He began performing with his schoolfriend Art Garfunkel in 1956; together the two came to prominence in the 1960s as Simon & Garfunkel. The duo's blend of folk and rock music in hits like "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", "America", and "The Boxer" served as a soundtrack to the counterculture movement. Their career together peaked with their last album, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970), at one point the best-selling album of all time. Throughout his subsequent solo career, Simon has continued to explore an eclectic mixture of genres, including gospel, reggae, soul, and more. His celebrated 1970s output—comprising Paul Simon (1972), There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973), and Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)—kept him in the public spotlight and saw critical and commercial acclaim, spawning the hits "Mother and Child Reunion", "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard", and "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover".
Across his life, Simon has intermittently reunited with Garfunkel for several tours, including the famed Concert in Central Park. The widely lauded Graceland (1986) became Simon's biggest album of his career, melding his rock sound with worldbeat flavors; its single "You Can Call Me Al" became one of Simon's top hits. A sequel of sorts, The Rhythm of the Saints (1990), preceded his own successful Concert in the Park, attended by a half-million fans. That decade, Simon focused his energies on a Broadway musical The Capeman (1997), which was poorly received. In the first quarter of the next century, Simon continued to record and tour; his later albums, such as You're the One (2000), So Beautiful or So What (2011), and Stranger to Stranger (2016), have introduced him to new generations. He retired from touring in 2018. His most recent work, Seven Psalms, will see release in May 2023.
Simon is among the most acclaimed musicians and songwriters in popular music, and one of the world's best-selling music artists, both for his solo work and with Garfunkel. He is a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has been the recipient of sixteen Grammy Awards, including three for Album of the Year. Two of his works, Sounds of Silence and Graceland, have seen induction into National Recording Registry for their cultural significance, and in 2007, the Library of Congress crowned him the inaugural winner of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. He is a co-founder of the Children's Health Fund, a nonprofit that provides medical care to children.
In an in-depth interview reprinted in American Songwriter, Simon discusses the craft of songwriting with music journalist Tom Moon. In the interview, Simon explains the basic themes in his songwriting: love, family and social commentary (as well as the overarching messages of religion, spirituality and God in his lyrics). Simon explains the process of how he goes about writing songs in the interview: "The music always precedes the words. The words often come from the sound of the music and eventually evolve into coherent thoughts. Or incoherent thoughts. Rhythm plays a crucial part in the lyric-making as well. It's like a puzzle to find the right words to express what the music is saying."
Rene and George Magritte with Their Dog After the War
Paul Simon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With their dog after the war
Returned to their hotel suite
And they unlocked the door
Easily losing their evening clothes
They danced by the light of the moon
To the Penguins, the Moonglows
The Orioles, and The Five Satins
They'd been longing for
Rene and Georgette Magritte
With their dog after the war
Rene and Georgette Magritte
With their dog after the war
Were strolling down Christopher Street
When they stopped in a men's store
With all of the mannequins dressed in the style
That brought tears to their immigrant eyes
Just like The Penguins, the Moonglows
The Orioles, and The Five Satins
The easy stream of laughter
Flowing through the air
Rene and Georgette Magritte
With their dog apres la guerre
Side by side
They fell asleep
Decades gliding by like Indians
Time is cheap
When they wake up they will find
All their personal belongings
Have intertwined
Oh Rene and Georgette Magritte
With their dog after the war
Were dining with the power elite
And they looked in their bedroom drawer
And what do you think
They have hidden away
In the cabinet cold of their hearts?
The Penguins, the Moonglows
The Orioles, and The Five Satins
For now and ever after
As it was before
Rene and Georgette Magritte
With their dog after the war
The song “Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War” by Paul Simon describes the lives of a couple, Rene and Georgette Magritte, after the end of World War II. The lyrics suggest that the couple has been separated during the war and have finally been reunited. They are depicted returning to their hotel suite and unlocking the door as if they are finally entering their long-awaited haven. They quickly discard their evening clothes and dance together in pure joy, accompanied by classic music like The Penguins, the Moonglows, The Orioles, and The Five Satins. The music is described as “deep forbidden” and “the easy stream of laughter flowing through the air,” indicating that it holds a special power over them and is a source of comfort and solace. The line “the deep forbidden music / They’d been longing for” suggests that the couple has been deprived of such simple pleasures during the war.
In the second verse, Rene and Georgette continue to explore their re-claimed city and end up on Christopher Street, where they visit a men’s store. The mannequins in the store are dressed in a style that brings tears to their immigrant eyes, indicating the challenges they may have faced as outsiders in their new home. Nevertheless, they continue to find joy in each other’s company and in the music they discover. The final verse suggests that time has passed, and Rene and Georgette have grown old together. The line “decades gliding by like Indians” suggests that their old age has crept up on them quietly and seamlessly. Despite their age, they still find happiness in each other and hold close to their hearts the music from their youth that they have hidden away in a special cabinet.
Line by Line Meaning
Rene and Georgette Magritte
With their dog after the war
Returned to their hotel suite
And they unlocked the door
Rene and Georgette Magritte, with their dog, returned to their hotel room after the war and unlocked the door to enter.
Easily losing their evening clothes
They danced by the light of the moon
To the Penguins, the Moonglows
The Orioles, and The Five Satins
The deep forbidden music
They'd been longing for
Rene and Georgette Magritte
With their dog after the war
Rene and Georgette Magritte, with their dog, shed their formal wear and danced under the moonlight while listening to music from their past that they were not allowed to play before.
Rene and Georgette Magritte
With their dog after the war
Were strolling down Christopher Street
When they stopped in a men's store
With all of the mannequins dressed in the style
That brought tears to their immigrant eyes
Just like The Penguins, the Moonglows
The Orioles, and The Five Satins
The easy stream of laughter
Flowing through the air
Rene and Georgette Magritte
With their dog apres la guerre
Rene and Georgette Magritte, with their dog, walked down Christopher Street and stopped to look at mannequins dressed in the fashion they remember from their youth. Such a sight brought back fond memories and an easy laughter that flowed through the air.
Side by side
They fell asleep
Decades gliding by like Indians
Time is cheap
When they wake up they will find
All their personal belongings
Have intertwined
Oh Rene and Georgette Magritte
With their dog after the war
Rene and Georgette Magritte, with their dog, slept side by side while decades slipped by like the movement of Native Americans. Time was meaningless to them, and when they woke up, they found that all their possessions were intertwined.
Were dining with the power elite
And they looked in their bedroom drawer
And what do you think
They have hidden away
In the cabinet cold of their hearts?
The Penguins, the Moonglows
The Orioles, and The Five Satins
For now and ever after
As it was before
Rene and Georgette Magritte
With their dog after the war
Rene and Georgette Magritte, with their dog, were dining with the rich and powerful when they discovered some hidden objects in their chest which were very dear to their hearts. These hidden objects were still the Penguins, the Moonglows, the Orioles, and The Five Satins, which were to be with them now and always.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Paul Simon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind