Harper Simon Debuts 70s Lovefest 'Berkeley Girl'

Backing up his much lauded self-titled debut album last fall, Harper Simon has come up with a brand new video for Simon & Garfunkfel lauding cruise, "Berkeley Girl," the album's exquisitely romantic closing song and an old-fashioned love song of the sweetest variety. A slice of acoustic pop with just a hint of Autumn, the track is perfect for these darkening nights. The video recalls the romantic quality of the great films of the 1970s, a perfect fit for Simon's classic sounding folk-rock love song written to a friend.
"'Berkeley Girl' is a love song to a friend," Simon tells Spinner. "Born in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco during the Summer of Love, she believes in love and service and good rock 'n' roll. Actress Jena Malone, the star of the video, is a hyper-imaginative Earth sprite with some serious fashion sense." A poetic mysticism stands out over the subtle and wandering acoustic tinkering. There is a battle going on the vibe stakes between a piercing aching and sincere nod and a bit of a lame and derivative lag. For this single the former element seems to stand its ground. Malone is on hand as the "Berkeley Girl", looking delightfully sweet and doe-eyed, a 70's Laurel Canyon flower child behind the wheel of a classic VW Karmann Ghia. She seems to be dropping colossal amounts of liquid acid with Simon, whose voice is all juniper and roses on this dreamy ballad.
Sounds like Simon found love again. Director Benjamin Kutsko filmed the video using old fashioned 8mm film, the video intentionally evokes a nostalgic '70s feel. In doing so, it captures a certain Californian vibe that is characteristic of both Berkeley and Echo Park alike -- it's just that where it's called 'hippie' in Berkeley, in Echo Park they prefer 'new bohemian.' But something else changes when the girl moves from one to the other -- her relationship to the narrator. "I was really excited to explore Echo Park as a character in this video, as well as the delicate balance that exists between two people whose relationship has moved from lovers to friends," Kutsko said. "Shooting on film was important to me; the second the song begins, it is clear that Harper's voice doesn't live in a digital world."
However the time taken has not been wasted. Give a listen to Simon's shining solo debut and you'll soon recognize that he is much more than just a shooting star. Simon matches a keen sense of melody with a world weariness that can only come with age. By turns nostalgic and hopeful, his debut album is an assured statement from a songwriter who clearly enjoys his craft. Simon may be instantly recognizable, but his music is a deeply intriguing, original experience. Simon represents a seamless yet wide-ranging whole. He offers up a rather spooky, uncanny replication of his father Paul's famous songwriting style, and came as the singer was preparing to blow out the candles on his 37th birthday next Tuesday.

Harper Simon Has More "Wishes and Stars"

Sometimes the apple don't fall far from the tree, and thus seems to be with the case with Harper Simon, son of Paul Simon. Quite thankfully. There are hurdles enough in staking a claim as a singer songwriter in your own right without being the son of a living legend. It seems Simon has done his share of drifting in the past, but this was no easy vanity record dropped, just because he could. It wasn't all simple as a bee/as a melody in C as he sings in this song, but a long journey to this point for a man now in his late 30's and fresh from a tumultuous past. The first Simon's video for "Wishes and Stars," directed by Joshua Leonard, off his self-titled debut album, which is a study in contrasts, dropped at the end of last year on [PIAS] Recordings.
Simon co-wrote this winning melancholy ballad "Wishes and Stars" with the poet Ben Okri. There are more wishes than stars. That's just a tremendous line and a hard truth more recognized today than it was back when Simon's pops released Graceland and we were all bopping around to "You Can Call Me Al" in our PJ's. All along, there were incidents and accidents, there were hints and allegations. But don't let it get you down. In the end, "Wishes and Stars" is just coming to terms with this as we all do, and we're all right. Just look at that old guy, the motel owner at the end. That's John Perry Barlow, who used to write lyrics for the Grateful Dead. Those are all various friends of Simon's you see, actors, artists, writers. The clown that looks like he might lose it any minute is Money Mark best known for his dope keyboard work on Beastie Boys records.
Between the spare acoustic ballads, psychedelic jazz ballads and country and western, it is the closest to the concept of Cosmic Americana. Simon emerges on the scene as a substantial new artist and one who possesses a sophisticated voice, seriousness of purpose and a boundless appreciation for American music. "Wishes And Stars" showcases Simon's inherent ability to pen beautiful lyrics and straightforward Americana tune. His songs are melodically and intimate in theme, yet, a study in form. Simon's debut is intriguing and fantastic. "The long playing album is the great artistic medium invented in the second half of the 20th century, [it's] not just ten songs thrown together randomly. It has an arc. It has a structure," Simon says. "It is the attempt to make ten songs that are all as good as each other, and fit together in a seamless whole. Long playing albums like Sgt Peppers, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Pet Sounds, Blonde On Blonde, Sticky Fingers -- these albums have helped define our culture."
I'm so pleased about that and his desire to craft an album, something those of us in our 30's (and 40's) tend to covet more than most. I'm only just stumbling across some of his stuff now, but it's all majorly fantastic. Simon has a soft, acoustic, almost vintage, folk sound. In fact, he sounds a lot like his dad, but he definitely manages to make this sounds his own. "Wishes And Stars" is a beautiful, pop-folk tune, and I think this album has the real potential to make an impact, Enjoy!