Richard Cory (song) - Wikipedia

1966 song by Simon and Garfunkel

"Richard Cory"
Song by Simon and Garfunkel
from the album Sounds of Silence
Released	January 17, 1966
Recorded	December 1965
Genre	Folk rock
Length	2:57
Label	Columbia Records
Songwriter	Paul Simon
Producer	Bob Johnston

"Richard Cory" is a song written by Paul Simon in early 1965, and recorded by Simon and Garfunkel for their second studio album, Sounds of Silence. The song was based on Edwin Arlington Robinson's 1897 poem of the same title.

The inspiration for this song comes from the poem that was required reading in English class while Paul Simon and Arthur Garfunkel were students at Forest Hills High School in New York City.

Plot

[edit]

The song tells the tale of Richard Cory from the perspective of a man who works in his factory. The worker is envious of Cory. The advantages and recreations available to Richard Cory are enumerated in the song and the worker openly envies not only these specific advantages but Cory's presumed happiness. The last verse of the song ends similarly to the Robinson poem: Richard Cory went home last night and put a bullet through his head. Whereas the original poem concludes with this closing revelation and its implications, the repetition of the chorus in Simon's version (still pressing an insistent envy following Cory's suicide) discloses a second, darker revelation about what the worker wants.

Personnel

[edit]

• Paul Simon: joint lead vocal, guitar
• Art Garfunkel: joint lead vocal
• Joe South: guitar
• Hal Blaine: drums

Covers and popular culture references

[edit]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: "Richard Cory" song – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The song was covered by Wings during their 1975–1976 Wings Over The World tour (available on the 1976 album Wings Over America). Denny Laine sang lead. In the version released on Wings Over America, during the first chorus line Laine (jokingly) substitutes John Denver's name for Richard Cory's, thus inciting a roar of laughter and applause from the audience. Bill King, reviewing the album in the Atlanta Constitution at the time of its release, interpreted this as "a little stage humour".[1]

The song has also been covered by Van Morrison during his tenure with Them. the Watchmen, the Heptones, Angst, the Back Porch Majority, Yami Bolo, Cuby & the Blizzards, Chicago Loop and Martini Ranch also covered the song.

Jamaican singer Ken Boothe performed a version of the Paul Simon song in an early reggae style for his 1968 album More of Ken Boothe. It was recorded in the Studio One and produced by C. S. Dodd.

A live cover by Mark Seymour appears on Live At the Continental, which was packaged with King Without a Clue (1997).

The song inspired comic book author Steve Gerber's naming of the fictional character Richard Rory.[2]

References

[edit]

1. ^ Bill King, "Wings Live Album a Legend Even Before Its Release" Atlanta Constitution 25 December 1976 p. 56
2. ^ letters column, Man-Thing #6[full citation needed]

External links

[edit]

• Review of Richard Cory on allmusic.com

v t e Simon & Garfunkel
Paul Simon Art Garfunkel
Studio albums	Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. Sounds of Silence Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme Bookends Bridge over Troubled Water
Live albums	The Concert in Central Park Live from New York City, 1967 Old Friends: Live on Stage Live 1969
Compilation albums	Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits The Simon and Garfunkel Collection 20 Greatest Hits The Definitive Simon and Garfunkel The Best of Simon and Garfunkel Two Can Dream Alone Tales from New York: The Very Best of Simon & Garfunkel Tom & Jerry The Essential Simon & Garfunkel
Box sets	Collected Works Old Friends The Columbia Studio Recordings (1964–1970) The Collection: Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel: The Complete Albums Collection
Soundtrack albums	The Graduate
Videos	The Concert in Central Park Old Friends: Live on Stage
Discographies	Simon & Garfunkel Art Garfunkel Paul Simon
Other	Songs recorded Paul Simon solo albums Paul Simon songs Art Garfunkel solo albums Bridge over Troubled Water (Paul Desmond album)
Category

v t e Simon & Garfunkel singles
Discography List of songs recorded
Sounds of Silence	"The Sound of Silence" / "We've Got a Groovey Thing Goin'" "I Am a Rock" / "Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall"
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme	"Homeward Bound" / "Leaves That Are Green" "The Dangling Conversation" / "The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine" "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" / "April Come She Will"
Bookends	"A Hazy Shade of Winter" / "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" "At the Zoo" / "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" "Fakin' It" / "You Don't Know Where Your Interest Lies" "Mrs. Robinson" / "Old Friends" / "Bookends"
Bridge overTroubled Water	"The Boxer" / "Baby Driver" "Bridge over Troubled Water" / "Keep the Customer Satisfied" "Cecilia" / "The Only Living Boy in New York" "El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could)" / "Why Don't You Write Me"
Other singles	"America" "My Little Town" "Wake Up Little Susie"
Other songs	"Richard Cory" "Patterns" "A Simple Desultory Philippic (or How I Was Robert McNamara'd into Submission)" "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night" "Save the Life of My Child" "Overs" "Punky's Dilemma" "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" "Voices of Old People"
Category

v t e Them
Van Morrison Billy Harrison Eric Wrixon Alan Henderson Raymond Sweetman Jackie McAuley Peter Bardens Jim Armstrong John Wilson Eric Bell
Studio albums	The Angry Young Them (1965) Them Again (1966) Belfast Gypsies (1967) Now and "Them" (1968)
Singles	"Don't Start Crying Now" / "One Two Brown Eyes" (1964) "Baby, Please Don't Go" / "Gloria" (1964) "Here Comes the Night" (1965) "One More Time" (1965) "Mystic Eyes" (1965) "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" (1966) "Richard Cory" (1966)
Compilations	The Story of Them Featuring Van Morrison The Complete Them 1964–1967
Related articles	The Wheels

Authority control databases	MusicBrainz work