This Song is Perfect! Simon&Garfunkel - Scarborough Fair

    Scarborough Fair is a classic folk ballad in the UK. But what made this American version so iconic throughout the years? I'm going to talk about the song and its story in this blog.

Simon&Garfunkel

    In the 17th century, a Scottish ballad called The Elfin Knight listed a story about an elf, who gave a bunch of impossible missions to a girl. It has common with the English ballad Scarborough Fair, and hundreds of years later, it became the ballad we know today.

The Graduate Soundtrack

 

    When we think about this ballad, the Simon&Garunkel version is arguably the most classic one. It was featured in the Graduate soundtrack and actually copyrighted Simon&Garfunkel as the songwriters. Sounds a bit ugly, right? Anyway, nothing to do with Simon&Garfunkel, this is still the best version I've ever heard. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme could be the ingredients for a love potion or a riddle for the songwriter's lover, however, it's clear that in this version, it means the death of that young man. Simon&Garfunkel associated the song with Vietnam War and made an anti-war version of this old ballad:

   Washes the grave with silvery tears

    Between the salt water and the sea strand

   A soldier cleans and polishes a gun

   Then she'll be a true love of mine

   ........................

    Generals order their soldiers to kill

    And to gather it all in a bunch of heather

    And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten

    Then she'll be a true love of mine

    These heart-broken lyrics really stood out in the Vietnam War where everyone lost their lives. A dead soldier's body in the middle of nowhere, and a long-waited girl across the ocean. The soldier knew he would be dead soon, so he told his lover to complete a series of impossible missions:

   

    Tell her to make me a cambric shirt  

    Without no seams nor needlework

    Tell her to find me an acre of land

    Between the salt water and the sea strand

    Tell her to reap it in a sickle of leather

    And to gather it all in a bunch of heather

    which made it even sadder. This lyrics theme aged incredibly well because of wars. Wars are always a thing. And to close this track, he sang:

    She once was a true love of mine.

    Not"will" but "once was". She won't be a true love of mine anymore.

Simon&Garfunkel

    Despite the classic lyrical theme, the wonderful production is also a reason why this track is so iconic. The spooky guitar sounds, delicate chimes, and vocals blend in amazingly well. The finger-picked guitar accompaniment is so smooth that I can't get over it. It's such a psychedelic jam after all these years. Although it came from 1966, you still manage to get the Middle Ages UK vibe. After this 3 minute track, nothing but sadness hits in.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

    Everything in this song just compliments each other so well, which makes this a timeless and perfect song. And this is the end of this review.