(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)
Simon & Garfunkel - "Mrs. Robinson"
Hit Number 1: June 1, 1968
Stay at Number 1: 3 Weeks
In 1967, director Mike Nichols was filming his movie The Graduate, a romantic comedy-drama movie. At this time, Nichols was very fascinated, almost obsessed, with Simon & Garfunkel's work in the past couple years, including their first #1 hit "The Sound of Silence". Just two weeks into his newfound obsession, he decided that he wanted the duo to give him at least one song for his new movie. He met with Clive Davis, who was the chairman for Columbia Records, to ask for permission to license the duo's music for his movie. Davis didn't need much convincing, and he was immediately sold that it would be a perfect fit, and even envisioned a best-selling soundtrack album. The only one who needed some convincing, was Paul Simon. He didn't see this as a great opportunity, he rather saw movies as akin to "selling out". However, he was impressed enough by Nichols and the script for his movie, that he agreed to write a couple of songs to potentially be used in his movie.
Simon's first two songs that he offered Nichols, "Punky's Dilemna" and "Overs", didn't impress Nichols that much. He asked Simon if he had any other songs to offer, then after taking a small break from their meeting, he came up with the earliest version of "Mrs. Robinson". Him and Garfunkel were working on a track that was called "Mrs. Roosevelt", and that was the song they performed for Nichols. Well, Nichols absolutely loved that song. The duo hadn't even begun to write verses for the song yet, instead filling those in with "dee de dee de dee dees", which Nichols also loved for some reason. That's why the beginning verse to "Mrs. Robinson" still sounds like that. Garfunkel elaborated further on how "Mrs. Robinson" came to be: "Paul had been working on what is now 'Mrs. Robinson', but there was no name in it and we’d just fill in with any three-syllable name. And because of the character in the picture we just began using the name 'Mrs. Robinson' to fit, and one day we were sitting around with Mike talking about ideas for another song. And I said ‘What about Mrs. Robinson.' Mike shot to his feet. 'You have a song called "Mrs. Robinson" and you haven’t even shown it to me?' So we explained the working title and sang it for him. And then Mike froze it for the picture as 'Mrs. Robinson'." I should point out for those who haven't seen the movie, that Mrs. Robinson is an older lady who seduces a college graduate who has no goals or aim in his life. The college graduate eventually falls in love with Mrs. Robinson's daughter. It's a strange plot.
The version in the movie is different from the single version released to the public. The version in the movie is described as having a "Bo Diddley beat", which is clearly not something you hear in the #1 hit version. But the thing that most people remember about "Mrs. Robinson" isn't its ties to a movie, the "dee de dees" or the "coo coo ca choo", which is a reference to the Beatles' "I Am the Walrus". Instead, I think most people take note of the reference to Joe DiMaggio, a star baseball player. The lyric goes "Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio/Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you" and "What's that you say Mrs. Robinson/Jolting Joe has left and gone away". Simon, who was known for being a huge fan of Mickey Mantle, was asked on The Dick Cavett Show why he didn't just use him as the player, since DiMaggio holds no significance to the song. Simon replied that it was all about the "syllables". And as luck would have it, Simon actually ran into DiMaggio at a restaurant in New York sometime in the 1970s, where DiMaggio asked Simon why he used him. He said "What I don't understand, is why you ask where I've gone. I just did a Mr. Coffee commercial, I'm a spokesman for the Bowery Savings Bank and I haven't gone anywhere!" Simon replied that he didn't mean the lines literally, saying that he thought of DiMaggio as a hero, and that heroes were in short supply. Simon said "He accepted the explanation and thanked me. We shook hands and said good night". After DiMaggio's death in 1999, Simon performed the song before a game at Yankee Stadium in his honor.
Aside from the song's many fun background stories, musically, "Mrs. Robinson" rules. Simon and Garfunkel continue to show off their impressive harmonies, along with a powerful, catchy chorus that's impossible to forget, and is pure sing-a-long material. For years I've known this song, but I never knew who Mrs. Robinson was, or why she was important. But the beauty is, you don't care. It's a simple enough song, but one that's very easy to fall in love with. There's also some cool folksy guitar playing, further shooting Simon and Garfunkel into folk super-stardom. "The Sound of Silence" was a great way for the duo to get on the map, but "Mrs. Robinson" was the song that showed who these guys really were, and that they were for real, and here to stay. Naturally, we'll see them pop up again in this blog.
GRADE: 8/10
JUST MISSED:
Hugo Montenegro and His Orchestra almost scored a #1 hit with the western-outlaw themed song "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly", which has become a staple in western themed things. It peaked at #2 behind "Mrs. Robinson", and it's a 7.
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