“It’s sloppier”: The Paul Simon song that was “poisoned” for him
It is often the case that artists are hypercritical of their own work, even if audiences adore it. This is certainly true in the case of Paul Simon. One of America’s greatest-ever songwriters, the New Jersey-born musician has crafted a vast plethora of iconic and beloved tracks over the years, from his early days as a folk revivalist with Simon and Garfunkel to his extensive and varied solo career. Throughout that unparalleled time in music, however, Simon has developed a deep resentment for some of his own work.
Although it is true that Simon has enjoyed an enduring and beloved career in music, spending his life performing to millions of adoring fans and writing timeless songs that have been adopted into the hearts of people around the world, the songwriter has also faced his fair share of challenges. It was during the singer-songwriter renaissance of the 1960s that the world first became exposed to Simon’s songwriter power, as one-half of Simon and Garfunkel, but the relationship between the duo was rarely harmonious.
Throughout their existence, Simon and Garfunkel repeatedly butted heads, often citing the age-old ‘musical differences’ excuse. Still, it took them until 1970 to officially break up, following years of ever-increasing tensions and vicious spats. In the following years, the pair only spoke to each other on a handful of occasions, although they did end up reuniting on more than a few occasions over the next few decades for one-off shows and the odd tour here and there.
Still, it is fair to say that Simon and Garfunkel, after helping to define the folk revival scene of the 1960s, ended in a pretty ugly fashion. As a result, it became difficult for Simon to look upon some of the work he created within the duo with much favour; vast swathes of their repertoire had become tainted by this infighting and conflict. In other cases, songs from that period fell out of favour with Simon for no reason other than the tediousness of the recording process.
The duo’s 1967 track ‘Fakin’ It’ is one such effort. Drawing upon the blossoming world of psychedelia, while retaining the folk sensibilities of Simon, the song is an ode to identity and alienation, with a particular focus on the songwriter’s feelings of impostor syndrome.
Ultimately, there are two distinct versions of ‘Fakin’ It’: the 1967 single release and the version included on Bookends the following year. As it turns out, Simon has vastly contrasting views on each of these versions of his song.
When Simon spoke to Rolling Stone in 1972, the interviewer declared his love for ‘Fakin’ It’, prompting the songwriter to respond, “That’s because you are thinking of ‘Fakin’ It’ on the album. And ‘Fakin’ It’ on the album is vastly improved over ‘Fakin’ It’ as a single.” Explaining the differences, he continued, “For one thing, I think it’s speeded up. For two, it was remixed and greatly improved in stereo. It was a jumble, it was a record that was jumbled, sloppy.”
“When you hear the original mono, it’s slower and it’s sloppier,” he added. Nevertheless, the improved version of the track did little to aid Simon’s memory of it. “It was improved on the LP, but by then it was already poisoned in my mind,” the songwriter shared. Although the sloppy single mix of the song ruined ‘Fakin’ It’ for Simon, the song is a clear stand-out on Bookends and remains a favourite for many fans of Simon and Garfunkel.
