The Paul Simon Song That Perfectly Parodied Bob Dylan
Critics often drew comparisons between Paul Simon and Bob Dylan, something neither artist likely appreciated. Dylan felt that too many musicians were copying his style, and Simon didn’t particularly like Dylan as a person. While he spoke about his prickly feelings for Dylan in interviews, he also included them in his lyrics. In the song “A Simple Desultory Philippic (or How I Was Robert McNamara’d into Submission),” Simon mimicked Dylan’s vocal and lyrical styles. He also fit a few stinging insults into the song.
Paul Simon wrote a song that parodied Bob Dylan
“A Simple Desultory Philippic” originally appeared on the 1965 album The Paul Simon Songbook. He also recorded it with Art Garfunkel for Simon & Garfunkel’s album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme. It is a relatively clear parody of Dylan, from the title, to the lyrics, to the tune, to the droning way Simon sings the song.
In it, he also included a direct dig at Dylan.
“Not the same as you and me/He doesn’t dig poetry/He’s so unhip when you say Dylan/He thinks you’re talking about Dylan Thomas/Whoever he was/The man ain’t got no culture,” Simon sings.
This appears to be a shot at the belief that Dylan was a great poet. He also sings “It’s alright, Ma,” which references Dylan’s song “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding).” At the end of the song, Simon says, “I’ve lost my harmonica, Albert.” This is a reference to Dylan’s manager, Albert Grossman.
The title ‘A Simple Desultory Philippic’ is also an insult to Dylan
The song’s title, “A Simple Desultory Philippic (or How I Was Robert McNamara’d into Submission),” sounds Dylan-esque — in 1975, he even released the song “Simple Twist of Fate.” Beyond the similarities in song title styles, though, Simon appeared to name the song to further critique Dylan.
The word “desultory” means lacking consistency or order. “Philippic” means a speech of bitter denunciation. When put together, Simon appears to say that Dylan’s fiery, extended political rants in his early songs are disjointed.
Paul Simon had a reason to be frustrated with Bob Dylan
Simon expressed his frustration with Dylan more directly in interviews. He spoke about how he didn’t appreciate the way Dylan “dumped on” people with his music. He also felt Dylan had slighted him in a performance. Dylan and writer Robert Shelton came to watch Simon & Garfunkel, but they sat at the bar and laughed for the entirety of the performance.
“At the bar, Bob and I had been doing quite a bit of drinking and we had an advanced case of giggles over nothing,” Shelton wrote in his book No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan. “We weren’t laughing at the performance, though Simon perhaps thought we were.”
Simon said that he felt wounded by Dylan’s behavior. Simon admired the other artist, and he felt he wasn’t receiving the respect he deserved.
“I wasn’t furious,” he said, per the book Paul Simon: The Life by Robert Hilburn. “But I was hurt. Here was someone laughing during my performance — especially someone I admired.”
Perhaps this behavior is what prompted Simon to write the song.
