Friday, October 8, 2021

Soundtrack of my life: The best love song ever written

It happened at HemisFair.
Paul Simon was a major contributor to the soundtrack of my life.

For my money, he was the best songwriter of his era. He captured perfectly the angst and disillusionment of the times, and his lyrics are sheer poetry.

“Sounds of Silence” is an anthem of the Sixties, and “The Boxer” is a transcendent testament to the strength of the human spirit and the importance of perseverance in the face of diversity and criticism. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is a soaring hymn of our need to care for each other in times of trouble and travail.

But it is his love songs that I treasure most. And of them, “Kathy’s Song” is my favorite. It’s often overlooked, and that’s a damned shame because it is – simply perfect.

It reminds me of a Kathy I knew back in those long-lost days. We met in San Antonio during the seven-month run of HemisFair ’68, a world exposition that celebrated the cultures of the Americas. Its fairgrounds still exist.

I fell hard for Kathy, as only a 17-year-old can. And it says more about me than her that she remained blissfully unaware. Years later, when I told her of my infatuation – at a celebration of her engagement, no less – Kathy greeted the news with a tender look. “I never knew,” she said.

It’s the best love song ever written. Find a better one – I dare you.

So you see, I have come to doubt

All that I once held as true.

I stand alone without beliefs.

The only truth I know is you.

And as I watch the drops of rain

Weave their weary paths and die,

I know that I am like the rain.

There but for the grace of you, go I. 

Simon & Garfunkel - Kathy's Song - YouTube

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