Me & Julio Down By the Schoolyard (1972) 3/2/20

Where do I begin when trying to highlight the reasons why I believe today's song is a

"Great Song of the '70s?"

*Do I start with the fact it's by Paul Simon?

*How about the fact that it's catchy--and quirky?

*That it's probably the only hit record to feature a whistle solo and a cuica?

That it went to #6 in Canada...and #9 on Billboard's US Easy Listening Chart?

*Or maybe I should mention the wacky video?

In 1972, Simon released "Me & Julio Down By the Schoolyard:" a song about a boy and his friend Julio who are involved in some sort of crime. They are arrested and jailed, but later released when a radical priest steps in.

When Simon was asked by "Rolling Stone" Magazine what it all meant, he basically said, "I have no idea."

The distinctive Latin beat was something rarely heard on mainstream radio in the early '70s,, and that made quite an impact on Hispanic listeners who--as Simon discovered later-- were "thrilled" to hear their style of music on the air.

The "wobbly" sound heard throughout the song was made by a cuica--a Brazilian percussion instrument, which also fit well with Simon's "whistle solo." Quirky, Indeed!

And then there was the accompanying video, which was filmed several years later in New York City's Hell's Kitchen, and featured cameos by rappers Big Daddy Kane and Biz Markie, basketball star Spud Webb, baseball's Mickey Mantle, and football's John Madden. (See link below)

All of the reasons listed above (and maybe a few more) make "Me & Julio Down By the Schoolyard" a "Great Song of the '70s!"

Here's the original version:

For fun, here's the 1988 video: