Paul Simon Freaked Out Over Frank Sinatra’s Spin on His 1960s Masterpiece
Frank Sinatra covered many styles of music throughout his long career in the entertainment industry. But after covering a late 1960s masterpiece by Paul Simon, the Chairman of the Board was criticized by the composer for tweaking his lyrics, saying “he can’t do that.”
Paul Simon wanted to stop Frank Sinatra’s version of his 1968 song
“Mrs. Robinson” was added to the soundtrack of the 1967 film The Graduate. Paul Simon did not write the song specifically for the movie. It was later released on Simon & Garfunkel’s fourth album, Bookends.
The tune became Simon & Garfunkel’s second number-one hit. In 1969, it became the first rock song to win a Grammy Award for Record of the Year.
One of the first recorded covers of the song was done by Frank Sinatra that same year. Paul Simon wanted to do everything he could to stop the song’s release.
Simon told Stephen Colbert at the New York premiere of MGM+’s two-part documentary In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon that he wasn’t happy about Sinatra’s cover. Men’s Journal reported on the exchange between Simon and Colbert, where the songwriter revealed his fury that Sinatra changed his lyrics.
“I met him once. It was very interesting, too, because he made a cover record of my song ‘Mrs. Robinson,’” Simon told Colbert. “And he changed the lyric[s],”
“[The original lyrics] were fantastic. But when I first heard [Sinatra’s], it was like, ‘Man, ring a ding, ding you Mrs. Robinson. Jesus loves you more,’ and this is in the ’60s, and I said, ‘He can’t do that,'” Simon continued.
“I said, ‘I’m stopping the record. Nobody asked me to change, and I’m not giving permission. I don’t care.’” He added that a Warner Bros. producer said that it was his idea, not Sinatra’s to change the lyrics. Sinatra later told Simon of his insistence on halting the release, “You can’t stop a Frank record.”
“And then later, I fell in love with that record. And when you play music after the concert is over, that’s the first song,” Simon concluded.
The song earned Paul Simon his first Grammy win outside of Simon & Garfunkel
“Mrs. Robinson” was included on The Graduate soundtrack. The album earned Paul Simon a solo Grammy Award in the category of Best Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A Television Special.
Per the official Grammy website, Simon joined other music luminaries who had previously won that award including Duke Ellington, Henry Mancini, Lalo Schifrin, and Julie Andrews. The song also earned two Grammy Awards for Simon & Garfunkel in 1968 in the categories of Record of the Year and Best Contemporary Pop Performance, Duo or Group.
Also featured on The Graduate soundtrack were other Simon & Garfunkel classics including “Scarborough Fair/Canticle,” “The Sound of Silence,” “April Come She Will,” and “The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine.” Art Garfunkel was credited as a singer on the aforementioned songs. Dave Grusin produced the remaining music on the soundtrack.
Who else has covered “Mrs. Robinson?”
Paul Simon’s “Mrs. Robinson” is a song so ingrained in popular culture that other artists regularly cover it. There have been many who have paid homage to Simon’s song in concert, but only a few have recorded versions of it.
In 1968 Chet Atkins covered the song for a greatest hits album, and Diana Ross and the Supremes tweaked the tune for a live performance on their 1968 TV special. One year later, Booker T. and the MGs released a soul/funk version of the tune.
The song was covered by Bon Jovi for their 1995 album These Days. It was an alternate live take and was released on a special edition of the album.
One of the most popular and updated versions of the song was by The Lemonheads. The song was recorded to honor the 25th anniversary of The Graduate in 1992.
Although the song was not initially included on the band’s album It’s a Shame About Ray, it was added to the album in later pressings due to its popularity. This version introduced younger listeners to the song, boosting its visibility once again.
Paul Simon retired from touring in 2018. He released the album Seven Psalms in 2023.
