Ten Favorite Songs by Simon and Garfunkel

There are two reasons Simon and Garfunkel's recordings can still be heard throughout pop culture, even after forty years. First of all, the duo has fantastic harmonic chemistry, each of them being a gifted singer. The second reason for the longevity of their recordings is the poetry. Paul Simon's lyrics are rife with imagery, alliteration, personification, and occasional clever word play.

I love nearly every song in their discography, but here are the ten Simon and Garfunkel songs I like best.

10. "Punky's Dilemma" - Here Simon wishes he were a Kellog's cornflake, who spends the first verse floating in a bowl. Verse two sounds just as carefree, only this time the wish is to be an English muffin that prefers Boisenberry over any ordinary jam.

9. "Mrs. Robinson" - The song, which has an addictive E string guitar riff, will always be remembered for two reasons. Anne Bancroft as the woman in the title seduced college grad Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate. The last verse asks, "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?" and causes baseball fans to recall the Yankee Clipper every time they hear this song.

8. "Blessed" - It's perhaps one of Simon's most angry songs, as he denounces the religious authorities using bitter satire and a driving rhythm that seems to portend a violent conclusion.

7. "Homeward Bound" - Here Simon addresses one of his most common themes, isolation. The verses paint a poignant picture of a struggling musician, but thoughts of going home seem to enliven the chorus.

6. "The Boxer" - Like in the song above, the subject is lost in isolation and poverty. This time the guy is a boxer rather than a musician. There is pity for the pugilist who says "I have squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles such are promises."

5. "The Sound of Silence" - This song clearly shows Simon as a poet. The title itself has alliteration, personification, and paradox. The melody flows with a bells-like guitar fronted with whispered vocals.

4. "A Simple Desultory Phillipic" - Here fans get a peak at Simon's humorous side. With an electric guitar satirizing some of the hippie folk-rock popular at the time, Simon pokes fun at people who confuse Dylan the singer with Dylan Thomas. I also like the way he fits such personalities as Robert McNamera, Phil Spector, and even Art Gunfunkel into the lyrics.

3. "I Am a Rock" - Again Simon's poetry is exemplary, penning images such as "a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow." Also again he visits the theme of isolation, depicting the lonely poet trying to convince himself that he needs no one.

2. "A Most Peculiar Man" - The isolated character here feels shunned by society, eventually turning on the gas and going to sleep. I love the way Simon uses Mrs. Riordan as the one who concludes that he is a peculiar man, claiming "she should know, she lived upstairs from him."

1. "America" - The two young lovers exemplify the unreachable American Dream as they catch Greyhounds from Michigan to Pittsburg looking for a chance. The couple's early enthusiasm persists until they smoke their last cigarette, and he admits "I'm empty and aching and I don't know why."