Radio Reaction: Scarborough Fair/Canticle – Simon and Garfunkel
Made famous by Simon and Garkunkel in 1967, who used it for the soundtrack of The Graduate, the duo actually pinched Scarborough Fair from English folk musician Martin Carthy. He in turn, was the latest in a long, long line of interpreters.
As with many traditional English songs, its provenance is complicated and multifarious. The lyrics can be traced back as far as 1670 to a Scottish song called the Elfin Knight, in which a woman is threatened with abduction by an elf should she fail to complete an impossible set of tasks. From there it evolved from ear to ear. The famous refrain “Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme” is suggested to actually be a corruption of “every rose grows merry in time”.
After Paul Simon head Carthy perform it in London, he and Garfunkel then adapted it some more, interpolating an earlier song of their own, Canticle. As the song crossed the pond it’s interesting to note that for a long time the American duo didn’t admit to Carthy’s influence on the composition, nor its centuries-old heritage as a traditional English song.
The very distinctive folkish sound and overriding sense of melancholy come from the song being in the Dorian Mode. The specific arrangement of pitches belonging to the Dorian Mode lead to it sounding bleak and homeless.
Bearing in mind their authorial denial, Simon and Garfunkel still make a beguiling song even more beautiful and delicate. The plucked guitar accompaniment sets a sparse landscape. Notes from chimes fall like raindrops, and the harpsichord embellishments embroider the scene like dappled sunlight.