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50 Ways to Leave Your Lover

January 01, 1970

For the 2004 film, see 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (film).

"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the second single from his fourth studio album, Still Crazy After All These Years (1975), released on Columbia Records. Backing vocals on the single were performed by Patti Austin, Valerie Simpson, and Phoebe Snow.[1] The song features a recognizable repeated drum riff performed by drummer Steve Gadd.

"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover"
Single by Paul Simon
from the album Still Crazy After All These Years
B-side"Some Folks' Lives Roll Easy"
ReleasedDecember 1975
Genre
Length3:35
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Paul Simon
Producer(s)
Paul Simon singles chronology
"Gone at Last"
(1975) 		"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover"
(1975) 		"Still Crazy After All These Years"
(1976)

One of his most popular singles, "50 Ways" was released in December 1975 and began to see chart success in the new year. It became Simon's sole number-one hit as a solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and was his highest position in France, where it peaked at number two. Elsewhere, the song was a top 20 hit in Canada and New Zealand. The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales of more than one million copies.

Creation edit

Following Simon's divorce from first wife Peggy Harper, Simon opted to take a more humorous approach to document the event. He recorded the song in a small New York City studio on Broadway and built the song around the drums in order to "avoid clutter".[2]

As with "American Tune" three years earlier, Simon found inspiration in classical music. The melody of the tune is based on "Tit er jeg glad" (Danish: Often I am happy), a 1917 love song by the Danish composer Carl Nielsen. [citation needed]

Reception edit

Billboard called it an "excellent song" that has "very clever lyrics" and an "easy to listen to melody."[3] Cash Box said that it is "a clever, commercial song about the elasticity of love, how easy it is to pull away and equally easy to snap back with it."[4] Record World said that the song "finds Simon aided by a crack team of session men and the unmistakable vocals of Phoebe Snow."[5] Spin listed the song as one of the "50 Worst Songs By Otherwise Great Artists".[6]

Charts and certifications edit

"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" was Paul Simon's biggest solo hit and broke in the US in late 1975. It hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on February 7, 1976 (his only number one on that chart as a solo act), soaring from number ten the previous week, and remained there for three weeks; it topped the adult contemporary chart for two weeks.[7] Overseas, on the UK Singles Chart, the song reached number 23 in January 1976. It was certified gold on March 11, 1976, and remained a best seller for nearly five months. Billboard ranked it as the No. 8 song of 1976.[8]

Personnel edit

Legacy edit

  • Electronic group Plummet covered the song in 2005.
  • The song was sampled by American rapper Common for his track "Forever Begins" on his 2007 album Finding Forever.
  • American Rapper Eminem sampled this song for his track "Murder, Murder" on his 1997 extended play Slim Shady EP and in an unreleased & leaked track named "50 Ways" in 2007.
  • Fellow American musician Kid Cudi interpolated and sampled the song when he recorded his own rendition titled "50 Ways To Make A Record", taken from his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi (2008).
  • The song was sampled by American rapper Ab-Soul for his track "A Rebellion" on his 2012 album Control System.
  • The song was parodied by Julia Louis Dreyfus in HBO comedy Veep as '50 Ways To Win In Denver'.
  • The song was sampled by Lisa Lindsley in her 2023 release The Paul Simon Project.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Marc Eliot (2010), Paul Simon: A Life, John Wiley and Sons, p. 142, ISBN 978-0-470-43363-8
  2. ^ "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover". Super Seventies. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  3. ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. December 13, 1975. p. 58. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  4. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 13, 1975. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  5. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. December 13, 1975. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
  6. ^ https://www.spin.com/2022/07/the-50-worst-songs-by-otherwise-great-artists/
  7. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 222.
  8. ^ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1976
  9. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. ^ "RPM100: Singles" (PDF). RPM. 24 (21). Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada. February 21, 1976. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  11. ^ "The Programmers' Pop Music Playlist" (PDF). RPM. 24 (22). Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada. February 28, 1976. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  12. ^ "Paul Simon – 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  13. ^ "Paul Simon – 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  14. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 499. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  15. ^ "Paul Simon - Chart history". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  16. ^ "Paul Simon Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  17. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Paul Simon – {{{song}}}" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved November 12, 2015. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Paul Simon"
  18. ^ "RPM100: Singles" (PDF). RPM. 26 (14–15). Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada. January 8, 1977. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  19. ^ "Pop Singles" Billboard December 25, 1976: Talent in Action-6
  20. ^ Top 50 Adult Contemporary Hits of 1976
  21. ^ "British single certifications – Paul Simon – 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  22. ^ "American single certifications – Paul Simon – 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  23. ^ , Paul Simon Greatest Hits.
  24. ^ "Tony Levin". Rolling Stone Australia. 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2023-11-02.

External links edit

  • Paul Simon biography
  • Paul Simon - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover on YouTube
  • Common - Forever Begins on YouTube
  • Kid Cudi - 50 Ways To Make A Record on YouTube
  • Eminem - 50 Ways on YouTube

January 01, 1970
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For the 2004 film see 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover film 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover is a song by the American singer songwriter Paul Simon It was the second single from his fourth studio album Still Crazy After All These Years 1975 released on Columbia Records Backing vocals on the single were performed by Patti Austin Valerie Simpson and Phoebe Snow 1 The song features a recognizable repeated drum riff performed by drummer Steve Gadd 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover Single by Paul Simonfrom the album Still Crazy After All These YearsB side Some Folks Lives Roll Easy ReleasedDecember 1975GenreSoft rock folk rockLength3 35LabelColumbiaSongwriter s Paul SimonProducer s Paul Simon Phil RamonePaul Simon singles chronology Gone at Last 1975 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover 1975 Still Crazy After All These Years 1976 One of his most popular singles 50 Ways was released in December 1975 and began to see chart success in the new year It became Simon s sole number one hit as a solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and was his highest position in France where it peaked at number two Elsewhere the song was a top 20 hit in Canada and New Zealand The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA denoting sales of more than one million copies Contents 1 Creation 2 Reception 3 Charts and certifications 3 1 Weekly charts 3 2 Year end charts 3 3 Certifications 4 Personnel 5 Legacy 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksCreation editFollowing Simon s divorce from first wife Peggy Harper Simon opted to take a more humorous approach to document the event He recorded the song in a small New York City studio on Broadway and built the song around the drums in order to avoid clutter 2 As with American Tune three years earlier Simon found inspiration in classical music The melody of the tune is based on Tit er jeg glad Danish Often I am happy a 1917 love song by the Danish composer Carl Nielsen citation needed Reception editBillboard called it an excellent song that has very clever lyrics and an easy to listen to melody 3 Cash Box said that it is a clever commercial song about the elasticity of love how easy it is to pull away and equally easy to snap back with it 4 Record World said that the song finds Simon aided by a crack team of session men and the unmistakable vocals of Phoebe Snow 5 Spin listed the song as one of the 50 Worst Songs By Otherwise Great Artists 6 Charts and certifications edit 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover was Paul Simon s biggest solo hit and broke in the US in late 1975 It hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on February 7 1976 his only number one on that chart as a solo act soaring from number ten the previous week and remained there for three weeks it topped the adult contemporary chart for two weeks 7 Overseas on the UK Singles Chart the song reached number 23 in January 1976 It was certified gold on March 11 1976 and remained a best seller for nearly five months Billboard ranked it as the No 8 song of 1976 8 Weekly charts edit Chart 1975 1976 Peakposition Australia Kent Music Report 9 35 Canada RPM Top Singles 10 7 Canada Pop Music Playlist RPM 11 1 France SNEP 12 2 New Zealand Recorded Music NZ 13 18 UK Singles Official Charts Company 14 23 US Easy Listening Billboard 15 1 US Billboard Hot 100 16 1 West Germany Official German Charts 17 42 Year end charts edit Chart 1976 Rank Canada 100 RPM 18 91 US Billboard Hot 100 19 8 US Billboard Easy Listening 20 3 Certifications edit Region Certification Certified units sales United Kingdom BPI 21 Silver 200 000 United States RIAA 22 Gold 1 000 000 Shipments figures based on certification alone Sales streaming figures based on certification alone Personnel editPaul Simon vocals acoustic guitar John Tropea Hugh McCracken 23 electric guitars Tony Levin bass guitar 24 Kenny Ascher Hammond organ Steve Gadd drums Ralph MacDonald tambourine shaker Patti Austin background vocals Valerie Simpson background vocals Phoebe Snow background vocalsLegacy editElectronic group Plummet covered the song in 2005 The song was sampled by American rapper Common for his track Forever Begins on his 2007 album Finding Forever American Rapper Eminem sampled this song for his track Murder Murder on his 1997 extended play Slim Shady EP and in an unreleased amp leaked track named 50 Ways in 2007 Fellow American musician Kid Cudi interpolated and sampled the song when he recorded his own rendition titled 50 Ways To Make A Record taken from his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi 2008 The song was sampled by American rapper Ab Soul for his track A Rebellion on his 2012 album Control System The song was parodied by Julia Louis Dreyfus in HBO comedy Veep as 50 Ways To Win In Denver The song was sampled by Lisa Lindsley in her 2023 release The Paul Simon Project See also editHot 100 number one hits of 1976References edit Marc Eliot 2010 Paul Simon A Life John Wiley and Sons p 142 ISBN 978 0 470 43363 8 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover Super Seventies Retrieved April 7 2019 Top Single Picks PDF Billboard December 13 1975 p 58 Retrieved 2020 07 13 CashBox Singles Reviews PDF Cash Box December 13 1975 p 16 Retrieved 2021 12 11 Hits of the Week PDF Record World December 13 1975 p 1 Retrieved 2023 03 08 https www spin com 2022 07 the 50 worst songs by otherwise great artists Whitburn Joel 2002 Top Adult Contemporary 1961 2001 Record Research p 222 Billboard Year End Hot 100 singles of 1976 Kent David 1993 Australian Chart Book 1970 1992 St Ives NSW Australian Chart Book ISBN 0 646 11917 6 RPM100 Singles PDF RPM 24 21 Ottawa Library and Archives Canada February 21 1976 Retrieved November 12 2015 The Programmers Pop Music Playlist PDF RPM 24 22 Ottawa Library and Archives Canada February 28 1976 Retrieved November 12 2015 Paul Simon 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover in French Les classement single Retrieved November 12 2015 Paul Simon 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover Top 40 Singles Retrieved November 12 2015 Roberts David 2006 British Hit Singles amp Albums 19th ed London Guinness World Records Limited p 499 ISBN 1 904994 10 5 Paul Simon Chart history Billboard Prometheus Global Media Retrieved November 13 2015 Paul Simon Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved November 12 2015 Offiziellecharts de Paul Simon song in German GfK Entertainment charts Retrieved November 12 2015 To see peak chart position click TITEL VON Paul Simon RPM100 Singles PDF RPM 26 14 15 Ottawa Library and Archives Canada January 8 1977 Retrieved November 12 2015 Pop Singles Billboard December 25 1976 Talent in Action 6 Top 50 Adult Contemporary Hits of 1976 British single certifications Paul Simon 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover British Phonographic Industry Retrieved June 11 2021 American single certifications Paul Simon 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved November 16 2015 Original 1977 album liner notes Paul Simon Greatest Hits Tony Levin Rolling Stone Australia 2020 07 02 Retrieved 2023 11 02 External links editPaul Simon biography Paul Simon 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover on YouTube Common Forever Begins on YouTube Kid Cudi 50 Ways To Make A Record on YouTube Eminem 50 Ways on YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover amp oldid 1217496783, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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