A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission) (track)
by Simon & Garfunkel
Year: 1966
From the album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme (track #9)
Listen on Spotify
A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission) appears on the following album(s) by Simon & Garfunkel:
- Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme (track #9) (this album) (1966)
- Collected Works (track #32) (compilation) (1981)
- The Complete Albums Collection (track #32) (compilation) (2014)
Upcoming concerts
Listen to A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission) on YouTube
A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission) ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Track ratings | Avg. track rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 11 hours ago | Arnio | 103 | 64/100 |
| ! | 11/20/2025 05:46 | plasmicmist | 6,118 | 90/100 |
| ! | 06/12/2025 16:55 | sebfox | 3,855 | 88/100 |
| ! | 05/10/2025 07:35 | zsolti | 6,624 | 80/100 |
| ! | 03/24/2025 21:22 | ootsp | 898 | 82/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some tracks can have several thousand ratings)
This track is rated in the top 10% of all tracks on BestEverAlbums.com. This track has a Bayesian average rating of 78.8/100, a mean average of 77.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 79.0/100. The standard deviation for this track is 13.6.
A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission) favourites
Showing all 1 members who have added this track as a favourite
A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission) comments
Showing all 7 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
Squonk007 03/22/2023 18:35 | #295311
Excellent.
@albumceleste the joke obviously went wayyyy over your head lol.
One of the earliest, and funniest, parody songs I've ever heard.
flamingyesdept 06/27/2017 00:39 | #193270
Brilliantly witty and fun track. A great ol' rocker!
You can't not but smile at this. In truth, it's as much a homage as it is a parody, Simon's acceptance of Dylan's importance in popular culture. Still, good for a laugh though.
This comment is beneath your viewing threshold.
nitomano 06/30/2016 23:59 | #170219
Suena completamente a Bob Dylan, jaja
Including a collage of historical figures about as big as the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Paul Simon does a great Bob Dylan imitation.
Your feedback for A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission)
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
