[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5_QV97eYqM]
This isn't one of Simon's best, but even at his worst (which this isn't), his songs are usually better than most. I think that it's funny how one song can "borrow" from another. Actually what's funny is how much you can do it before you get in hot water with the original song writer/artist. For example, when Ray Parker Jr. released "Ghostbusters," Huey Lewis sued him because it sounded so much like "I Want a New Drug." That lawsuit was eventually settled out of court, FYI.
On the other hand, this song reminds me an awfully lot of another song. Now, understand that I hear and look at things differently than a lot of people, but this song reminds me of The Offspring's "Why Don't You Get a Job." The song as a whole isn't that similar, but there are parts where the melody line and the chords are very similar. Maybe I'm just making this up in my head, but I hear it. Also, the feel is somewhat the same in places, but it's dumbed down in the Offspring song. Maybe that's why no one noticed: Simon's song sounds a lot more like music than The Offspring does. No offense is intended there. I like The Offspring...just sayin'!
"Cecilia" features percussion pretty heavily, and was actually conceived based on a drum circle beat that Paul Simon heard and recorded with a tape recorder. Even more strange, Simon recorded a solo on the xylophone to be placed in the the song. It can be heard, sort of, after the second chorus. It was mostly mixed down to levels you can barely hear, because he was completely unfamiliar with the instrument, and it sounded like a mess. Still, the song was a #4 on the Hot 100 in 1970.
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