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Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel's collaboration brought us some of the most introspective, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking music of our time. And still, the pair was able to whip up tunes with upbeat tempos that live rent-free in our heads. That is exactly what they did when they penned the 1970 pop-rock hit simply titled "Cecilia."
What caught listeners off guard most was the uncommon percussion it began with, which sounded like a rhythmic collection of slaps and claps. As it turns out, that is basically what it was, but how it ended up becoming the intro for a No. 4 Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper is far more interesting.
According to Far Out Magazine, the catchy intro began at a party attended by the prolific songwriters. A group of them created a rhythm by pounding a piano bench and a guitar body. Simon captured the musical banter on a recorder and found himself repeatedly returning to it.
“We were recording it on a portable recording device, […] and I listened to it back and I notice that something with the Nagra is causing the thing to have a slap back," Simon once said on The Howard Stern Show. "So if you go bop, it goes bop bop. Then I said, there’s about a minute and 15 seconds in there that’s really good. So we say to Roy Halee, who was our engineer, let’s take this minute and 15 seconds and make a loop of it.”
He later wrote lyrics around it, marking one of the first times Simon had written the music before the lyrics.
The Story Behind the Song "Cecilia"
Whenever we hear a catchy tune, we obviously want to know the story behind it. Simon and Garfunkel's "Cecilia" is no different. The truth is, there is a bit of mystery shrouded around it. There are no exacting, clear definitions for who or what the song is about, but following it along lyrically, it seems to tell the story of a scorned lover who reunites with their partner.
Other interpretations, according to American Songwriter, say Simon's "Cecilia" reference is actually an homage to the Catholic St. Cecilia, who is the patron saint of musicians. In that light, it appears to represent his tumultuous relationship with songwriting itself.
On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the host asked Simon rapid-fire questions about some of his more "confusing lyrics" and directly asked him about the part where he describes getting up to wash his face in "Cecilia."
“Well, it’s the ’60s, so I can’t remember,” joked the singer.
