Paul Simon’s formidable songwriting discography includes the tracks “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Mrs. Robinson,” and “Me and Julio Down at the Schoolyard.” The artist initially rose to stardom as half of the duo Simon & Garfunkel and went on to have a legendary solo career of his own.
Simon is well-known for his innovative, creative, and sometimes cryptic approach to lyricism. Over the course of his solo career, he has also woven African and Brazilian rhythms with salsa, doo-wop, and many other genres from around the world. The winner of 16 Grammy Awards, he also occasionally wrote songs that became hits for other artists, though this occurred mostly at the start of his career in the 1960s.
Simon has occasionally spoken out about the art of songwriting, and some of his observations are fittingly vague. “Much of songwriting is simply a mystery,” he once said in an interview with Paul Zollo. Still, in an interview in which he discussed his song “Still Crazy After All These Years,” he revealed that he feels honesty is always a good launching pad. “It's very helpful to start with something that's true,” he said. “If you start with something that's false, you're always covering your tracks. Something simple and true, that has a lot of possibilities, is a nice way to begin.”
Here are six songs you may not know Simon wrote or co-wrote.
- “Red Rubber Ball” // The Cyrkle
- “Leaves That Are Green” // Dorris Henderson
- “Homeward Bound” // Chad & Jeremy
- “I Wish You Could Be Here” // The Seekers
- “Some Day, One Day” // The Seekers
- “You Don’t Know Where Your Interest Lies” // Dana Valery
“Red Rubber Ball” // The Cyrkle
The Cyrkle opened for Simon & Garfunkel in 1966, and during this time, they were lucky enough to be offered a song co-written by Simon himself. “Red Rubber Ball” was co-written by Simon and Bruce Woodley of the band The Seekers, and the track was originally presented to Woodley’s band, but they turned it down. During the tour, Cyrkle member Tom Dawes—who was also serving as a bassist for Simon & Garfunkel—overheard the track and expressed interest in it.
“It came to us on a scratchy 45, just Paul singing it with a guitar,” Cyrkle lead singer Don Dannemann said, per Noise11. "Tommy Dawes heard it and said, ‘This is a cute song.’ We all listened and thought, ‘Yeah, let's try it.’”
The band’s version of the song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and helped the Cyrkle attain a level of success that resulted in them opening for the Beatles on their final North American tour. Meanwhile, “Red Rubber Ball” was covered by Neil Diamond, Cliff Richard, and many other artists.
“Leaves That Are Green” // Dorris Henderson
Simon originally penned this tune for his 1965 album The Paul Simon Songbook, but it was first released by folk singer Dorris Henderson on her album There You Go. The track, written by a precocious 21-year-old Simon, contains poignant meditations on the passage of time, and Henderson’s version became a hit. The tune was subsequently recorded and released by Simon & Garfunkel, but there’s something particularly moving about Henderson’s take on the track.
“Homeward Bound” // Chad & Jeremy
This song was written by Paul Simon and was first released by the duo Chad & Jeremy in 1965, which consisted of Chad Stuart and Downton Abbey actor Jeremy Clyde. Simon & Garfunkel later released it as their second single in 1966.
“That was written in Liverpool when I was traveling,” Simon recalled of the tune's origins. “What I like about that is that it has a very clear memory of Liverpool station and the streets of Liverpool and the club I played at and me at age 22. It's like a snapshot, a photograph of a long time ago. I like that about it but I don't like the song that much. First of all, it's not an original title. That's one of the main problems with it. It's been around forever. No, the early songs, I can't say I really like them. But there's something naive and sweet-natured and I must say I like that about it. They're not angry. And that means that I wasn't angry or unhappy. And that's my memory of that time: it was just about idyllic.”
“I Wish You Could Be Here” // The Seekers
Simon wrote this track with Bruce Woodley of the Seekers in the mid-1960s while the duo was in the UK. It was released as a single by the Seekers in 1966, and the Cyrkle also saw some chart success with their 1967 cover. The song was never formally released by Simon & Garfunkel or Simon, but remains a memorable part of Simon’s discography.
“Some Day, One Day” // The Seekers
This optimistic and encouraging track was written by Simon in 1965 and was released by the Seekers in 1966. It achieved some chart success around the globe, peaking at No. 4 in Australia and No. 11 in New Zealand.
“You Don’t Know Where Your Interest Lies” // Dana Valery
In 1967, Italian-born, South Africa-raised musician Dana Valery became the first person to release this Simon-penned track. It subsequently appeared as the B-side to Simon & Garfunkel’s track “Fakin’ It” that same year. Lavery's version of the song became a northern soul classic in the UK that can occasionally still be heard on casino floors.