Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson,"
performed by The Lemonheads

The Lemonheads' music — wry lyrics matched by Evan Dando's soft vocals and power-pop hooks — should have brought the group fame, particularly in the alternative-friendly days after "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

So it's odd it was a cover of a '60s folk duo's signature song that brought the band notoriety, especially considering that the track — originally released on its own as a single in the U.K. — was added to the band's breakthrough album, It's A Shame About Ray, months after the album's original release.

Or perhaps it's not, knowing The Lemonheads' appreciation of irony. Most of Simon and Garfunkel's songs are best known as part of the soundtrack for The Graduate, even though only one — "Mrs. Robinson" — was written for it.

Dando and The Lemonheads turned the soft, quiet remembrance of one of film's most troubled older women into frenetic power-pop. His velvety vocals wrap themselves around the lyrics just as deftly as Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel's did a generation earlier. Simon and Garfunkel sought to capture the generation's despair and aimlessness, much as The Lemonheads did with their version.

— Stephanie Kuenn (smkuenn at gmail dot com)