When darkness falls and pain is all around.

September 9, 2016 7:29 PM

Sail on, Silver Girl: Playa Elvis delivers Bridge Over Troubled Waters. (SLYT)
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln (17 comments total)

Here's elvis doing it live.
Fantastic!
posted by clavdivs at 7:54 PM on September 9, 2016 [3 favorites]

Roberta Flack's "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" is still my all-time favourite performance of this song -- I like it even better than the original.
posted by orange swan at 8:36 PM on September 9, 2016 [4 favorites]

This is peak Burning Man.
posted by triggerfinger at 8:47 PM on September 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

Dammit, clavdivs, you just sent me down the Elvis video rabbit hole.

Deeply nostalgic for me. You see in the 1990's US Army in Germany, my college-bound stoner buddies could only agree with the redneck troops on one thing to watch when smashed...The King. I swear to God, we watched every VCR tape of an Elvis special or movie we could get our hands on. The big ol' cheese ball, with the goofy moves and complete lack of self awareness never failed to please.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 8:48 PM on September 9, 2016 [5 favorites]

Often an ok video is overlaid with gratuitous crappy music. But-- here's the rare case where you should ignore the visuals and just listen. Look away from the screen, really.
posted by Rich Smorgasbord at 10:45 PM on September 9, 2016 [2 favorites]

Needs more reverb.
posted by Quonab at 10:49 PM on September 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

I clicked on this because I love Paul Simon and I love this song.

I regretted the click very quickly.

(The Flack cover that someone else posted above was nice, though.)
posted by splitpeasoup at 11:04 PM on September 9, 2016

... and, because nobody (not even Elvis really) has ever topped this guy's take ...

Art Garfunkel
posted by philip-random at 11:36 PM on September 9, 2016 [5 favorites]

Well, the guy is working for it. He's not phoning it in.

Also, Art Garfunkel's forehead and crown of hair above it are thisclose to being as impressive as his singing.
posted by From Bklyn at 3:29 AM on September 10, 2016 [2 favorites]

Parenthetical comment: Artie has one hell of a voice. Really lovely. I saw him on tv probably 30 years ago, when he was trying to launch his career as a single performer. I don't know why he failed at that, but I do know that the one CD of his I bought was woefully over produced. Phil Spector x 10; just let the man sing, why don't you.
posted by adam hominem at 5:51 AM on September 10, 2016

Plus he's a tenor. About 1970 I was old enough for music and I remember my father singing, he was very good. Anywho, for a while my father would say "Garfunkel, Garfunkel, Garfunkel" to incite laughter and some tunes. The following week it was "galoshes" and Joan Baez.
posted by clavdivs at 5:56 AM on September 10, 2016

Nice to be reminded that some things are still better without any irony at all.
posted by Sing Or Swim at 6:22 AM on September 10, 2016 [4 favorites]

Here's El Vez, "The Mexican Elvis" doing another Paul Simon cover "Aztlan"
posted by bonobothegreat at 8:10 AM on September 10, 2016

Remember to apply sunscreen generously and evenly when attending raves in the burning desert.
posted by Bee'sWing at 9:35 AM on September 10, 2016 [1 favorite]

Damn that El Vez track is like revenge on behalf of Los Lobos, innit
posted by gusandrews at 11:11 AM on September 10, 2016

Wow, thanks for that Robert Flack link, orange swan. That gave me chills all the way through.
If I may...I take any opportunity I can to plug my favorite Aretha version.
posted by uosuaq at 2:05 PM on September 10, 2016 [1 favorite]

I think Aretha was Paul Simon's favourite as well
posted by smugly rowan at 3:18 AM on September 11, 2016