2000 Great Songs #1440: The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine

This one's a bit of a guilty pleasure, as Paul Simon's efforts at bubbly pop songs could be a little on the dopey side. He's certainly had better, more enduring pop songs (think "Mrs. Robinson," for one). But I've always been kind of a sucker for "The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine." 1966's Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme was pretty well-packed with veritable Simon & Garfunkel classics like "Scarborough Fair," "Homeward Bound," and "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feeling Groovy)," rendering this a relatively minor track (and one I think was entirely omitted from their live sets). Still, "Pleasure Machine" adds some silliness and bounce to the record's straighter folk-rock, rounding out the album like their own version of Dylan going electric. While Simon often went for depth and timelessness (albeit with some mixed results), this one was instantly dated--and that's a big part of the charm.

1968 The Graduate soundtrack (shorter & rougher) remake:

Anglophile take by Gerry & The Pacemakers:

Cover by The Joyride:

More recent cover by Michael Jacob Rinzel:

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