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 | |
| Producers |
|
"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 | edit source]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 | edit source]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 | edit source]Excerpts feature throughout the Korean drama Angel Eyes. 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 | edit source]- ^ Eliot 2010, p. 289.
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- ^ Eliot 2010, p. 91.
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Bibliography
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External links
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