“Scarborough Fair / Canticle” is one of Simon and Garfunkel’s most haunting and elegant works - a fusion of traditional English folk and 1960s counterculture commentary that showcases the duo’s poetic depth and vocal mastery. Released on their 1966 album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, the song exemplifies their ability to blend old and new, innocence and irony, in a seamless, chillingly beautiful arrangement.
At its core, “Scarborough Fair” is a centuries-old English ballad, a lilting tale of impossible tasks given to a lost love. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel take this gentle folk melody and enrich it with layered, interwoven vocals that float with eerie clarity. The refrain “parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme” is repeated like a mantra, evoking both medieval herbal symbolism and a dreamlike state that blurs time and place.
What truly elevates this version, however, is the counter-melody - “Canticle” - which Simon penned as a reworking of his earlier anti-war song, “The Side of a Hill.” Sung softly beneath the main melody, “Canticle” introduces a mournful, modern contrast to the idyllic tone of the folk ballad. It references soldiers, death, and a critique of senseless violence, offering a quiet but poignant protest hidden beneath the surface of a love song.
The result is a dual narrative: one pastoral and wistful, the other dark and accusatory. Their coexistence is not dissonant but harmonious - Simon and Garfunkel’s vocal interplay ensures that each line supports and comments on the other. It’s a musical palimpsest, where innocence and experience coexist in a single, deceptively simple track.
“Scarborough Fair / Canticle” is a masterstroke of arrangement and subtle commentary. By entwining a traditional ballad with an anti-war subtext, Simon and Garfunkel craft a piece that is timeless, delicate, and politically potent. It’s not only one of their most beautiful recordings, but also one of their most intellectually and emotionally resonant. A quintessential 1960s folk moment that still stirs the soul today.
At its core, “Scarborough Fair” is a centuries-old English ballad, a lilting tale of impossible tasks given to a lost love. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel take this gentle folk melody and enrich it with layered, interwoven vocals that float with eerie clarity. The refrain “parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme” is repeated like a mantra, evoking both medieval herbal symbolism and a dreamlike state that blurs time and place.
What truly elevates this version, however, is the counter-melody - “Canticle” - which Simon penned as a reworking of his earlier anti-war song, “The Side of a Hill.” Sung softly beneath the main melody, “Canticle” introduces a mournful, modern contrast to the idyllic tone of the folk ballad. It references soldiers, death, and a critique of senseless violence, offering a quiet but poignant protest hidden beneath the surface of a love song.
The result is a dual narrative: one pastoral and wistful, the other dark and accusatory. Their coexistence is not dissonant but harmonious - Simon and Garfunkel’s vocal interplay ensures that each line supports and comments on the other. It’s a musical palimpsest, where innocence and experience coexist in a single, deceptively simple track.
“Scarborough Fair / Canticle” is a masterstroke of arrangement and subtle commentary. By entwining a traditional ballad with an anti-war subtext, Simon and Garfunkel craft a piece that is timeless, delicate, and politically potent. It’s not only one of their most beautiful recordings, but also one of their most intellectually and emotionally resonant. A quintessential 1960s folk moment that still stirs the soul today.