The classic song Paul Simon wrote to fire back at his critics
Paul Simon enjoyed immense success and acclaim during the early years of his career, particularly through his collaboration with Art Garfunkel in the duo Simon and Garfunkel. Their music was celebrated for its poetic lyricism and melodic beauty, earning them widespread recognition and adoration. However, as with many artists, Simon faced challenges and setbacks throughout his career, serving as a reminder that even the most revered figures in music must navigate the complexities of fame and artistic evolution.
With any person in the public eye, they will typically face a period filled with derision that will be challenging to overcome. For some, it’s an impossible obstacle to defeat, and their career is never restored to past glory. With Simon, this chapter came as a surprise, but rather than swallowing him up, it fuelled him to write a classic track.
When Simon and Garfunkel unexpectedly found success after ‘The Sound of Silence’ gained popularity after it was picked up by college radio, the duo had no expectations for what lay ahead. Simon had already moved to England, where he was carving out an underground folk career and blissfully unaware of the hype that was beginning to build around his name in the United States.
Once the attention became impossible to ignore, Simon reunited with Garfunkel, and the good times continued to roll over the next few years. With each full-length release, the duo’s stature continued to grow, and when they released their final album, Bridge over Troubled Water, in 1970, they were one of the most successful acts on the planet.
However, despite everything going swimmingly from a commercial standpoint, Simon had noticed a change in perception around him from critics, who once adored everything he touched. In retaliation to the shift in opinion, Simon defiantly wrote ‘The Boxer’, which laid out his identity and explained his origin story.
During an interview with Playboy in 1984, Simon said of the track: “I think the song was about me: everybody’s beating me up, and I’m telling you now I’m going to go away if you don’t stop. By that time, we had encountered our first criticism. For the first few years, it was just pure praise.”
He continued: “It took two or three years for people to realize that we weren’t strange creatures that emerged from England but just two guys from Queens who used to sing rock ‘n’ roll. And maybe we weren’t real folkies at all! Maybe we weren’t even hippies!”
After feeling unfairly attacked, Simon responded in the most robust way possible by producing a masterpiece that illustrated the full capacity of his immense talent, proving those wrong who had dared to tarnish his name.
Despite art being subjective and musicians unable to please everyone with their work, Simon was understandably hurt by the harsh words. However, rather than allow himself to be consumed by the criticisms or alter his artistry to suit the assumed demands of critics, Simon came out of the fences swinging, living up to his reputation as ‘The Boxer’.
