EXHIBIT: Paul Simon: Words & Music at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH
If you’ve visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum within the past few years, you’re probably familiar with its shrines dedicated to Elvis, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones. So when you turn the corner into “Paul Simon: Words & Music,” you might be surprised to find this recent addition is even more thorough than the permanent tributes to Simon’s contemporaries. Of course, Paul Simon’s large and varied discography certainly deserves to be examined, as his catalog and success span decades. But alongside wild rockers like Jimi Hendrix and the Doors, this former folkie is perhaps not the first person you would expect the Rock Hall to give an entire room to.
As it turns out though, there’s plenty to talk about when it comes to Rhymin’ Simon. The exhibit details his career from his earliest interest in music to his most recent projects. His story is told, in part, through artifacts that come directly from his own personal archives, and while there are plenty of the usual featured pieces, such as guitars, concert footage, and photos, the main attraction is Simon’s original handwritten lyrics, scrawled on the backs of envelopes and inside magazines. As the exhibit title “Words & Music” implies, the primary focus is Paul Simon’s creative process and the overarching question, “Which comes first, the words or the music?”
To help answer this, Words & Music is built around interviews conducted with Simon specifically for the purpose of the exhibit. This input adds a layer of insight that makes it seem as if everything was personally curated by the man himself. His quotes are sprinkled throughout the displays, commenting on what each artifact represents, and several screens show him discussing different eras of his career.
If you really take your time going through, you’ll find that many of the same quotes and details pop up in multiple places, which is nice if you’re a more casual fan who just wants to get the major points before moving onto the next part of the museum. I was able to see the whole exhibit in under a little an hour (and I was being very thorough), but even if you only spend about 10 minutes on it, you’re bound to leave with at least a handful of facts that you didn’t know before. There are displays and videos addressing all the biggest songs and albums, from “Mrs. Robinson” to Graceland, that the average visitor would want to know more about. As for the more avid fans, the exhibit also looks at some of the less remembered parts of Simon’s career, like his screenwriting effort, One-Trick Pony.
As fascinating as it is to learn how Paul Simon came up with his most famous tunes, my favorite part of the exhibit pertains to his television appearances, specifically his time on Saturday Night Live. While it’s not something I would have expected the curators to touch on, I’m glad they did, as each sketch included in the video is hilarious and shows the more humorous side of an artist whose work is often regarded as serious, esoteric poetry. In fact, one interesting truth this exhibit will tell you about Simon is that, despite the popular perception of his work, he doesn’t consider what he does “poetry.” He admits he doesn’t even know where some of his most quoted lines come from or what they mean, but he keeps them in the final product just because they seem to fit, even if they don’t always make much sense.
As a whole, the exhibit is fairly small, so I don’t want to spoil all the best parts before you get to see them for yourself. But if you’re planning to visit the Rock Hall, I would say, do it sooner rather than later, so you can see this collection while you still have the chance. Words & Music is very well put together, and the overall narrative of Simon’s career is easy to follow as you pass through. Each piece that’s included is interesting on its own, so no detail seems dry or pointless. It’s definitely worth your time to dedicate a good portion of your visit to this part of the museum.
If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about Paul Simon or his work with Simon & Garfunkel, you’ll definitely enjoy this look into his life and artistic process, and you’ll likely gain a new understanding of a singer-songwriter whose own story proves to be just as interesting as the ones told in his enduring music.
