How Negative Reviews Inspired One of Paul Simon’s Best 1970s Songs: “I’m Going to Go Away if You Don’t Stop”

Paul Simon is considered one of the best songwriters of his generation, both with Simon & Garfunkel and as a solo artist. But even he isn’t immune to bad reviews every once in a while. One song, released on the duo’s 1970 album Bridge Over Troubled Water, was inspired by that negative attention. After so many years as a critic darling, Simon felt betrayed while writing this tender ballad.

How Negative Reviews Inspired Paul Simon To Write “The Boxer”

“I am just a poor boy / Though my story’s seldom told / I have squandered my resistance / For a pocketful of mumbles / Such are promises / All lies and jest / Still a man hears what he wants to hear / And disregards the rest,” the lyrics to “The Boxer” read. This late 1960s/early 1970s track is a sort of thesis statement for Simon. It captures him with his dukes up, ready to fire back at those who want to discredit him.

Before the release of this song, the duo was feeling some strain. It wasn’t until “The Sound Of Silence” became an unlikely radio hit that they decided to brush themselves off and try again. But that success also brought negative energy. Simon, used to being praised, struggled to take a punch.

“Everybody’s Beating Me Up”

In response to the negative reviews, Simon penned “The Boxer”, which he called an autobiographical track. “Then I’m laying out my winter clothes / And wishing I was gone, going home / Where the New York City winters aren’t bleeding me / Leading me, going home,” the lyrics continue, painting a portrait of an artist struggling to overcome pressure.

“I think the song was about me: everybody’s beating me up, and I’m telling you now I’m going to go away if you don’t stop,” Simon once said of this track. “By that time, we had encountered our first criticism. For the first few years, it was just pure praise.”

“It took two or three years for people to realize that we weren’t strange creatures that emerged from England but just two guys from Queens who used to sing rock ‘n’ roll,” he continued. “And maybe we weren’t real folkies at all! Maybe we weren’t even hippies!”

This track remains one of Simon’s most stunning efforts. When we hear this track, we’re reminded of his singular songwriting ability. He takes us into his psyche and somehow leaves room for us to apply our own experiences. It’s just one example of Simon’s genius.

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