The Fighter Still Remains - 2

I have a dear friend, originally from Occupied Khalistan, who I am trying to teach about Western (as opposed to Eastern not as opposed to Country-Western) popular music. Last night I watched on PBS the concert where Paul Simon was awarded the Gershwin Award for popular music. With a shock, I realised that I had completely overlooked Paul Simon. My bad! My very, very, very bad!

To rectify that, I sent, as his three top songs "The Sounds of Silence,""Bridge Over Troubled Waters" and, of course, "The Boxer." I also sent a bunch of my personal favourites: "Patterns," "El Condor Pasa," "My Little Town" and one other, I forget right now. Any of my readers who are old enough to remember these songs or young enough to have rediscovered them, please let me know of your favourite Paul Simon songs. This means YOU! Especially the intrepid pp and the lovely S. S.

"The Boxer" has this special meaning to me. I assume that when I die my wishes to go as quietly and unnoticed as possible will be ignored and there will be a funeral. If so, I insist, I INSIST that everyone sing together loudly and with great enthusiasm the last verse of "The Boxer," the part starting at "In the clearing stands a boxer..." This is how I want to be remembered, as that crazy lady who often wanted to give up, but never had it in her, so that when she has departed to better things, to be with her Guru, still she remains. Here is one of my favourite renditions, from Joan Baez. I know in this recording, her brilliant soprano has faded a bit, her beautiful long, shiny, black hair has been lightened and bobbed and she's wearing entirely too much make up. Still listening to our Joannie is always a treat, eh?

First, Joannie, as I remember her best (Were we really all so young and innocent once?):

And now, the more current video of an older, bobbed hair, made up Joan