"
Mrs. Robinson" is a song written by
Paul SimonPaul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter. He entered the public consciousness in 1965 as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, along with longtime artistic partner Art Garfunkel. Simon solely wrote most of duo's songs, including such memorable songs as "The Sound of Silence", "The Boxer",...
and first performed by
Simon and GarfunkelSimon & Garfunkel is an American singer-songwriter duo consisting of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. They formed the group "Tom and Jerry" in 1957, and had their first taste of success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon and Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, backed by the hit single...
. When released as a single in 1968, it hit number one on the
Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in the US, for their second chart-topping hit after "The Sounds of Silence". An early version of the song appeared in the motion picture
The GraduateThe Graduate is a American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols, based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay is by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as the hotel clerk...
(1967) and its subsequent
soundtrackThe Graduate was an album of songs from the soundtrack of Mike Nichols' movie The Graduate, featuring many songs from the folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Released on January 21, 1968, the album was produced by Teo Macero. Columbia Records LP OS 3180; CD CK 3180.Although the album features two...
, while the complete song debuted on their album
BookendsBookends is the name of an album and its title track, both recorded by Simon & Garfunkel, released April 3, 1968. It was produced by Paul Simon, Roy Halee and Art Garfunkel....
(1968). The song earned the duo a
Grammy AwardThe Grammy Awards —or Grammys—are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry...
for
Record of the YearThe Record of the Year may refer to*Grammy Award for Record of the Year*The Record of the Year, a British award based on public polling...
in 1969.
"
Mrs. Robinson" is a song written by
Paul SimonPaul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter. He entered the public consciousness in 1965 as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, along with longtime artistic partner Art Garfunkel. Simon solely wrote most of duo's songs, including such memorable songs as "The Sound of Silence", "The Boxer",...
and first performed by
Simon and GarfunkelSimon & Garfunkel is an American singer-songwriter duo consisting of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. They formed the group "Tom and Jerry" in 1957, and had their first taste of success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon and Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, backed by the hit single...
. When released as a single in 1968, it hit number one on the
Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in the US, for their second chart-topping hit after "The Sounds of Silence". An early version of the song appeared in the motion picture
The GraduateThe Graduate is a American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols, based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay is by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as the hotel clerk...
(1967) and its subsequent
soundtrackThe Graduate was an album of songs from the soundtrack of Mike Nichols' movie The Graduate, featuring many songs from the folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Released on January 21, 1968, the album was produced by Teo Macero. Columbia Records LP OS 3180; CD CK 3180.Although the album features two...
, while the complete song debuted on their album
BookendsBookends is the name of an album and its title track, both recorded by Simon & Garfunkel, released April 3, 1968. It was produced by Paul Simon, Roy Halee and Art Garfunkel....
(1968). The song earned the duo a
Grammy AwardThe Grammy Awards —or Grammys—are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry...
for
Record of the YearThe Record of the Year may refer to*Grammy Award for Record of the Year*The Record of the Year, a British award based on public polling...
in 1969. Top session drummer
Hal BlaineHal Blaine is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, Simon & Garfunkel, The Carpenters and the Beach Boys...
played on this. He considers it to be one of his favorites.
Context
- "And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson,
- Jesus loves you more than you will know
- God bless you please, Mrs. Robinson"
In the film
The GraduateThe Graduate is a American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols, based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay is by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as the hotel clerk...
, listless recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock (
Dustin HoffmanDustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor who has had an active career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He first drew critical praise for the 1966 Off-Broadway play Eh? for which he won a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk Award. This was soon followed by his breakout movie role as Ben...
) has an affair with an older married woman, Mrs. Robinson (
Anne BancroftAnne Bancroft was an American actress associated with the method school of acting.-Early life:Bancroft was born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano in the Bronx, New York, the daughter of Mildred , a telephone operator, and Michael Italiano, a dress pattern maker...
). The song as it appears in the film is different from the familiar hit single version, as it is presented in sections spread out throughout the second half of the film. It was only later on that Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel re-recorded the song by bringing the snippets of lyrics together and added new lyrics to form the hit single.
According to a
VarietyVariety is a weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the Daily...
article by
Peter BartPeter Benton Bart is an American journalist and film producer. He perhaps best known for his lengthy tenure as the editor of Variety, an entertainment-trade magazine....
in the May 15, 2005 issue, director
Mike NicholsMike Nichols is an American television, stage and film director, writer, and producer. Nichols is one of only ten people to have won all the major American entertainment awards: an Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award.-Early years:...
had become obsessed with Simon & Garfunkel's music while shooting the film. Larry Turman, his producer, made a deal for Simon to write three new songs for the movie. By the time they were nearly finished editing the film, Simon had only written one new song. Nichols begged him for more but Simon, who was touring constantly, told him he didn't have the time. He did play him a few notes of a new song he had been working on; "It's not for the movie... it's a song about times past — about
Mrs. RooseveltAnna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and assumed a role as an advocate for civil rights...
and
Joe DiMaggioJoseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , born Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio, Jr., was an American baseball player for the New York Yankees. He was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955...
and stuff." Nichols advised Simon, "It's now about Mrs. Robinson, not Mrs. Roosevelt."
Joe DiMaggio
These lines –
- "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , born Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio, Jr., was an American baseball player for the New York Yankees. He was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955...
?
- Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
- What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson?
- Joltin' Joe has left and gone away."
– are perhaps the most memorable.
Paul SimonPaul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter. He entered the public consciousness in 1965 as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, along with longtime artistic partner Art Garfunkel. Simon solely wrote most of duo's songs, including such memorable songs as "The Sound of Silence", "The Boxer",...
, a fan of
Mickey MantleMickey Charles Mantle was an American baseball player who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974....
, was asked on
The Dick Cavett ShowThe Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks, including:* ABC daytime ...
why Mantle wasn’t mentioned in the song instead of DiMaggio. Simon replied, "It's about syllables, Dick. It's about how many beats there are."
For himself, DiMaggio initially complained that he had not gone anywhere, but soon dropped his complaints when he realized that he gained new fame with
baby boomerBaby boomer is a term used to describe a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom. The term "baby boomer" is sometimes used in a cultural context, and sometimes used to describe someone who was born during the post-WWII baby boom. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve...
s because of the song.
In a
New York Times op-edAn op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board. These are different from editorials, which are usually unsigned and written by editorial board members...
in March 1999, shortly after DiMaggio's death, Simon explained that the line was meant as a sincere tribute to DiMaggio's unpretentious heroic stature, in a time when popular culture magnifies and distorts how we perceive our heroes. He further reflected: "In these days of Presidential transgressions and apologies and prime-time interviews about private sexual matters, we grieve for Joe DiMaggio and mourn the loss of his grace and dignity, his fierce sense of privacy, his fidelity to the memory of his wife and the power of his silence." Simon subsequently performed "Mrs. Robinson" at
Yankee StadiumYankee Stadium was a stadium at East 161st Street and River Avenue in the Bronx in New York City. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and after extensive renovations, from 1976 to 2008. The stadium had a capacity of 57,545 and hosted 6,581...
in DiMaggio's honor in April of the same year.
Cover versions
- Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers." His professional career had stalled by the...
covered a version of this song for his 1969 album My WayMy Way is an album by American singer Frank Sinatra, released in 1969. The album is a collection of contemporary pop songs, such as Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs...
. This version changes a number of lines, including replacing "Jesus" with "JillyErmenigildo "Jilly" Rizzo was an American restaurateur and entertainer.-Biography:A long time friend of Frank Sinatra, Rizzo was mentioned in several of Sinatra's recordings and made cameo appearances in several of Sinatra's films...
" (Sinatra's close friend) and including a new verse directly referring to Mrs. Robinson's activities in The Graduate:
- The PTA
In the U.S. a parent-teacher association or Parent-Teacher-Student Association is a formal organization composed of parents, teachers and staff that is intended to facilitate parental participation in a public or private school. Most public and private K-8 schools in the U.S. have a PTA, a...
, Mrs. Robinson,
- Won't okay the way you do your thing
- Ding ding ding.
- And you'll get yours, Mrs. Robinson,
- Foolin' with that young stuff like you do
- Boo hoo hoo, woo woo woo.
- The Lemonheads
The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band formed in 1986 by singer/guitarist Evan Dando, who has been the band's only constant member....
recorded a notable cover version of this song that charted in the early '90sThe 1990s was the decade that ran from January 1, 1990, to December 31, 1999, the last decade of the 20th century. It was the first decade following the effective end of the Cold War...
. Although not originally included on The Lemonheads' album It's A Shame About RayIt's a Shame about Ray is the fifth album by The Lemonheads. It was released on June 2, 1992 . Tom Morgan of Australian band Smudge helped author the album, while Juliana Hatfield played bass and sang backing vocals on some songs....
, the album was re-released with the cover of "Mrs. Robinson" included after the single's chart success.
- There is a swinging cover version sung by Billy Paul
Billy Paul is a Grammy Award winning American soul singer, most known for his 1972 number-one single, "Me and Mrs. Jones". He was usually identified by his distinguishably raspy vocal.-Biography:...
.
- Soul band Booker T & the MG's made a cover version of the song as an instrumental, barely making the top 40 in July 1969.
- The James Taylor Quartet
The James Taylor Quartet are a British four-piece jazz funk band who have become renowned for their live performances. They were formed by Hammond organ player James Taylor following the break-up of his former band The Prisoners in the wake of Stiff Records' bankruptcy...
released an instrumental version in their jazz funk style on their album Mission Impossible.
- The folk punk
Folk punk , is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was pioneered by the London-based Irish band The Pogues in the 1980s...
band Andrew Jackson JihadAndrew Jackson Jihad is an American folk-punk band from Phoenix, Arizona, formed in 2004.-History:Andrew Jackson Jihad was formed after its original drummer, Justin James White, approached Sean Bonnette and Ben Gallaty, who had just left Rodan and The Sub-Standards...
based their song People II: The Reckoning on the song.
- Stadium rockers Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Fronted by lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , Bon Jovi formed in 1983 with guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, bassist Alec John Such and drummer Tico Torres. Other than the departure of Alec John Such in 1994 and...
recorded the song on one of their live performances. The song was included on the limited edition bonus disc of their 1995 These DaysThese Days is Bon Jovi's sixth studio album, and was released on June 27, 1995. This was the first album Bon Jovi released after the firing of bassist Alec John Such. Hugh McDonald unofficially replaced Such as bassist. At the time of release, the album was a huge commercial hit, particularly in...
album.
- The folk duo The Indigo Girls did a version to accompany the Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry, who also serves as show runner, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producers, as of the fourth season, are Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
television series.
- Dutch band The Nits
The Nits are a Dutch pop group, founded in 1974. Their musical style has varied considerably over the years, as has their line-up with the core of Henk Hofstede , Rob Kloet, drummer, Robert Jan Stips , keyboards.Their biggest hit in the Netherlands was "Nescio" , a tribute to the Dutch author Jan...
wrote a continuation of the romance between Mrs. Robinson and Benjamin, with new lyrics and music. Simon refused to let the band re-use a few lines of his song. The song, "Robinson", appeared on their 1998 album Alankomaat and was released as a single in the Netherlands.
External links