Paul Simon on why The Everly Brothers were “perfect”
Being part of a vocal duo is always a difficult dynamic in the world of rock and roll. Even though the praise doesn’t have to be split amongst four or five different people, as with most bands, both group members will always have that growing animosity towards one another, thinking that they are way more important than their partner gives them credit for. While Simon and Garfunkel could have been considered one of the greatest examples of this, Paul Simon knew that one of his heroes achieved perfection long before he did.
Then again, Simon was bound to be a star based on the strength of his songs alone. With Art Garfunkel, he created some of the most earnest folk rock to come out of the late 1960s. This ranged from the reminder of the sad state of the world on ‘The Sound of Silence’ to creating stellar ballads like ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’.
While they would constantly be innovating their sound, Simon was the one with the broader musical palette. Coming from a folk background, Simon would incorporate everything he listened to into his music, from twisting the sounds of Bach for the melody line for ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ to eventually working with world music in his solo career and beyond.
As far as great songwriting goes, Simon always gravitated towards the golden age of rock and roll. Although there’s a fair bit of Bob Dylan influence in the acoustic foundation of the duo’s sound, Simon remembered the biggest idols of his time being The Everly Brothers.
Coming out around the same time as Chuck Berry and Little Richard, Phil and Don Everly brought a much tamer approach to rock and roll. As opposed to artists that wanted to make the most raucous music they could, The Everly Brothers brought a gentle touch to every one of their songs, even leaning into the sounds of country music on tracks like ‘Bye Bye Love’ and ‘Wake Up Little Suzie’.
Aside from their vast array of classics, the duo came alive whenever they sang together, singing in close two-part harmony that brought an aching melancholy to their heartbreaking ballads. Simon wasn’t the only one knocked out by their harmony sounds, with Paul McCartney and John Lennon nicknaming themselves the ‘Foreverly Brothers’ before they formed The Beatles.
While The Everly Brothers may have had a phenomenal track record for making great music, they ended up splitting up after one too many problems, culminating in one of their final shows where Phil smashed his guitar after Don showed up to a gig intoxicated. Since they never got the chance to say goodbye, Simon would bring them back together for their final tour, letting them close the door on their legacy the right way.
Even though years of abuse could have seriously affected their vocals, Simon thought nothing could have improved the band’s performances, telling Rolling Stone, “They met in the parking lot before the first gig. They unpacked their guitars — those famous black guitars — and they opened their mouths and started to sing. And after all those years, it was still that sound I fell in love with as a kid. It was still perfect.”
The influence of the Everly Brothers is evident every time that Simon and Garfunkel reunite. While both duos may have a common bond of being at each other’s throats most of the time, the sound of both of their vocals rubbing against each other has been the soundtrack of two separate generations of rock fans.