"Cecilia"
Artwork for US, French, and Norwegian vinyl releases
Single by Simon & Garfunkel
from the album Bridge over Troubled Water
B-side"The Only Living Boy in New York"
ReleasedApril 20, 1970
RecordedNovember 2, 1969
Genre
Length
  • 2:54
  • 2:38 (7-inch version)
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Paul Simon
Producer(s)
Simon & Garfunkel singles chronology
"Bridge over Troubled Water"
(1970)		 "Cecilia"
(1970)		 "El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could)"
(1970)
Listen
"Cecilia" (audio) on YouTube

"Cecilia" is a song by American musical duo Simon & Garfunkel. It was released in April 1970 as the third single from the group's fifth and last studio album, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970). Written by Paul Simon, the song's origins lie in a late-night party, in which the duo and friends began banging on a piano bench. They recorded the sound with a tape recorder, employing reverb and matching the rhythm created by the machine. Simon later wrote the song's guitar line and lyrics on the subject of an untrustworthy lover.

"Cecilia" was a hit single in the United States, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. On the Cash Box Top 100, it reached number one. The song also performed well in several other countries but failed to chart in the United Kingdom, where it was released as a single about six months after the album. It has been the subject of numerous cover versions, including those by American duo Times Two and English singer Suggs, which became chart hits in numerous regions.

Background and recording

The song's origins lie in a late-night party attended by the duo and friends.[1] The song's rhythm was developed by Simon, Garfunkel, and Simon's younger brother, Eddie. They recorded it for fun utilizing a Sony tape recorder and employing reverberation. In doing so, they were able to synchronize their live rhythm with the reverberating sound on the recording. A friend grabbed a guitar, strumming and punctuating the rhythm with "aahs".[1]

Simon later found himself coming back to the tape and its infectious quality. While listening to the recording, he composed the song's guitar line.[2] Simon found a section, the length of shortly over a minute, that he felt had a nice groove. He and producer Roy Halee made a loop of this section, which was not an easy task before the advent of digital recording.[1] The duo later recorded additional elements of the song at Columbia Records' Gower Street location in Hollywood, typically used for string section recording. Simon & Garfunkel dropped drumsticks on the parquet floor, incorporating their sound into the track. In addition, Simon played random notes on a xylophone, as those elements would be compressed in the final version to where it would not be audible whether or not they were correctly played.[1] Drums were played by veteran Wrecking Crew drummer Hal Blaine.[3][4]

The lyric "making love in the afternoon" was among Simon's most explicit at the time.[5] Simon states in the 2011 documentary The Harmony Game that, during the song's initial success, he came upon a recently returned Vietnam War veteran. The man told Simon that soldiers heard the song and found it a sign of the country's changing mores.[1]

In 2008, Stephen Colbert facetiously asked Simon why the narrator of the song would need to get up and wash his face after making love. Simon replied, "Well, it's the '60s, so I can't remember."[6]

Composition

Simon has suggested that the "Cecilia" of the title refers to St. Cecilia, patron saint of music in the Catholic tradition, and thus the song might refer to the frustration of fleeting inspiration in songwriting, the vagaries of musical fame or in a wider sense the absurdity of pop culture.[1] The song is generally interpreted as a lament over a capricious lover who causes both anguish and jubilation to the singer. St. Cecilia is mentioned in another Paul Simon song, "The Coast" (from his 1990 album The Rhythm of the Saints): "A family of musicians took shelter for the night in the little harbor church of St. Cecilia."

Release and charts

Simon & Garfunkel initially imagined "Cecilia" to be the first real single from Bridge over Troubled Water, following an early release of "The Boxer" in April 1969. Columbia Records chairman Clive Davis instead pressed the duo to instead issue the title track as the lead single.[7]

Cash Box described "Cecilia" as a "mixture of rhythm-chant vigor and Caribbean-rock excitement."[8] Record World called it a "Calypso type tune [that] will make [Simon & Garfunkel] more friends."[9] Billboard said that "everything about it is absolutely perfect."[10]

The song topped the Cash Box Top 100 in May 1970.[11] The song peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, spending 13 weeks on the chart.[12] It also hit number 32 on the magazine's Easy Listening chart.[12]

The single did not chart in the UK, despite being released as the follow-up to Simon and Garfunkel's number 1 hit "Bridge over Troubled Water", and most copies of the UK single misspelled the title as "Cecelia" on the label.

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[36] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Times Two version

"Cecilia"
Single by Times Two
from the album X2
B-side"Romeo"[37]
Released1988
Length3:46
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)Paul Simon
Producer(s)
Times Two singles chronology
"Strange but True"
(1988)		 "Cecilia"
(1988)		 "Set Me Free"
(1990)

In 1988, a cover version by California-based dance duo Times Two was released, peaking at number 79 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one in New Zealand.[38][39]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1988) Peak
position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[39] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[38] 79

Year-end charts

Chart (1988) Position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[40] 8

Suggs version

"Cecilia"
Single by Suggs featuring Louchie Lou & Michie One
from the album The Lone Ranger
ReleasedApril 1, 1996 (1996-04-01)[41]
Length3:08
LabelWEA
Songwriter(s)Paul Simon
Producer(s)Sly & Robbie
Suggs singles chronology
"The Tune"
(1995)		 "Cecilia"
(1996)		 "No More Alcohol"
(1996)

In 1994, English singer Suggs went to work on his first solo project with producers Sly and Robbie, who suggested "Cecilia" as one of the songs to work on. Sly and Robbie had previously worked with the English ragga duo Louchie Lou & Michie One on "Shout", and they brought the duo in on the recording. "Cecilia" appears on Suggs' debut solo album, The Lone Ranger released in 1995, and the song was released in April 1996 as the fourth single from the album.[42] The song became the most successful single for both Suggs and Louchie Lou & Michie One, reaching number four on the UK Singles Chart.[43]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1996) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[44] 28
Czech Republic (IFPI CR)[45] 3
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[46] 18
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[47] 26
Ireland (IRMA)[48] 10
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[49] 44
Scotland (OCC)[50] 2
UK Singles (OCC)[51] 4

Year-end charts

Chart (1996) Position
UK Singles (OCC)[52][53] 32

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[54] Silver 200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lebeau, Jennifer (Director) (2011). The Harmony Game: The Making of Bridge Over Troubled Water (Motion picture). US: Emerging Pictures.
  2. ↑ Browne 2012, p. 38.
  3. ↑ Ebel 2004, pp. 58.
  4. ↑ Hal Blaine, David Goggin, David M. Schwartz, Hal Blaine and The Wrecking Crew, Hal Leonard Corporation, 2010, p. discography
  5. ↑ Browne 2012, p. 45.
  6. ↑ nerdygirl. "Episode 4150 (11/18/2008)". The No Fact Zone. Archived from the original on July 5, 2011. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  7. ↑ Browne 2012, p. 43.
  8. ↑ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 4, 1970. p. 26. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. April 4, 1970. p. 1. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. April 4, 1970. p. 60. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  11. ↑ "CashBox Top 100" (PDF). Cash Box. May 30, 1970. p. 4. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  12. 1 2 3 "Simon & Garfunkel Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Billboard - Hits Of The World" (PDF). Billboard. July 18, 1970. p. 71. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  14. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  15. ↑ "Simon & Garfunkel – Cecilia" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Simon & Garfunkel – Cecilia" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Simon & Garfunkel – Cecilia" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3787." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 22, 1970" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Simon & Garfunkel – Cecilia" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  21. ↑
    • Rhodesia. Kimberley, C. Rhodesia: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  22. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  23. ↑ "Simon & Garfunkel – Cecilia". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Simon Garfunkel Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 5/30/70". cashboxmagazine.com. May 30, 1970. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Simon & Garfunkel – Cecilia" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved January 12, 2015. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Simon & Garfunkel"
  27. ↑ David Kent's "Australian Chart Book 1970–1992" Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  28. ↑ "Jahreshitparade Singles 1970" (in German). Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  29. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1970" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  30. ↑ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". RPM.
  31. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1970" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  32. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1970/Top 100 Songs of 1970", musicoutfitters.com (retrieved June 12, 2016).
  33. ↑ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles – 1970". cashboxmagazine.com. December 26, 1970. Archived from the original on September 22, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1970" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  35. ↑ "British single certifications – Simon & Garfunkel – Cecilia". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  36. ↑ "American single certifications – Simon & Garfunkel – Cecilia". Recording Industry Association of America.
  37. 1 2 Cecilia (US 7-inch single sleeve). Times Two. Reprise Records. 1988. 7-27871.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  38. 1 2 "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. July 30, 1988. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  39. 1 2 "Times Two – Cecilia". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  40. ↑ "End of Year Charts 1988". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  41. ↑ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. March 30, 2003. p. 35. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  42. ↑ Reed, John (2014). House of Fun: The Story of Madness. Omnibus Press. p. 2005. ISBN 9781783233342 – via Google Books.
  43. ↑ "Suggs". The Official Charts Company.
  44. ↑ "Suggs feat. Louchie Lou & Michie One – Cecilia" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  45. ↑ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 31. August 3, 1996. p. 17. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  46. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 18. May 4, 1996. p. 28. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  47. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn NR. 175 Vikuna 22.6. – 28.6. '96". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). June 22, 1996. p. 26. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  48. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Cecilia". Irish Singles Chart.
  49. ↑ "Suggs feat. Louchie Lou & Michie One – Cecilia". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  50. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  51. ↑ "Suggs & Louchie Lou Michie One: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  52. ↑ "Top 100 Singles 1996". Music Week. January 18, 1997. p. 25.
  53. ↑ "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40–1996 wg sprzedaży" (in Polish). Archived from the original on June 4, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  54. ↑ "British single certifications – Suggs – Cecilia". British Phonographic Industry.

Bibliography

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