Punky's Dilemma

"Punky's Dilemma"
Song by Simon & Garfunkel from the album Bookends
Recorded	October 5, 1967 Columbia Studio A (New York City)
Genre	Folk rock
Length	2:10
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Paul Simon
Producer(s)	Paul Simon Art Garfunkel Roy Halee

"Punky's Dilemma" is a song by American music duo Simon & Garfunkel from their fourth studio album, Bookends (1968).

Background

"Punky's Dilemma" was one of two songs (the other being "Overs") that Paul Simon offered to director Mike Nichols for his film The Graduate.^[1] Nichols was not particularly taken with either, which led to Simon writing "Mrs. Robinson".^[1]

The song was partially worked on by John Simon,^[2] who was hired to "kick-start" the recording while Paul Simon had writer's block.^[3] Morgan Ames, writer for High Fidelity magazine, attended a recording session during which "Punky's Dilemma" was being worked on, in October 1967.^[2] The team spent over 50 studio hours recording "Punky's Dilemma," re-recording vocal parts, sometimes note by note, until they were satisfied.^[4]

Composition

"Punky’s Dilemma" is breezy and minimal musically, with a soft jazz-style percussion and seemingly improvised guitar lines dominated by seventh chords.^[5] It employs breakfast-food images to lampoon Hollywood and the film industry. It improbably takes an "abrupt left turn" in its third verse, when the singer begins to fantasize himself an admired soldier.^[5]

Notes

References

1. Eliot 2007, p. 90.
2. Fornatale 2007, p. 66.
3. Fornatale 2007, p. 62.
4. Simon & Garfunkel interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
5. Bennighof 2007, p. 39.

Sources

• Bennighof, James (2007). The Words and Music of Paul Simon. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-99163-0.
• Eliot, Marc (2010). Paul Simon: A Life. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-43363-8.
• Fornatale, Pete (2007). Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends. Rodale. ISBN 978-1-59486-427-8.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics