While Side One of Simon & Garfunkel’s Bookends is thematically consistent, Side Two is more of a grab bag.
Three of the five tracks were written for Mike Nichols’ film The Graduate — with ‘Mrs. Robinson’ famously appearing in the movie while ‘Punky’s Dilemma’ and ‘Hazy Shade of Winter’ didn’t make the cut. ‘Hazy Shade of Winter’ found success on its own, charting higher than any Bookends song other than ‘Mrs. Robinson.’
The album’s final song, ‘At the Zoo,’ is a tribute to the Central Park Zoo that portrays the animals in amusingly human terms (“giraffes are insincere… zebras are reactionaries… pigeons plot in secrecy”).
Today’s SOTD, ‘Fakin’ It’ is the opening track of Side Two. It was released as a single and became a minor hit, though unlike the duo’s other early hits, I’d never heard of it before owning the album.
The track has a very Beatles-esque feel, particularly in its production. The opening and closing sirens sound like they’re right out of ‘I Am the Walrus,’ the drums and strings are reminiscent of ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ and the spoken-word interlude must have been partially inspired by Sgt. Pepper.
Lyrically, ‘Fakin’ It’ reaches back to the themes of Bookends‘ Side One, dealing with doubt, insecurity and a failure to connect.
If she stays, she stays here
The girl does what she wants to do
She knows what she wants to do
And I know I’m fakin’ it
I’m not really makin’ it
I’m such a dubious soul
And a walk in the garden
Wears me down
Tangled in the fallen vines
Pickin’ up the punch lines
I’ve just been fakin’ it
Not really makin’ it
Is there any danger?
No, no, not really
Just lean on me
Takin’ time to treat
Your friendly neighbors honestly
I’ve just been fakin’ it, fakin’ it
I’m not really makin’ it
This feeling of fakin’ it
I still haven’t shaken it
Prior to this lifetime
I surely was a tailor
Look at me
(“Good morning, Mr. Leitch
Have you had a busy day?”)
I own the tailor’s face and hands
I am the tailor’s face and hands
I know I’m fakin’ it, fakin’ it
I’m not really makin’ it
This feeling of fakin’ it
I still haven’t shaken it
Meet Me In Montauk 
I’ve never heard this song. Guess I need to play this album in its entirety. It’s a good one, and it is interesting to hear the Beatles influence (though that spoken word part feels a bit forced).