The Paul Simon Song Tournament

Down south in the USA, March Madness has captured the nation. For our international (or basketball-hating) fans, March Madness refers to the month-long college basketball tournament that leads to the Final Four, and to the eventual crowning of the championship team. The tourney begins with 64 seeded teams, sorted into regions of 16, which is what we'll do here. Instead of teams though, we're using Paul Simon songs, from various stages of his life: The Simon & Garfunkel region, The Seventies Region, The Songwriter Region (One Trick Pony and Hearts & Bones) and the World Region. I've seeded the 64 songs, and the tournament begins with #1 'playing' #16, #2 vs. #15, etc.

How do we determine winners? Well, you have to vote for your favourite song (please vote once only) by a certain date, and we narrow down the field. Eventually we'll get down to the Final Four. At that stage, I'll allow arguments for and against each song to be posted. On with the tournament!

1	Bridge Over Troubled Water	16	Hey Schoolgirl! (for fun)
2	The Boxer	15	Kathy's Song
3	The Sound Of Silence	14	Scarborough Fair/Canticle
4	Mrs. Robinson	13	Bleecker Street
5	America	12	Song For The Asking
6	Homeward Bound	11	A Hazy Shade Of Winter
7	Old Friends/Bookends	10	The 59th Street Bridge Song
8	Cecelia	9	I Am A Rock

Featured Bout: #8 Cecelia vs. #9 I Am A Rock - Rhythmic Fun or Alienation? You Make The Call

1	Still Crazy After All These Years*	16	My Little Town (yes, a S&G song)
2	American Tune	15	Silent Eyes
3	Kodachrome	14	Have A Good Time
4	50 Ways To Leave Your Lover	13	Tenderness
5	Mother And Child Reunion	12	Take Me To The Mardi Gras
6	Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard	11	I Do It For Your Love
7	Duncan*	10	Gone At Last
8	Something So Right	9	Loves Me Like A Rock

Featured Bout: #8 Something So Right vs. #9 Loves Me Like A Rock: Sweet, Sad Simon or Dixie Hummingbird Politics?

1	Hearts & Bones	16	Oh, Marion
2	The Late, Great Johnny Ace	15	Allergies
3	Late In The Evening	14	God Bless The Absentee
4	Rene & Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War	13	One Trick Pony
5	Train In The Distance	12	Nobody
6	Ace In The Hole	11	Jonah
7	How The Heart Approaches What It Yearns	10	Slip Slidin' Away
8	Think Too Much (b)	9	Think Too Much (a)

Featured Bout: #8 Think Too Much (b) vs. #9 Think Too Much (a) - Don't Think Too Hard!

1	Graceland	16	Born At The Right Time
2	The Cool, Cool River	15	She Moves On
3	Bernadette	14	Trailways Bus
4	Adios Hermanos	13	Born In Puerto Rico
5	You Can Call Me Al	12	Proof
6	The Obvious Child	11	Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
7	The Boy In The Bubble	10	The Coast
8	Can I Forgive Him	9	Homeless

Featured Bout: #4 Adios Hermanos vs. #13 Born In Puerto Rico - Capeman: Doo-Wop or Latin style?

* A note on the songs: When considering the various versions of these songs, I've decided to use the "definitive" examples, as featured on the Paul Simon 1964/1993 box set, so, keep in mind that the following:

Still Crazy, Duncan, and The Cool, Cool River refer to the live versions found in the box set. Don't let this weigh your judgment too much, though, for instance, if you love Born At The Right Time on MTV Unplugged much more than on Rhythm Of The Saints, as I do, base your judgment on that. This is a just a guide as to what I was thinking when I seeded the songs. Questions or comments on the idea of the tournament or the seeding of the songs should be sent to: paul@simon.org.Please include the word 'tournament' in your subject line.