

[@tomc4311]

That end verse puts a lump in my throat every time. The anger and emotion in their voices as they sing "or cut him til he cried out" and the drum pound on the 'cut'. This song really is magical stuff and art at its finest

[@gowers1972]

It's interesting to note that the lyrics of the song switch from first person to third person at the moment he sings, "In the clearing stands a boxer..."; this begins to show that his experience is one that is shared by everyone else too, regardless of how it began.

[@dinaghikas7933]

This is a 20th-century masterpiece, that's what. The lyrics and music are in perfect unison. The instrumental at the end is like being haunted by inner demons and traumatic memories, with those eerie strings, demonic brass and harmony like a chorus of lost souls.

[@brucedillinger9448]

Agree!! 💯%

[@Me-fr7yj]

Well said

[@siridh1]

The instrumental at the end is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever and its so moving.

[@keithjones6023]

The Boxer and America have for a long time been two of my favourite songs from this great duo. This song is absolutely faultless in every way, the lyrics and the vocals, sung so beautifully, l will never get tired of listening to this one! The words 'they don't write them like this any more' are true with this one l think!

[@slimpickins9124]

Man there were a lot of groups in the day. Yes the poetry in this song is classic.

[@douglasleinbach6313]

Glad you did the audio version. Thanks. Also think you would enjoy Hazy Shade of Winter. Their best imho.

[@mspicer3262]

You gotta check out "I am a Rock", "Cecilia", "El Condor Pasa", "America", "For Emily, Where Ever I May Find Her", "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" and "The 59th Street Bridge Song"... that should keep you busy for a while :)

[@kevinmcconnell9426]

In the early 1970’s a Paul Simon songbook for guitar was two volumes, both 2” thick. Spent a lot hours singing Paul Simon music. Nobody knows what “59th street bridge song” is, but everybody knows the song “feelin groovy”;) Bah diddly do dah feelin groovy;)

[@aaronbredon2948]

​@Kevin McConnell the 59th Street Bridge song is such an upbeat song about a depressing/utilitarian looking bridge - the Queensboro Bridge.

[@MoMoMyPup10]

It's always been my favorite S & G song going back decades for me, and the more I hear it on these reaction channels (and clearly through top level headphones) I believe it's one of the Top 5 songs ever composed. The sound wave they recorded is beyond epic.

[@kens32052]

The song has only one drumbeat, and played during the 'lie-la-lie' refrain. The session drummer Hal Blaine created the heavily reverberated drum sound with the help of producer Roy Halee, who found a spot for the drums in front of an elevator in the Columbia offices. The recording of the drum was recorded as the song was being played live by the musicians. Blaine would pound the drums at the end of the "Lie la lie" vocals that were playing in his headphones, and at one point, an elderly security guard got a big surprise when he came out of the elevator and was startled by Blaine's thunderous drums. Hal Blaine recounted the recording process, "There we were with all these mic cables, my drums, and a set of headphones," says Blaine. "When the chorus came around - the 'lie-la-lie' bit - Roy had me come down on my snare drum as hard as I could. In that hallway, right next to this open elevator shaft, it sounded like a cannon shot! Which was just the kind of sound we were after."

[@Weyland_Yutani_Corp]

Story goes that in order to get that unique drum sound, they recorded the drums in front of an elevator shaft with the drummer pounding the hell out of the kit.

[@alanlantz8663]

A masterpiece indeed. A copy of this album is in the Smithsonian Institute

[@jerrycote659]

The drum portion was recorded in an elevator vestibule of the CBS studios building because of the way the sound came through so fully and so big. No drum machines. Glad you loved the song, it is a masterpiece as you noted. For a different side of Simon & Garfunkel check out “Cecilia”, “I Am A Rock”, “Mrs. Robinson”

[@simianinc]

Dude, these are real instruments - no sampling or drum machines in 1969/70. The album took months to record because Paul Simon is a perfectionist, and it was the first album to be recorded on 16 tracks

[@josephjones328]

Back in the 1960s I saw Simon and Garfunkel Live with an orchestra. They did this to perfection and back then, I don't believe it was any such thing as a drum machine, but I will check.

[@patrician7445]

Beautiful reaction to my favorite Simon and Garfunkel song! I saw them in concert and was heartbroken - as were so many of us - when their short partnership ended. I still play their album. All their songs are just the best!

[@lisarainbow9703]

They didn't have drum machines when this was recorded, these were all authentic instruments.

[@elaine8013]

I still cry when I hear this song. When you're young you strive and fight for your dreams and sometimes you have to let go. Doesn't mean you stop being a fighter, you just have to change the dreams. Drum machines had not been invented when this song was recorded.

[@jimmyfortrue3741]

There were no drum machines back then. Just outstanding production.

[@supasoulproductions]

Bass harmonica is that curious sound you are hearing. Paul Simon has used that several times in his catalog.

[@allendaveo]

Excellent Choice ! I grew up during this era. I envy you hearing the 1000's of great tunes for the 1st time. GOD BLESS AND ENJOY TRIP!!!!!

[@terrymayerful]

All the instrumentality is authentic...lots to compose and mix into this creation.

[@TheClonemenot]

I was so enthralled with your evaluation of the song I almost forgot to thumbs up the video. Good evaluation, thumbs this up people.

[@gregpusczek4473]

CLASSIC SONG WRITERS, MUSICIANS AND TALENT

[@J_Gamble]

Always like to hear your unique and honest interpretations. Thanks for this song. Maybe my all time favorite since I was a kid.

[@antarcticorb9197]

If you could not play your instruments back then you wouldn't last two seconds on the stage.

[@Peter-oh3hc]

Simon and Garfunkel didn't put out many albums, but each has so many great songs. I add my vote to every song mentioned below

[@daveloboda1769]

One of their best from a huge number of great songs. Try "Kathy's Song" which Art Garfunkel describes as Paul Simon's best love song.

[@ninline2000]

Bridge over Troubled Water by these guys is beautiful. The pure sound of that voice is amazing.

[@GGLee315]

Baby, 1965! I was 9 years old. No synthesizers, no drum machines everything was organic back then.

[@gkingsman]

drum machine ...dude this was recorded in 1968 no auto tune no drum machine ....just talent

[@bangmon1000]

I believe this is the first time you have heard them singing together. In your Simon & Garfunkel reaction it was only Art Garfunkel singing live. You also reacted to Paul Simon singing "Ace in the Hole", which was from his solo career. They have so many great songs when they sang together and Paul Simon has many great song in his solo career.

[@beeboppbaby]

There is so much going on with the symbolism of the instrumentation in this beautiful song. The sound like a leather glove on a punchbag,the rythm of his feet when warming up with a skipping rope...so much all the way through.

[@surlechapeau]

Chod, Great Reaction!!!! their "Sounds Of Silence" is amazing, especially Art's voice. Big catalog for S&G, and Paul Simon's solo career

[@sorrystaunton]

Hal Blaine, the legendary drummer on this song, would be highly insulted if he thought anyone thought this was a drum machine......no fakery on this recording!!!! All MUSICIANS!!!!

[@SueProst]

Paul Simon is a musical and lyrical genius. Art sings like an angel but Paul is up there with Bob Dylan. Great reaction to the lyrics and music. Really enjoyed watching. That drum was like the blows of the boxing gloves.

[@RadCenter]

The guitar work on this recording is exquisite.

[@amyk9175]

Read the Wikipedia article on instruments used in the recording of this song. Then give it another listen. I haven’t listened with headphones but I would like to see if I can pick up on the sound of breathing that is mentioned.

[@angelika_munkastrap4634]

They used breathing in it? Wow Maybe it's that imhaa imhaa sound used during the verses?

[@debbiechang5781]

“Sounds of Silence” is a must listen!

[@violboy]

Paul Simon of Simon and Garfunkel wrote all the songs. He is arguably one of the greatest American songwriters. So many great tracks from the 5 albums he made with Art Garfunkel before he started his solo career, and many more incredible tracks after. As for more S&G listen next to "America" , "For Emily Wherever I may find her", ”Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme"

[@CharCanuck14]

My favourite Simon & Garfunkel song. Thanks Chod!

[@Pelza20]

The refrain is big here too. It's not la la la la la ...it's lie lie lie lie. This song meant the world to me when I was going through a very difficult time.

[@rippog1]

No drum machines were harmed in the making of this music... it’s all down to how the drums were miked up.

[@2715bunky]

Please react to "Mrs. Robinson" next. I guarantee that you will thank me!

[@LaStarza61]

There was no drum machine used in this song. But thank you for reacting to this song! I would highly recommend their song "Mrs. Robinson" or "I Am a Rock".... both incredible songs!

[@colincampbell5967]

there are certain albums that you need to have in your collection and this is one of them

[@stevenblustein675]

When this song was recorded, drum machines did not exist.

[@unclefrank4455]

The drum machine hadn't been invented yet when this song was made.

[@hackermusic3355]

"The fighter still remains" is my favorite line also. When we are beaten down we have no choice other than to keep on battling.

[@stevevasell429]

I recommend " I Am A Rock " as both a beautiful melody and powerful lyrics.

[@rk41gator]

So many of S&G songs are epic. This one definitely on so many levels. The low sound might be a bass trombone. It sounds like an actual brass instrument. Such good production on this album.

[@richardlyle721]

In the late 60s, there were no drum machines!

[@dannycasson1551]

You have now entered rarified air. I can’t wait!

[@daveperryman291]

The sweet la la lies mixed with the pounding in the background makes a great juxtaposition. The Boxer and the fighter.

[@alanmatthews9945]

Drum machine?????? That's the late great Hal Blaine, one of the brilliant, ubiquitous at the time, L.A. session musicians collectively known as 'The Wrecking Crew'. That unique, heavily reverberated snare sound was famously recorded in an elevator. The deep sound that came in right at the end is orchestral brass, I'm guessing tuba.

[@cspringer333]

S&G took folk music and added orchestras and other instruments to be one of the ground breakers in Folk. There were others at that time also, Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Stone Ponys, etc. Here's an interesting fact about The Sounds of Silence. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Silence The instruments were added without their knowledge and it went from a little airplay to a hit.

[@edh7071]

There's so much "interpretation" involved that the song itself dies under the "microscope". I was 23 yrs old at the time. The message was completely different from what the "modern" (80s, 90s 2010,etc) people seem to be able to interpret. They're not able (or probably even totally incapable) of capturing the essence or true intent of Messrs Simon and Garfunkle's lyrics. In short, you really had to "be there" to know what they meant at the time. --- Another example of "time" vs "intent."

[@VampeyMK]

That's Simon & Garfunkel. They are something special. You should also hear some of Paul Simons solo songs. I would recommend... "The Obvious Child". I bet you like the drumming in this one! :D

[@spindletopcenter]

I always thought of the boxer as a black person who is very smart, but his fists are his best way to a job. If I take it back half a century, I think of him as Irish or polish or Italian. It's a very sad song about a person who is so much better than his circumstances

[@hongfang2508]

Paul Simon is a great song writer, lyrics and music. Both are good in this song. Paul's best lyrics IMO can be found in Sounds of Silence and when he went solo, in the song American Tune. I also love the lyrics in S & G's 'America'.

[@davidlightfoot348]

Fingerpicking the guitar, Paul Simon is a great fingerpicker.

[@greymomma]

I grew up with Simon and Garfunkel and when I heard this I immediately thought the sound of that drum to be the 'punch' being thrown at the man by life as he struggled. The end of the song, speaking of the boxer being struck down and getting up was a note to the man to do the same. Simon and Garfunkel were fabulous storytellers. They were geniuses in using their music to help in the protests at that time. I'm forever a fan.

[@johnlillis1161]

you already know what im going to say lol JOE COCKER UNCHAIN MY HEART

[@brandonious7732]

Of you like poetry. They have a song called"I am a rock". It is in my opinion one of the deepest, most poetic songs. It really makes you think.

[@altaclipper]

This was no drum machine That was all instruments, acoustic tricks and sheer genius. No synths, no electronics. I don't think drum machines even existed when this was recorded.

[@tracylowe9994]

No drum machine in those days..pure talent

[@martinsmusic1724]

For your next S&G try Kodachrome or Mrs Robinson

[@moniqueleroux2198]

This was early 60's....no drum machines!

[@baronofgreymatter14]

you are so hilarious. No such animal as a drum machine. Heck computers filled an entire room. This is ALL ANALOGUE. If its pre 1980s its analogue

[@desertrat4453]

Did they have drum sound machines in the late 1960’s? I don’t think so. Please do Paul Simon live in Hyde Park, Call Me Al. Simon and his wife were invited to dinner at an Embassy and were introduced as Al and Betty. He went home and wrote a song, the performance is lively and magical.

[@ZartmoBThoughtForms]

No drum machines or sequencers--didn't exist. Back then...real composer musicians playing their own instruments and singing. Such musicians still exist, but they're getting buried under the artificial crap.

[@Richarddraper]

Emmylou Harris did a beautiful bluegrass style version of this that is well worth a listen.

[@douglasleinbach6313]

Anything buy Emmylou Harris is good.

[@marckusel5602]

Drum Machine lol I don't even think there were cassettes yet. I had this on 8 track.

[@61MARCOP]

Excellent reaction as usual!

[@kimdoe6812]

A masterpiece sums it up.

[@moniqueleroux2198]

Great production quality!

[@mikeb36240]

No electronic effects or drum machine in 1969. The crash sound after "Lie Lie Lie" is a drum placed in front of a elevator shaft and recorded.

[@DawnSuttonfabfour]

Nothing inauthentic here. Just good ole talent.

[@karlpiepenburg3157]

“Seeking a connection with the human race,” Continue striving despite being knocked down. Isolated loneliness, selling out, living with lies from within and without

[@sammybeck7794]

There are no machines in this song. This is way before there were drum machines and Auto-Tune. You really had to play an instrument. Imagine that

[@davidleatherneck]

And, as it is today, the voices get almost drowned out by the 'noise' at the end of the song.

[@donjenkins3861]

What the Hell is a drum machine? Son this is pure Art. We didn't need Machines! Get a Grip. 😡😡🤔😎

[@hongfang2508]

A Moog Synthesizer was available to Simon and Garfunkel. Don't know if they used one but Beatles certainly did. Drum machines weren't around back then.

[@101mosquitos]

The 1st time a Moog synthesiser was played in the history of popular music was by Robert Moog himself the 14th of December, 1967 for the recording of the song "Save the Life of my Child" by... Simon & Garfunkel, included in their album "Bookends" en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Save_the_Life_of_My_Child

[@hongfang2508]

@@101mosquitos ---Interesting. Thanks for the info. Paul McCartney has a video where he took viewers inside their studio (Abbey Road studio as I recall) to show them how Beatles made music. Paul displayed and played a moog synthesizer. That's where I learned that Beatles used a Moog synthesizer.

[@CCDzine]

There is bass harmonica in this song. Is that what you asked about? Quincy Jones created perhaps the most famous bass harmonica lick in the opening notes of the Sanford & Son TV show theme song.

[@angelika_munkastrap4634]

I can only imagine a big band recording of this song live. With all natural instruments, including the kazoo at the beginning. And that bass harmonica creating that sound like a big ship coming into harbour, loved it. Here are some more great songs by them to discover: "Sound of Silence" "Mrs Robinson" "Scarborough Fair" "I Am A Rock" "A Hazy Shade of Winter" "Cecilia" "Homeward Bound" "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" "Kathy's Song" "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feeling Groovy)" All awesome songs

[@timgeary4550]

Don't forget American Tune!

[@angelika_munkastrap4634]

I just went to listen to it to see what it is and I dont really know America. I guess it never played on the radio here much in Australia, not like the others did.