With a more serious tone, “American Tune” has a great Simon vocal on a song that was written soon after Nixon was elected. It’s a tough world politically at times “but it’s alright”. Paul Simon’s third solo album, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon opens with the classic lyric – “When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school”. Further into that #2 hit, “Kodachrome”, Simon sings of the joys and beauty of taking pictures.
Like that first song, the 1973 album is mostly an easy-going affair with subtle beats and acoustic guitars, a bit of piano. Horns add some flair to “Take Me To The Mardi Gras”, that sits in contrast to the very New York song “One Man’s Ceiling Is Another Man’s Floor” about cramped apartment living, the kind of sound Billy Joel would later ride to the top of the charts.
With a more serious tone, “American Tune” has a great Simon vocal on a song that was written soon after Nixon was elected. It’s a tough world politically at times “but it’s alright” he tells us. The infectious “Loves Me Like A Rock” closes out the album with the repeated lines of “she love me, love me, love me, love me”. There Goes Rhymin’ Simon went top 5 in most major markets around the world and is a further showcase of Simon’s songwriting that captures the thoughts and feelings of being a young man in the early 70s.
9/10
The Light Appears 