The Slipped Disc daily comfort zone (125): Boxing
mainContinuing out sports cycle with that amazing opening guitar riff and the trumpet voluntary between verses.
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A much better song about boxing, by our great late Claude Nougaro, “Quatre Boules de Cuir”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IpetNbJUy8
IsSorry, Mr. Lebrecht, I don’t hear anything amazing, there is no gitar riff or trumpet either voluntar or involintary, only an ordinary strum accompaniment repeated to the point of stupefaction beneath the usual simpering, epicene crooning with some ill-tuned faux-country fiddling and a very misleading heading. Why is it here on a classical musicforum whose comfort zone plots a little north of this?
As they say in Belfast “Catch yourself on”.
It’s not really a boxing movie, but boxing’s in there, deeply buried; so it’s not really boxing music, but there is perhaps something of the tragedy of boxing in the music: Leonard Bernstein’s score for “On The Waterfront.”
The Boxer really isn’t about Boxing per se. It is generally believed that it is more autobiographical. Paul Simon is reflecting on his own pugnacious persistence to make it in the music business. All the barriers and all his struggle and some eventual feelings about wanting to get out and away.
The line about “…whores on 7th Avenue.” is a metaphor for Columbia Records. That was Simon and Garfunkel’s label in the 1960’s. It was an upscale business area, and the prostitution in the area was most likely the ‘sell-out’ behaviour and pressure to please that was demanded by the big media companies. Until he made it, Paul Simon saw the record companies as his comforter, not a behemoth that would be demanding more and more product from him now that he was a successful commodity.
Great black and white photo.
Those who love the sport probably already know Joyce Carol Oates’ book on the subject, considered by many to be her best book (along with Marilyn.)
JCO’s book is called Blonde.