Kathy's Song

Tonight I had the interesting privilege to hear The Paul Simon Songbook. It's pre-fame, and (for the most part) pre-production. It's a raw example of how Paul Simon cut his teeth in his early songwriting/recording career. It shows that he was destined for greatness from the start.

As an aside, I feel it's relevant to mention here that Paul Simon is my favorite since way back. The whole story is for another day, but for now suffice it to say that he is sort of my "musical father."

Everyone at my friend's house had at least a working knowledge of Simon, and Simon and Garfunkel, so this early work great discussion fodder for late in an evening. About halfway through the album we all took pause as we were drawn in to one of the most captivating pieces: "Kathy's Song." For me, the reason it was so fascinating went beyond the delicacy of the poetry or the purity of the music. The most interesting part was that the early demo sounded almost precisely like the later, studio recorded version. In the 60's a producer could completely change the sound of a song as he saw fit. In fact, the sleepy, creepy folk/acoustic version of “The Sounds of Silence” was changed into the folk/rock version that we all know and love, and rocketed Simon and Garfunkel into stardom. In the case of "Kathy's Song" something elevated it above the rest, so when the producer was deciding how it should sound he decided not to change or add a note.

On the way home I was inspired to listen to the version that I knew. Sure enough, beyond better equipment there are no notable changes. Art Garfunkel is nowhere to be found, nor are the strings and over-production that were commonly added to folk songs in the 60's. It's just Paul Simon, his voice and poetry and guitar, against the weight of the world. It washed over me. I absorbed it. I got choked up. I was inspired down to the very essence of what I call "me." I really, really heard it.

Kathy's Song is one I have heard scores, if not hundreds, of times before. Yet this time it reached across 40 years and down to the core of me. I am glad to know that I can still feel that revelation from music, and from Paul Simon specifically. I am glad to know that I can still feel that much. I have been in a safe place for a while, with nothing to push me too hard in any direction. In a way, it's important for me to know that I am still vulnerable. I don't want to become so comfortable that all my doors are closed. If nothing else in my life is going to do it, music will still break me, and rebuild me in a new place.