Mrs. Robinson
Encyclopedia
"Mrs. Robinson" is a song written by Paul Simon
and first performed by Simon & Garfunkel. When released as a single in 1968, it hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100
chart in the US, for their second chart-topping hit after "The Sound of Silence
". An early version of the song appeared in the motion picture The Graduate
(1967) and its subsequent soundtrack
, while the complete song debuted on their album Bookends
(1968). The song earned the duo a Grammy Award
for Record of the Year
in 1969. Top session drummer Hal Blaine
played on the record, and considers it one of his favorites.
, listless recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock has an affair with an older married woman, Mrs. Robinson. The song as it appears in the film is different from the familiar hit single version, as only the chorus of the song appears late in the film and with slightly different lyrics: "Stand up tall, Mrs. Robinson, God in heaven smiles on those who pray." It was only later on that Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel re-recorded the song by employing additional lyrics to form the hit single.There is also a reference to the song and the way it is used in The Graduate
in the television show Gossip Girl
stating "Poor Miss Iowa, caught playing Mrs. Robinson" When a teacher from Iowa has an affair with a student.
According to a Variety
article by Peter Bart
in the May 15, 2005 issue, director Mike Nichols
had become obsessed with Simon & Garfunkel's music while shooting the film. Larry Turman, his producer, made a deal for Simon to write three new songs for the movie. By the time they were nearly finished editing the film, Simon had only written one new song. Nichols begged him for more but Simon, who was touring constantly, told him he didn't have the time. He did play him a few notes of a new song he had been working on; "It's not for the movie... it's a song about times past — about Mrs. Roosevelt
and Joe DiMaggio
and stuff." Nichols advised Simon, "It's now about Mrs. Robinson, not Mrs. Roosevelt." (During an appearance on Dick Cavett
's show, Simon told the story of how the song was originally called "Mrs. Roosevelt," to which Cavett quipped: "That would have changed the plot of the movie.")
is based on the assumption that The Graduate
is based on real events which become uncovered. The song "Mrs. Robinson" is featured in this film as well. Much of the last 20 minutes of Wayne's World 2
parodies the final sequence of The Graduate, and the version of "Mrs. Robinson" from the film is heard multiple times in a similar scene in which Wayne rushes to get to a wedding. One line from the film version is also heard near the end of the film American Pie
when Stifler's mother seduces the young character Finch. The song also is used in the films Forrest Gump
, My Mom's New Boyfriend
, The Holiday
and The Other Sister
.
In early January 2010, after news of Iris Robinson
(wife of Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson
) having an extramarital affair with the (40 years younger) adult child of a family friend became public, a group was set up on Facebook
attempting to get the song "Mrs. Robinson" to No.1 in the Official UK Singles Chart
for that week via download
sales. It received coverage in The Telegraph and other British media. It also received coverage in gay-related publications because of the anti-gay stand of Peter Robinson.
The 2011 Doctor Who
episode "The Impossible Astronaut
" has the young-looking Eleventh Doctor introduce his middle-aged female friend River Song in 1969 to President Nixon as "Mrs. Robinson," a nod towards a hinted-at romantic relationship between the two in the Doctor's future and in River's past (due to time-travel paradoxes). River's line "Hello, Benjamin" spoken in the Doctor Who episode "Let's Kill Hitler
" is a quote from a line spoken by Anne Bancroft
as Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate
.
are perhaps the most discussed. Paul Simon
, a fan of Mickey Mantle
, was asked during an intermission on The Dick Cavett Show
why Mantle wasn’t mentioned in the song instead of DiMaggio. Simon replied, "It's about syllables, Dick. It's about how many beats there are."
For himself, DiMaggio initially complained that he had not gone anywhere, but soon dropped his complaints
after a cordial meeting with Paul Simon when he explained what the lines meant. In a New York Times op-ed
in March 1999, shortly after DiMaggio's death, Simon discussed this meeting and explained that the line was meant as a sincere tribute to DiMaggio's unpretentious heroic stature, in a time when popular culture magnifies and distorts how we perceive our heroes. He further reflected: "In these days of Presidential transgressions and apologies and prime-time interviews about private sexual matters, we grieve for Joe DiMaggio and mourn the loss of his grace and dignity, his fierce sense of privacy, his fidelity to the memory of his wife and the power of his silence." Simon subsequently performed "Mrs. Robinson" at Yankee Stadium in DiMaggio's honor in April of the same year.
New songs about the character Mrs. Robinson
Covers in different musical styles
Foreign language covers
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...
and first performed by Simon & Garfunkel. When released as a single in 1968, it hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100
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 the US, for their second chart-topping hit after "The Sound of Silence
The Sound of Silence
"The Sound of Silence" is the song that propelled the 1960s folk music duo Simon & Garfunkel to popularity. It was written in February 1964 by Paul Simon in the aftermath of the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy. An initial version preferred by the band was remixed and sweetened, and has become...
". An early version of the song appeared in the motion picture The Graduate
The Graduate
The Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay was by Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk, and Calder...
(1967) and its subsequent soundtrack
The Graduate (soundtrack)
The Graduate is an album of songs from the soundtrack of Mike Nichols' movie The Graduate, featuring many songs from the folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Released on January 21, 1968, the album was produced by Teo Macero....
, while the complete song debuted on their album Bookends
Bookends
-Charts:-Personnel:*Paul Simon - Vocals, Guitar, Producer*Art Garfunkel - Vocals, Producer*Hal Blaine - Drums, Percussion*Joe Osborn - Bass*Larry Knechtel - Piano, Keyboards*John Simon - Production Assistant...
(1968). The song earned the duo a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Record of the Year
Record Of The Year
Record of the Year may refer to:*Grammy Award for Record of the Year*The Record of the Year, a British award based on public polling...
in 1969. Top session drummer Hal Blaine
Hal Blaine
Hal Blaine is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, John Denver, the Ronettes, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, and...
played on the record, and considers it one of his favorites.
Context
In the film The GraduateThe Graduate
The Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay was by Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk, and Calder...
, listless recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock has an affair with an older married woman, Mrs. Robinson. The song as it appears in the film is different from the familiar hit single version, as only the chorus of the song appears late in the film and with slightly different lyrics: "Stand up tall, Mrs. Robinson, God in heaven smiles on those who pray." It was only later on that Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel re-recorded the song by employing additional lyrics to form the hit single.There is also a reference to the song and the way it is used in The Graduate
The Graduate
The Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay was by Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk, and Calder...
in the television show Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl is an American young adult novel series written by Cecily von Ziegesar and published by Little, Brown and Company, a subsidiary of the Hachette Group. The series revolves around the lives and romances of the privileged teenagers at the Constance Billard School for Girls, an elite...
stating "Poor Miss Iowa, caught playing Mrs. Robinson" When a teacher from Iowa has an affair with a student.
According to a Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
article by Peter Bart
Peter Bart
Peter Benton Bart is an American journalist and film producer. He perhaps best known for his lengthy tenure as the editor of Variety, an entertainment-trade magazine....
in the May 15, 2005 issue, director Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols is a German-born American television, stage and film director, writer, producer and comedian. He began his career in the 1950s as one half of the comedy duo Nichols and May, along with Elaine May. In 1968 he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film The Graduate...
had become obsessed with Simon & Garfunkel's music while shooting the film. Larry Turman, his producer, made a deal for Simon to write three new songs for the movie. By the time they were nearly finished editing the film, Simon had only written one new song. Nichols begged him for more but Simon, who was touring constantly, told him he didn't have the time. He did play him a few notes of a new song he had been working on; "It's not for the movie... it's a song about times past — about Mrs. Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
and Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
and stuff." Nichols advised Simon, "It's now about Mrs. Robinson, not Mrs. Roosevelt." (During an appearance on Dick Cavett
Dick Cavett
Richard Alva "Dick" Cavett is a former American television talk show host known for his conversational style and in-depth discussion of issues...
's show, Simon told the story of how the song was originally called "Mrs. Roosevelt," to which Cavett quipped: "That would have changed the plot of the movie.")
Later references in film and Internet culture
The film Rumor Has It...Rumor Has It...
Rumor Has It... is a 2005 American comedy film directed by Rob Reiner, starring Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, Shirley MacLaine and Mark Ruffalo...
is based on the assumption that The Graduate
The Graduate
The Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay was by Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk, and Calder...
is based on real events which become uncovered. The song "Mrs. Robinson" is featured in this film as well. Much of the last 20 minutes of Wayne's World 2
Wayne's World 2
Wayne's World 2 is a 1993 comedy film starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as hosts of a Public-access television cable TV show from Aurora, Illinois. The film was adapted from a sketch on NBC's Saturday Night Live and is the sequel to Wayne's World....
parodies the final sequence of The Graduate, and the version of "Mrs. Robinson" from the film is heard multiple times in a similar scene in which Wayne rushes to get to a wedding. One line from the film version is also heard near the end of the film American Pie
American Pie (film)
American Pie is a 1999 teen comedy film written by Adam Herz. American Pie was the directorial film debut of brothers Paul and Chris Weitz, and the first film in the American Pie film series...
when Stifler's mother seduces the young character Finch. The song also is used in the films Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic comedy-drama romance film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise...
, My Mom's New Boyfriend
My Mom's New Boyfriend
My Mom's New Boyfriend is a 2008 romantic comedy film starring Colin Hanks, Antonio Banderas, Selma Blair, and Meg Ryan. The film received a limited theatrical release worldwide however it was released straight-to-DVD in the United States on June 17, 2008...
, The Holiday
The Holiday
The Holiday is a 2006 American romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Nancy Meyers. Distributed by Columbia Pictures and Universal Studios, it stars Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet as two lovelorn women from opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, who temporarily exchange homes to...
and The Other Sister
The Other Sister
The Other Sister is a 1999 romantic comedy film starring Juliette Lewis, Giovanni Ribisi, Diane Keaton, and Tom Skerritt. Garry Marshall directed the film...
.
In early January 2010, after news of Iris Robinson
Iris Robinson
Iris Robinson is a former Northern Ireland Unionist politician. She is married to Peter Robinson, who is currently the First Minister in the Northern Ireland Assembly....
(wife of Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson
Peter Robinson (politician)
Peter David Robinson is the current First Minister of Northern Ireland and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party...
) having an extramarital affair with the (40 years younger) adult child of a family friend became public, a group was set up on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
attempting to get the song "Mrs. Robinson" to No.1 in the Official UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
for that week via download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
sales. It received coverage in The Telegraph and other British media. It also received coverage in gay-related publications because of the anti-gay stand of Peter Robinson.
The 2011 Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
episode "The Impossible Astronaut
The Impossible Astronaut
"The Impossible Astronaut" is the first episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by show runner Steven Moffat, and directed by Toby Haynes, the episode was first broadcast on 23 April 2011 in the United Kingdom, as well as the United States...
" has the young-looking Eleventh Doctor introduce his middle-aged female friend River Song in 1969 to President Nixon as "Mrs. Robinson," a nod towards a hinted-at romantic relationship between the two in the Doctor's future and in River's past (due to time-travel paradoxes). River's line "Hello, Benjamin" spoken in the Doctor Who episode "Let's Kill Hitler
Let's Kill Hitler
"Let's Kill Hitler" is the eighth episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was first broadcast on BBC One, Space and BBC America on 27 August 2011. It is the second episode of a two-part story, continuing stories from "A Good Man Goes to War"...
" is a quote from a line spoken by Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft was an American actress associated with the Method acting school, which she had studied under Lee Strasberg....
as Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate
The Graduate
The Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay was by Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk, and Calder...
.
Joe DiMaggio
References in the last verse to Joe DiMaggioJoe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
are perhaps the most discussed. 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...
, a fan of Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
, was asked during an intermission on The Dick Cavett Show
The Dick Cavett Show
The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks, including:* ABC daytime ...
why Mantle wasn’t mentioned in the song instead of DiMaggio. Simon replied, "It's about syllables, Dick. It's about how many beats there are."
For himself, DiMaggio initially complained that he had not gone anywhere, but soon dropped his complaints
after a cordial meeting with Paul Simon when he explained what the lines meant. In a New York Times op-ed
Op-ed
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
in March 1999, shortly after DiMaggio's death, Simon discussed this meeting and explained that the line was meant as a sincere tribute to DiMaggio's unpretentious heroic stature, in a time when popular culture magnifies and distorts how we perceive our heroes. He further reflected: "In these days of Presidential transgressions and apologies and prime-time interviews about private sexual matters, we grieve for Joe DiMaggio and mourn the loss of his grace and dignity, his fierce sense of privacy, his fidelity to the memory of his wife and the power of his silence." Simon subsequently performed "Mrs. Robinson" at Yankee Stadium in DiMaggio's honor in April of the same year.
Chart performance
| Chart (1968) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report | 8 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 5 |
| German Singles Chart | 39 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 5 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 8 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 13 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 6 |
| UK Singles Chart | 4 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
Cover versions
Sinatra's changing the lyrics- One of the earliest well-known cover versions of this song was by Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
for his 1969 album My WayMy Way (Frank Sinatra album)My Way is an album by American singer Frank Sinatra, released in 1969.The album is a collection of contemporary pop songs, such as Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs...
. This version changes a number of lines, including replacing "Jesus" with "JillyJilly RizzoErmenigildo "Jilly" Rizzo was an American restaurateur and entertainer.-Biography:A long-time friend of Frank Sinatra, Rizzo was mentioned in several of Sinatra's recordings and made cameo appearances in several of Sinatra's films. Mr...
" (Sinatra's close friend) and including a new verse directly referring to Mrs. Robinson's activities in The Graduate. Writing in The complete guide to the music of Paul Simon and Simon & Garfunkel, Chris Charlesworth writes that Sinatra's word-change was "senseless", motivated by the refusal of some radio stations to play the song because of the word "Jesus".
New songs about the character Mrs. Robinson
- The folk punkFolk punkFolk punk , is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was pioneered in the late 1970s and early 1980s by The Pogues in Britain and Violent Femmes in America. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in that decade...
band Andrew Jackson JihadAndrew Jackson JihadAndrew Jackson Jihad is an American folk punk band from Phoenix, Arizona, formed in 2004.-History:Andrew Jackson Jihad was formed after its original drummer, Justin James White, approached Sean Bonnette and Ben Gallaty, who had just left Rodan and The Sub-Standards...
based their song "People II: The Reckoning" on the song. Its final verse repeats the line "Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson" but asserts that no one cares rather than the original sentiment that Jesus loves her. - Dutch band The NitsThe NitsNits are a Dutch pop group, founded in 1974. Their musical style has varied considerably over the years, as has their line-up with the core of Henk Hofstede , Rob Kloet, drummer, Robert Jan Stips , keyboards.Their biggest hit in the Netherlands was "Nescio" , a tribute to...
wrote a continuation of the romance between Mrs. Robinson and Benjamin, with new lyrics and music. Simon considered refusing to let the band re-use a few lines of his song, forcing them to delay release of the CD to record a version that used none of Simon's lyrics. The song, "Robinson", appeared on their 1998 album Alankomaat and was released as a single in the Netherlands. The live version contains lyric snippets from many other Simon and Garfunkel songs including opening with the line from "Sounds of Silence": "Hello darkness, my old friend."
Covers in different musical styles
- The James Taylor QuartetJames Taylor QuartetThe James Taylor Quartet are a British four-piece jazz funk band who have become renowned for their live performances. They were formed by Hammond organ player James Taylor following the break-up of his former band The Prisoners in the wake of Stiff Records' bankruptcy...
released an instrumental version in a jazz funk style (just like Booker T. & the M.G.'s in 1969) on their premiere album Mission Impossible, which consisted largely of covers of '60s film music. - American soul singer Billy PaulBilly PaulBilly Paul is a Grammy Award winning American soul singer, most known for his 1972 number-one single, "Me and Mrs. Jones" as well as the 1973 album and single "War of the Gods" which blends his more conventional pop, soul and funk styles with electronic and psychedelic influences...
did a rhythm and blues version in the 1970s. - American glam metalGlam metalGlam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
band Kik TraceeKik TraceeKik Tracee was a 1990's glam metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1988, during the last years of the Glam Metal movement, before the influx of grunge and alternative music.-Brief history:...
has a cover version on their 1991 album No Rules. - The LemonheadsThe LemonheadsThe Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band first formed in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member....
recorded a punkPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
-inflected cover version of this song that made #19 in December 1992. Although not originally included on The Lemonheads' album It's A Shame About RayIt's a Shame about RayIt's a Shame about Ray is the fifth album by The Lemonheads. It was released on June 2, 1992 . Tom Morgan of Australian band Smudge helped author the album, while Juliana Hatfield played bass and sang backing vocals on some songs....
, the album was re-released with the cover of "Mrs. Robinson" included after the single's chart success. - Stadium rockers Bon JoviBon JoviBon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
recorded the song on one of their live performances. The song was included on the limited edition bonus disc of their 1995 These DaysThese Days (Bon Jovi album)These Days is Bon Jovi's sixth studio album, released on June 27, 1995. This was the first album Bon Jovi released after the departure of bassist Alec John Such. Hugh McDonald unofficially replaced Such as bassist...
album. - Booker T & The MG's recorded an instrumental version in 1969 which first appeared on their album The Booker T. Set.
Foreign language covers
- In 1968 Francesco GucciniFrancesco GucciniFrancesco Guccini is an Italian singer-songwriter, considered one of the most important Cantautori. During the five decades of his music career he has recorded 16 studio albums and collections, and 6 live albums. He is also a writer, having published autobiographic and noir novels, and a comics...
translated "Mrs. Robinson" into Italian; it was first covered in this version by the Italian beat group RoyalsRoyalsRoyals can refer to:* A royal family* Reading Football Club, a football team currently playing in the Football League Championship* Rajasthan Royals, an Indian Premier League franchise* Kansas City Royals, a Major League Baseball team...
and later was recorded by Bobby SoloBobby SoloBobby Solo is an Italian singer and musician.Solo was born in Rome.In 1964, he participated in the Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Una lacrima sul viso" , but he was disqualified for singing with playback which was contrary to the festival regulations. The song, however, became a global hit...
on his LP Bobby Folk in 1970. - In 1999 the Finnish band EläkeläisetEläkeläisetEläkeläiset are a Finnish humppa band founded in 1993. They specialise in humppa and jenkka music and have been successful in Germany, Finland and elsewhere....
released a song "Herra Kekkonen" (Mr. Kekkonen, in reference to former president of Finland Urho KekkonenUrho KekkonenUrho Kaleva Kekkonen , was a Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland and later as the eighth President of Finland . Kekkonen continued the “active neutrality” policy of his predecessor President Juho Kusti Paasikivi, a doctrine which came to be known as the “Paasikivi–Kekkonen...
) on their EP Humppaorgiat. While the melody is identical to Paul Simon's song, the lyrics are entirely new and different and are not a translation of the original lyrics.
External links
- Paul Simon's tribute in the New York Times
- Here’s to You, Paul Simon: "Mrs. Robinson" and Her Legacy - Analysis of the lyrics at SoundStage.com