"Kathy's Song" is a song originally by

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...

from his 1965 debut album ''

The Paul Simon Songbook ''The Paul Simon Songbook'' is the debut solo studio album by Paul Simon. It was released in the UK in 1965. It was made available in the US as part of the LP box set ''Paul Simon: Collected Works'' (1981). The album was produced by Reginald War ...

''. It was re-recorded for

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo comprising the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music acts of the 1960s. Their most famous recordings include three US number-one sing ...

's second album ''

Sounds of Silence ''Sounds of Silence'' is the second studio album by the American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, released on January 17, 1966. The album's title is a slight modification of the title of the duo's first major hit, " The Sound of Silence", which ...

'', released in 1966. It has been described as one of Simon's most personal songs; it is dedicated to Kathy Chitty, Simon's girlfriend and muse during his mid-1960s sojourn in England. It has also been included on most compilation albums of the duo, such as '' Tales from New York: The Very Best of Simon & Garfunkel'', '' The Essential Simon and Garfunkel'' and '' Simon & Garfunkel's Greatest Hits''.

Critical reception

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' ranked "Kathy's Song" 18th among Simon & Garfunkel's 20 greatest songs, while ''

Ultimate Classic Rock Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

'' ranks it 10th and describes it as "uncomplicated" yet "Simon's prettiest song and one of the most gorgeous songs ever written". ''Gold Radio UK'' ranks it 12th.

Other versions

On January 3, 1996, American singer

Eva Cassidy Eva Marie Cassidy (February 2, 1963 – November 2, 1996) was an American singer and musician known for her interpretations of jazz, Folk music, folk, and blues music, sung with a powerful, emotive soprano voice. In 1992, she released her f ...

recorded a version of "Kathy's Song". The track was included on her album '' Time After Time'', released in 2000 four years after her death. Buzz McCain, writing for the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', called Cassidy's version "delicate". Arun Starkey for '' Far Out'' opined Cassidy's version could make a "strong claim to be better than the original."

References

1966 songs Songs written by Paul Simon Simon & Garfunkel songs {{1960s-song-stub