We can now listen to the cover of the 1972 Paul Simon song, ‘Papa Hobo', by Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig. The song was recorded for the soundtrack of the upcoming movie ‘Ceremony’ with Uma Thurman and Michael Angarano.
Koening’s version is pretty close to the original with this acoustic guitar, mandolin and all these background instruments, even his voice has that same intonation when the lyrics are gone.
May be he did not want to take a risk at retouching the song too much, because when you are ‘accused’ to have plagiarized ‘Graceland’, Simon’s masterpiece, you better be not too daring with his own material.
But he should have because Paul Simon himself told Vampire Weekend he does not think they have stolen anything. This is what he said in a recent Vanity Fair interview when asked about the Indie band:
‘I guess I’ll go and meet them, because everybody was saying that they were taking stuff from Graceland or whatever. I felt bad. I wanted to go and tell them that I didn’t think they were taking anything. So that’s what I told them. They said, “Do you think we are?” and I said, “No, I think you’re going to the same sources that I went to. You’re drawing from the same well. You’re trying to write interesting songs.” In a way, we were on the same pursuit, but I don’t think you’re lifting from me, and anyway, you’re welcome to it, because everybody’s lifting all the time. That’s the way music grows and is shaped.’
It was a good thing to clarify this! And Pitchfork wants to give you the mp3 for free, so why passing on this?
http://pitchfork.com/news/42136-listen-ezra-koenig-covers-paul-simon/