April Come She Will
"April Come She Will" | |
---|---|
Song by Simon & Garfunkel | |
from the album Sounds of Silence | |
Recorded | December 21, 1965 |
Genre | Folk |
Length | 1:51 |
Label | Columbia |
Songwriter(s) | |
Producer(s) |
|
"April Come She Will" is a song by American music duo Simon & Garfunkel from their second studio album, Sounds of Silence (1966). It originally appeared on the solo album The Paul Simon Songbook. It is the B-side to the hit single "Scarborough Fair/Canticle".[1] It is included on The Graduate soundtrack album and was additionally released on the "Mrs. Robinson" EP in 1968, together with three other songs from The Graduate film: "Mrs. Robinson", "Scarborough Fair/Canticle", and "The Sound of Silence".
Background and composition
[edit]The song was written in 1964 while Paul Simon was in England. Its lyrics use the changing nature of the seasons as a metaphor for a girl's changing moods. The inspiration for the song was a girl that Simon met and the nursery rhyme she used to recite, "Cuckoo".[2] James Hardy lists regional variations to this folk rhyme about the Cuckoo - and the one closest to the lyrics is from Hampshire:
In April, come I will
In May, I prepare to stay
In June, I change my tune [the call changes in June]
In July, I prepare to fly
In August, go I must [Cuckoos migrate to Africa][3]
It is the shortest song on the album.[4] The song is composed in the key of G major, sounding as A major with the capo on the 2nd fret, with Art Garfunkel's vocal range spanning from D3 to D4.[5]
Release and reception
[edit]In the February 1968 release of the soundtrack for the movie The Graduate, the song appeared (in a different version) as the seventh track.[6] It is featured in a pool scene in the movie and was used as a rhythmic guide for the editing of the film.[7]
Reviews for the song were generally positive. Matthew Greenwald of Allmusic wrote: "The sense of yearning in this song would later be beautifully echoed in one of the Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme masterpieces, "For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her." [sic] Like that song, it is very brief, yet the shortness of the song adds to the effectiveness and economy of both the lyric and melody."[2]
In popular culture
[edit]Excerpts feature throughout the Korean drama Angel Eyes (TV series). It is the favorite song of the female lead Yoon Soo-wan (Koo Hye-sun) and is the ringtone for the phone[8] of the male lead Park Dong-joo (Lee Sang-yoon) on his return to South Korea.[9] Part of the song was featured in Season 23, Episode 18 of The Simpsons, Beware My Cheating Bart. Conversely, the musical segment featured a visual gag referencing the poster of the 1967 film, The Graduate, for which Simon & Garfunkel provided the soundtrack. In the 2000s, the song was also featured in an episode of Parks and Recreation and one of The Mindy Project.
References
[edit]- ^ Eliot 2010, p. 289.
- ^ a b Greenwald, Matthew. "April Come She Will Song Review". Allmusic. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- ^ Folklore Society (Great Britain) (1878–82). Folk-Lore Record. Robarts - University of Toronto. London.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: date format (link) - ^ "April Come She Will by Simon and Garfunkel". Songfacts. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- ^ "Digital Sheet Music – Simon & Garfunkel – April Come She Will". Musicnotes.com. Sony/ATV Music Publishing. 28 September 2009. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- ^ Ankeny, Jason. "The Graduate > Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
- ^ Eliot 2010, p. 91.
- ^ "엔젤아이즈에서 박동주 핸드폰 벨소리 제목은?".
- ^ "'엔젤아이즈 Ost', 드라마를 뒷받침하는 '음악의 힘'".
Bibliography
[edit]- Eliot, Marc (2010). Paul Simon: A Life. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-43363-8.