While working on material for his “So Beautiful or So What” solo album, Simon reached out to fellow folk-rock legend Bob Dylan to record a duet. Despite the fact that the two toured together in 1999, Simon’s request went unanswered for unknown reasons.
In an interview with “Uncut”, Simon said that since Dylan’s voice had become so weathered, that the singer would sound like a sage delivering life’s wisdom to the listener. Simon is unsure why he didn’t hear back, and so is, most likely, every folk-rock fan in the world. I guess we’ll just have to dream.
The Marathon Recording Session
How long do you need to record a song? For highly-produced or technical songs with lots of band members, the hours can get into the double digits, but they have nothing on “The Boxer.” Apparently, this song took an incredible one hundred hours to record.
It was recorded in multiple studios, and the chorus vocals were recorded at St. Paul's Chapel at Columbia University in New York. With so much material to work with, the standard 8-track didn't have enough space. The album's producer, Roy Halee, championed for a sparkling new 16-track recorder, which helped the song get into its finished state.
Jumping Around on His Own
While working on his solo act, Paul Simon spent plenty of time going from one label to the next. He began with Columbia Records as one of their core artists. When he began to feel the label was cheating him he clashed with president Walter Yetnikoff, and bought out his own contract, moving to Warner Bros. Records, staying there for three decades.
When he released "So Beautiful or So What", he switched to Concord Music Group. "In the Blue Light" (2018) came out under Columbia's current parent company, Sony.
Other Names
Before the two settled on Simon and Garfunkel as their moniker, and after abandoning Tom and Jerry, both members of the band found some success under different names. Simon reached the charts with the group Tico and the Triumphs with the song “Motorcycle,” and again with “The Lone Teen Ranger” under the name Jerry Landis.
Garfunkel released folk songs while he was in college under the name of Artie Garr. Of course, once they finished school and found their way back to each other, these temporary names fell by the wayside.
Taking a Stand
Paul Simon's solo album "Graceland" came during a dark time in the history of South Africa. Many artists opted to boycott the country, but surprisingly, Paul Simon wasn't one of them. In fact, he recorded the album in the country.
However, he was still a vocal opponent of the oppression taking place there and recorded with numerous black artists for the record, including a duet with Linda Ronstadt in “Under African Skies” and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Simon was briefly listed on the U.N. Boycott list. He was later removed, though.