Cecilia (song)

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Cecilia
Simon & Garfunkel
publication April 20, 1970
length 2:54
2:38 (single)
Genre (s) Folk rock
text Paul Simon
music Paul Simon
Label Columbia Records
Award (s) United StatesUnited States gold
album Bridge over Troubled Water
Cover versions
1970 Harmony grass
1970 Joe Dassin
1971 Vlada i Bajka
1971 The Miracles
1986 The coolies
1988 Times Two
1991 Dúo Dinámico
1993 Bjorn Again
1996 Suggs feat. Louchie Lou & Michie One
2010 Gaelic Storm

Cecilia is a published in April 1970 Folk Rock - Song of the American duo Simon & Garfunkel . It was the third single from the fifth studio album Bridge over Troubled Water .

Paul Simon composed the guitar melody and wrote the lyrics . This is about a couple who have sex in the afternoon . When the man freshen up in the bathroom and comes back to his bedroom, he finds his girlfriend Cecilia in bed with another person. The song is named after St. Cecilia , who is venerated in the Catholic Church as the patron saint of church music .

In the US, the song reached fourth place on the Billboard Hot 100 chart . On May 30, 1970, the song topped the charts of the music magazine Cash Box . With 1,000,000 singles sold, Cecilia was awarded gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on June 12, 1970.

Cecilia took second place in Canada , Germany , Spain and the Netherlands , and third in Switzerland and Belgium . Numerous cover versions of the song have been made. Singer Suggs ' version , released with ragga duo Louchie Lou & Michie One , reached fourth place in Great Britain in 1996 and was awarded silver for 200,000 singles sold on May 1st of the same year.

History of origin

The song originated at a party that Simon & Garfunkel attended with friends. The rhythm that emerged when knocking on a piano bench was recorded by Garfunkel, Simon and his younger brother Eddie with a Sony tape recorder and provided with reverberation . This made it possible to match the rhythm created during the live recording with the reverberant sound of the recording. A mutual friend played along with the rhythm on the guitar and spontaneously sang "aahs".

On listening to it again, Simon noticed how engaging the recording was. While listening to it, he composed the guitar melody. The Groove in an approximately one-minute section enthusiastic Simon so much that he it together with the producers developed Roy Halee a loop, which was no easy feat in the days of analog recording. Other elements of the song were later in Los Angeles in the studio by Columbia Records recorded at the Gower Street. The studio is usually used for recording string instruments . Simon & Garfunkel mixed the sound of drumsticks that fell on the parquet floor of the studio into the song. In addition, Simon played random notes on a xylophone , which in the final version were compressed so much that it was not audible whether they were played correctly or incorrectly. The rhythm was played by the drummer of the professional studio music combo The Wrecking Crew, Hal Blaine .

content

Simon suggested that the title of the song should refer to Saint Cecilia , venerated as the patron saint of church music. Thus, the song could indicate the frustration that arises from the fleeting inspirations when writing a song . It can also address the whims of musical fame or, in a broader sense, the absurdity of pop culture .

In general, the song is considered to be a complaint about a moody lover, which causes both agony and happiness to the singer. In the song The Coast , which appeared on the solo album The Rhythm of the Saints in 1990 , Simon again mentions Saint Cecilia: "A family of musicians took shelter for the night in the little harbor church of St. Cecilia." "A family of musicians has found shelter for the night in the small St. Cecilia harbor church.")

The term “making love in the afternoon” was one of the most drastic lines of text from Simon's songs of that time. In the documentary The Harmony Game , Simon describes how he met a recently returned war veteran from Vietnam . He told him that the soldiers had heard the song and that the text was a sign of the country's customs that had changed in the meantime.

In 2008, Simon was asked by American comedian Stephen Colbert why the song's protagonist had to get out of bed and wash his face after making love. Simon replied that the story was set in the 1960s and that he couldn't remember it.

Publications

After the pre-release of the song The Boxer , Simon & Garfunkel introduced themselves in April 1969 to Cecilia as the first real single from the album Bridge over Troubled Water . Columbia Records board of directors Clive Davis persuaded the duo to release the title track as their first single.

The song was featured on the Billboard Hot 100 for thirteen weeks and reached fourth place. On the Billboard Easy Listening chart was Cecilia listed for four weeks and reached the highest position space 31 in the UK, the piece could not place in the charts, even though the song of the successor to the No. 1 Hits Bridge over Troubled Water was. Most copies of the singles released in the UK had the misspelled title Cecelia. Nevertheless, the song received silver with 200,000 copies sold.

Cover versions

In 1970 the British band Harmony Grass released their version of the song, which did not make it into the charts. In the same year, the French-speaking American Joe Dassin sang the song in French. A British New Wave band, three of which belonged to the 10cc group, which was later founded , and Herman's Hermits guitarist Derek Leckenby also covered the piece without it being charted .

Martin Mann sang the German cover version of the song . Another version played in 1971 by the Yugoslav acoustic duo Vlada i Bajka . A version by Smokey Robinson and his band The Miracles appeared on the album One Dozen Roses , which was distributed by Motown . In addition to Cecilia , the group The Coolies released nine other funny cover versions of Simon & Garfunkel on the album dig ..? That on the label appeared on Paul Simon.

In July 1988, the version of the Californian dance duo Times Two reached number 79 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Three years later, a Spanish version of the duo Dúo Dinámico appeared on their album Tal cual . In 1993, the Australian ABBA - tribute band Björn Again the piece for her album Flashback on. The most successful version is the cover from 1996 by the singer Suggs with the ragga duo Louchie Lou & Michie One. The song, which appeared on his debut album The Lone Ranger , peaked at number 4 in the UK.

The Canadian guitarist Jesse Cook covered the song for the album The Rumba Foundation together with the singer Jeremy Fisher in 2009 . The indie rock band Local Natives also recorded the song in their own version. In August 2010, the American Celtic rockers Gaelic Storm released Cecilia on their album Cabbage. For her debut album, Meet The Vamps adapted The Vamps 2014 song entitled Oh Cecilia (Breaking My Heart) . A year later, country and Irishfolk singer Derek Ryan recorded the song for the album One Good Night . In April 2011, the piece was performed on the show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon by Simon, Fallon, and the cast of Stomp.

Uses in other songs

In the song Midlife Crisis by the American musician Faith No More , which appeared on the 1992 album Angel Dust , a section of the first measure is repeated throughout the song as part of the percussion . Swedish pop band Ace of Base released a Europop song titled Cecilia on the album Flowers , which continues the story of Simon's character. Singer Jenny Berggren opens the song with the line “This is a song about a well-known girl” and tells of Cecilia's uninterrupted back and forth between her lovers.
Because of its similarities with Cecilia from Simon & Garfunkel, the song Some Nights by the American indie pop group fun became famous.

Charts

Simon & Garfunkel: Cecilia (weekly charts)
Charts (1970) placement
Annual charts (1970)
Australia (ARIA) Australia (ARIA) 6th (- Where.) -
Austria (Ö3) Austria (Ö3) 6th (- Where.) -
Flanders (Ultratop) Flanders (Ultratop) 3 (- Where.) -
Canada (MC) Canada (MC) 2 (- Where.) -
Germany (GfK) Germany (GfK) 2 (- Where.) -
Netherlands (Media Markt) Netherlands (Media Markt) 2 (- Where.) -
Spain (Promusicae) Spain (Promusicae) 2 (- Where.) -
Switzerland (IFPI) Switzerland (IFPI) 3 (- Where.) -
United States (Billboard) United States (Billboard)
BB100 Billboard Hot 100
4th (- Where.) -
United States (Billboard) United States (Billboard)
BBEL Billboard Easy Listening
31 (- Where.) -
United States (Billboard) United States (Billboard)
CB Cash Box Top 100
1 (- Where.) -
TWOTemplate: chart positions / maintenance / country unknown 19th (- Where.) -
Simon & Garfunkel: Cecilia (annual charts)
Charts (1970) placement
Annual charts (1970)
Australia (ARIA) Australia (ARIA) 41 (...Template: chart placements / maintenance / preliminary Where.) ...Template: chart placements / maintenance / preliminary
Canada (MC) Canada (MC) 37 (...Template: chart placements / maintenance / preliminary Where.) ...Template: chart placements / maintenance / preliminary
United Kingdom (OCC) United Kingdom (OCC)
BB100 Billboard Hot 100
49 (...Template: chart placements / maintenance / preliminary Where.) ...Template: chart placements / maintenance / preliminary
United Kingdom (OCC) United Kingdom (OCC)
CB Cash Box Top 100
51 (...Template: chart placements / maintenance / preliminary Where.) ...Template: chart placements / maintenance / preliminary
Takes Two: Cecilia (weekly charts)
Charts (1988) placement
Annual charts (1988)
New Zealand (RMNZ) New Zealand (RMNZ) 1 (...Template: chart placements / maintenance / preliminary Where.) ...Template: chart placements / maintenance / preliminary
United States (Billboard) United States (Billboard)
BB100 Billboard Hot 100
79 (6 weeks) 6th
Takes Two: Cecilia (annual charts)
Charts (1988) placement
Annual charts (1988)
New Zealand (RMNZ) New Zealand (RMNZ) 1 (...Template: chart placements / maintenance / preliminary Where.) ...Template: chart placements / maintenance / preliminary
Suggs feat. Louchie Lou & Michie One: Cecilia (weekly charts)
Charts (1996) placement
Annual charts (1996)
Austria (Ö3) Austria (Ö3) 28 (2 weeks) 2
Czech Republic (IFPI) Czech Republic (IFPI) e (- Where.) -
EUTemplate: chart positions / maintenance / country unknown 3 (- Where.) -
Iceland () Iceland () 18th (- Where.) -
Netherlands (Media Markt) Netherlands (Media Markt) 18th (- Where.) -
United Kingdom (OCC) United Kingdom (OCC)
SCT Placement in Scotland
2 (- Where.) -
United Kingdom (OCC) United Kingdom (OCC) 4th (- Where.) -

literature

  • David Browne: Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Lost Story Of 1970 . Da Capo Press, 2012, ISBN 978-0-306-82072-4 ( google.com ).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Songfacts: Cecilia by Simon & Garfunkel - Songfacts. Accessed March 28, 2019 .
  2. a b c d e f Jennifer Lebeau: The Harmony Game: The Making of Bridge Over Troubled Water (2011, en, Emerging Pictures)
  3. a b Cash Box Top Singles - 1970. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 25, 2010 ; accessed on March 28, 2019 .
  4. Gold & Platinum. Retrieved March 31, 2019 (American English).
  5. a b Chartsurfer.de: Cecilia von Suggs Feat. Louchie Lou & Michie One. Retrieved March 28, 2019 .
  6. a b BRIT Certified - Explore UK music's top selling artists. Retrieved on March 31, 2019 (English, since a static link is not possible, select the fields Certification: Silver and Format: Singles in the search window and enter Serch BPI Awards: Cecilia . Trigger the search with Apply .).
  7. a b c David Browne: Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Lost Story of 1970 . Hachette Books, 2012, ISBN 978-0-306-82213-1 , pp. 39 ( google.de [accessed on March 28, 2019]).
  8. Hal Blaine: Hal Blaine and the Wrecking Crew . 3. Edition. Rebeats Press, ISBN 978-1-888408-12-6 (English).
  9. Chords for The Coast by Paul Simon: 178. Retrieved March 28, 2019 .
  10. No Fact Zone : Episode 4150 (11/18/2008) ( Memento from July 5, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  11. a b Simon & Garfunkel Cecilia Chart History. Retrieved March 28, 2019 .
  12. Simon & Garfunkel - Cecelia at Discogs (English)
  13. ^ Vlada I Bajka - Cecilia / Zvuk Tišine. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
  14. The Coolies (2) - Dig ..? Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
  15. X2 - Times Two | Songs, reviews, credits. Retrieved March 29, 2019 (American English).
  16. Duo Dinamico * - Tal Cual. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
  17. Cecilia. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
  18. Local Natives: Daytrotter Session recorded Jul 29, 2009 . Daytrotter.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  19. ^ Cabbage CD. Accessed March 29, 2019 .
  20. The Vamps (5) - Meet The Vamps. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
  21. Derek Ryan: Derek Ryan - Cecilia (Official Video). July 9, 2015, accessed March 29, 2019 .
  22. ^ Ace of Base - Cecilia. Accessed March 29, 2019 .
  23. diffuser.fm: Simon and Garfunkel vs. Fun - Song Parallels
  24. ^ Australian-charts.com - Australian charts portal. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  25. ^ The Austrian hit parade and music portal. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  26. ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  27. ^ Library and Archives Canada: Image: RPM Weekly. July 17, 2013, accessed March 31, 2019 .
  28. ^ Simon & Garfunkel - Publications. (No longer available online.) Musicline.de, archived from the original on September 27, 2013 ; accessed on March 31, 2019 .
  29. Stichting Nederlandse Top 40: Top 40 week 22 van 1970. Accessed on March 31, 2019 (Dutch).
  30. ^ Fernando Salaverri: Sólo éxitos: año año, 1959-2002 . 1st edition. Fundación Autor-SGAE, Spain 2005, ISBN 84-8048-639-2 .
  31. The Official Swiss Hit Parade and Music Community. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  32. Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  33. Chris Kimberley: Zimbabwe singles chart book (1965-1996) . 2000.
  34. ^ Australian Chart Books. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  35. ^ Library and Archives Canada: Image: RPM Weekly. July 17, 2013, accessed March 31, 2019 .
  36. Top 100 Hits of 1970 / Top 100 Songs of 1970. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  37. The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1970. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on November 29, 2014 ; accessed on March 31, 2019 (English).
  38. charts.org.nz - Times Two - Cecilia. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  39. ^ Times Two Cecilia Chart History. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  40. ^ The Official New Zealand Music Chart. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  41. Suggs feat. Louchie Lou & Michie One - Cecilia. austriancharts.at, accessed on March 31, 2019 .
  42. ^ Music & Media. August 3, 1996, p. 18 , accessed on March 31, 2019 (English).
  43. ^ Music & Media. May 4, 1996, p. 26 , accessed on March 31, 2019 (English).
  44. Íslenski listinn Top 40. June 22, 1996, accessed March 31, 2019 (Icelandic).
  45. ^ Simon & Garfunkel - Publications. (No longer available online.) Musicline.de, archived from the original on September 27, 2013 ; accessed on March 31, 2019 .
  46. Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company. Accessed March 31, 2019 .
  47. ^ Music & Media. May 4, 1996, p. 33 , accessed on March 31, 2019 (English).