"Duncan" is the second song of Paul Simon

Paul Simon

Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...

's February 1972 album Paul Simon

Paul Simon (album)

Paul Simon is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon as a solo artist. . It was released in January 1972, nearly two years after he split up with longtime musical partner Art Garfunkel...

, his first solo endeavor after the dissolution of the duo Simon & Garfunkel. The song was also released as a single in July 1972 as "Duncan" b/w "Run That Body Down".

A ballad in E-minor, "Duncan" tells the story of Lincoln Duncan, a fisherman's son. An inability to fall asleep in a cheap motel due to the loud sex that a couple is having next door sends Duncan off on a long reverie. He recalls his decision to leave "the boredom and the chowder" of his hometown in the Canadian maritime provinces and head towards New England. He recalls running out of money, losing his virginity to a young female street preacher – "just like a dog I was befriended" – and finally lying on the ground at night and thanking God for his musical ability.

Between the stanzas, the song features instrumental interludes by Los Incas

Los Incas

Los Incas is a group known for Andean music. They are best known in North America for accompanying Simon and Garfunkel on the song "El Condor Pasa " included on the duo's fifth album, Bridge Over Troubled Water...

, an Andean group which had previously collaborated with Simon & Garfunkel on "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" in 1970.

"Duncan" peaked at #52 on the Billboard Pop Singles

Billboard Hot 100

The 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 1972.

A concert rendition featuring Urubamba

Urubamba (group)

Urubamba was a music group consisting of musicians from Argentina and Uruguay, founded in 1956 by Jorge Milchberg. Urubamba, at the time known as "Los Incas" introduced Paul Simon to Andean music in the mid sixties, and then toured and recorded with Simon .Urubamba featured the Argentines Jorge...

 performing the interludes was included on the 1974 album Paul Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin'

Paul Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin'

Paul Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin' is an album by Paul Simon, released in March 1974 by Columbia Records. It was recorded during Simon's 1973-74 tour in the wake of the release of There Goes Rhymin' Simon – which produced a number of hit singles and radio staples...

. It gained radio airplay itself, and has gone on to become a semi-regular on satellite radio's Deep Tracks

Deep Tracks

Deep Tracks is a Sirius XM Radio channel featuring deep cuts of classic rock music, which encompasses lesser known album tracks, one-hit wonders, concert recordings, "forgotten 45s" and "B-side" tracks. The channel's format resembles progressive rock radio of the early 1970s.Earle Bailey is Deep...

station. Simon has included the song in his set lists for some subsequent tours as well.

Charts

Chart (1972)	Peak Position
US Hot 100 Singles Chart	52