Talk:Mrs. Robinson

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Quotation[edit]

I'm not familiar with the quote, but wouldn't Paul have said it's all about the syllables, Dick (for Dick Cavett)?

I assumed it was Mick for Mickey Mantle. Gamaliel 01:15, 16 Nov 2004 (UTC)
Ah, you are right. I was reading it too quickly. I didn't realize that he was addressing Mantle. Von Ryan's

Lyrics[edit]

Can someone cite the source of the lyrics? I always thought they said "She's a slut more than you will know", not "Jesus loves you more than you will know". I'd also like the explaination for the mysterious lyrics: "Sitting on a sofa on a Sunday afternoon/Going to the candidates' debate".--HistoricalPisces 17:56, 12 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

They're on the back of the Bookends album. The lyrics in the article are correct. Gamaliel 18:04, 12 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I don't have the Bookends album. I have thier greatest hits. And what's the answere to my second question?--HistoricalPisces 18:23, 12 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I haven't the slightest idea. Gamaliel 18:42, 12 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I've always assumed part of the lyrics were about Mrs. Robinson checking into an asylum:

 "We'd like to help you learn to help yourself
  Look around you, all you see are sympathetic eyes
  Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home"

Why no mention of this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.182.167.7 (talk) 07:12, 18 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

(clipping response that concerned college, youth culture, and Eleanor Roosevelt)--T. Anthony (talk) 22:08, 1 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Could we please limit our discussions to improvement of the article, per WP:TALK? Thank you. Ward3001 (talk) 22:17, 1 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You're right, sorry.--T. Anthony (talk) 05:26, 2 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]
it clearly says "Jesus loves..." How could anyone hear different? 74.108.171.228 (talk) 03:17, 31 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]


 "We'd like to help you learn to help yourself
  Look around you, all you see are sympathetic eyes
  Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home"

I think this part is about the Church of Scientology. It was only a decade old by that time and one procedures while joining the church is to tell all your secrets that they record and put in your files 'we'd like to learn a little more about you for our files' and then claim it is so you can be helped 'we'd like to help you learn to help yourself'. The church also tries to seem sympathetic to appeal to prospective members, 'look around you, all you see are sympathetic eyes. Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.230.155.55 (talk) 19:19, 2 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Cover versions[edit]

>>Stadium rockers Bon Jovi recorded the song on one of their live performances. The song was included on the limited edition bonus disc of their 1995 These Days album Was it really the these days album? I thought it was crossroads? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.215.122.118 (talk) 23:09, 20 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Why does it say that Cake did a cover of the song? On many peer-to-peer networks, the song attributed to Cake invariably leads to being a mistitled version of the Lemonheads' cover of the song. Am I mistaken?--Psychade 13:45, 9 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

References to Cake and Weezer deleted as neither have covered the song

May I point out that Booker T & The MGs did make a cover version of the song, with only instruments.


Did The Beatles a cover of this song on the Unknown albun ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 190.18.65.238 (talk) 17:51, 7 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The Beatles never did this song. I have everything the Beatles ever recorded, including bootlegs and unreleased versions. People sometimes attribute Simon & Garfunkel music to the Beatles because some people can't distinguish the stylistic sounds between the two. Those of us who grew up hearing both of them, however, can easily tell the difference. Ward3001 17:59, 7 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]


I question the claim that Frank Sinatra's cover is the most well known. Recommend modifying the language to indicate that it is one of the more well known versions and/or providing a source for the claim. ~~123nick789 2211, 4 March 2010 (CET) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 123Nick789 (talkcontribs) 21:14, 4 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Beatles Reference[edit]

I think this song references I Am the Walrus. Goo-goo-geh-choo?

Yes it does, just noticed it. At about 2:12 "coo coo coochoo Mrs. Robinson/Jesus loves you more than you know"

I think "coo coo coochoo" is the better spelling of the lyric...

iam the walrus says goo goo g'joob mrs. robinson says coo coo cachoo i made the same mistake —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.93.179.91 (talk) 05:31, 3 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

San Francisco[edit]

That whole trivia tidbit about how the term Mrs. Robinson has come to mean a desirable older married woman is kind of out of place in this article, isn't it? Firstly, it's riddled with "Citation Needed" superscripts (the most passive aggressive form of criticism available on Wikipedia), which is, as always, jarring and ugly. Secondly, it seems to be entirely about the character from the Graduate, which, as noted earlier on in the article, has nothing to do with the subject of this song other than having the same name. I vote it be stricken from the record. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 64.252.19.197 (talk) 14:33, 31 March 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Thats NOT true - Thats Just "YOUR" opinion on the matter !

Copyright violation[edit]

I removed lyrics from the article as copyright violation. Please see WP:COPYVIO. Quoting three or four words might be acceptable, but not entire lines. Cresix (talk) 19:01, 11 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Later references in film and Internet culture[edit]

Is it worth adding the "Mrs Robinson" reference from the 2011 episode of Doctor Who (The Impossible Astronaut) in which The Doctor refers to Dr River Song as "Mrs Robinson"? It's also discussed in the "Doctor Who Confidential" episode that goes with the aforementioned episode. Cheers, Swampy Swampß (talk) 04:59, 25 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I would say if it is mentioned in DWConf, then by all means mention it here. Cite DWConf (use the cite video template please), and discuss some bits of what the producers/writers/directors were thinking when they added the reference.
Someone added it here some hours before the episode even aired on the West Coast of the USA, and it was deleted as uncited by User:Cresix, but this sounds good.--WickerGuy (talk) 14:03, 25 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Category:Songs about sexuality?[edit]

Another editor is adding this category, stating, The song was specifically written for the film The Graduate. It is specifically detailing the relationship between married woman Mrs. Robinson and a younger man.[1]

Yes, the film is (in part) about a relationship between Mrs. Robinson and a younger man and one sexual scene between them. The song, however, was well under way before it was suggested for the film, as detailed in the article. We cannot assume the song is based on the content of the film. As to what the film is about, we only get snippets: "Mrs. Robinson" started as "Mrs. Roosevelt". "Joe DiMaggio" was chosen based on the number of syllables in the name and as a tribute to DiMaggio's unpretentious heroic stature, "In these days of Presidential transgressions and apologies and prime-time interviews about private sexual matters, we grieve for Joe DiMaggio and mourn the loss of his grace and dignity, his fierce sense of privacy, his fidelity to the memory of his wife and the power of his silence." The closest the article gets to a source saying the song has anything to do with sexuality (let alone it being a defining characteristic of the song) is that DiMaggio was chosen for preserving his privacy, in a time when "private sexual matters" are made public. - SummerPhD (talk) 18:34, 3 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Agree with SummerPhD. The basis for the category needs to be clearly sourced in the article. At this time it is not. Sundayclose (talk) 22:01, 3 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

So what is this song supposed to about? I came to Wikipedia hoping it would tell me what on earth they're singing about, but, alas, I leave no wiser. I am sure many other people have done the same and thus is would very much improve this article if someone could clarify the intended meaning/interpretation (citing, of course, reliable sources). 89.243.124.101 (talk) 23:35, 13 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzDp2d5b_o8 Paul Simon talks about how the song was written, made up on the spot. --Rodeng (talk) 20:23, 23 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified[edit]

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Not Winning the Oscar[edit]

The page states that the song was ineligible for the Oscar because it must have been written exclusively for the movie. This is incorrect. The song was written exclusively for the movie and had been written while the Duo were working on the film. It would not come out as a single until a few years later. The actual reason it was not nominated was because Paul Simon made the mistake of forgetting to fill out the proper paperwork for it to be nominated for the Oscar. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1700:5F60:6900:41B5:68AC:F249:2253 (talk) 20:56, 25 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]