Nostalgic Cougar

Mrs. Robinson, where did you go? The movie was “The Graduate” (1967) and it was a bit racy for its time, especially with the cougar Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) seducing the young Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman). It’s all fun and games until he falls in love with the one verboten girl in town, the other Ms. Robinson, the cougar’s daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross). The movie is pretty predictable through the lens of 2025, and while worthy of a watch, it’s not an all-time classic. However, the song “Mrs. Robinson,” by Simon and Garfunkel, is an all-time classic. Whenever I hear the song, nostalgia oozes out of my pores, and I fall in love with that song—and the movie—all over again. 

The opening line: “And here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson, Jesus loves you more than you will know.” Sure, she’s in a May-September romance, and it’s adultery because she is a Mrs., yet that sin won’t keep one out of Heaven. Jesus loves you more than that. Only rejection of Jesus keeps you out of Heaven, in my mind, but others disagree. Back to the song. 

“Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you.” Joltin’ Joe still holds the Major League Baseball consecutive batting streak record at 56 games. No one has come close, although Pete Rose got to 44 games in 1978. Joe was married to Marilyn Monroe for less than a year and sent flowers to her grave three times a week for 20 years after her death. He never fell out of love with her, and maybe she with him. 

The lyrics recall a nostalgic time, if you didn’t mind war, civil rights oppression, discrimination against women, expansion of the military-industrial complex, stuff like that. It was a sarcastic reference to a time that was great for some, not so good for many. But is there ever a time where things are great for everybody?

The last lyric is “What’s that you say, Mrs. Robinson? Joltin’ Joe has left and gone away.” Yeah, that time has passed. Kids are protesting in the streets, Blacks are rioting in Watts, burglars are breaking into the Watergate, so it wasn’t all peaches and cream was it? 

A song that is so pleasant, with flowing lyrics and soaring harmony, a song that on its surface recalls an idyllic time, is really a song about a lost time. It’s yet another example of a 1960’s protest song that didn’t sound like a protest song, thus escaping both the censors of the time and the opinionated parental units. 

But you can’t hear the song and not feel good about a different time.

Kelly Burke was born in Knoxville where he spent his younger years, followed by high school years in Atlanta where he graduated from Georgia Tech. He then graduated from Mercer Law School. He has been in private practice, a magistrate judge, and an elected district attorney. He writes about the law, politics, music and Ireland. He and his wife enjoy gardening, playing with their Lagotto Ramanolo named George Harrison, and spending time with their grandchildren.