Thunk. That was the sound of my head hitting my desk.

Obviously my young friend, who is otherwise engaged in the world and very bright, has heard Paul Simon’s music, even if she couldn’t match a song title to his name. But the conversation got me thinking: If you were to reply to such a remark with a song title, what would you say?

“You know ‘Graceland,’ right?”

“Surely you’ve heard ‘Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard.’ ”

“ ‘50 Ways to Leave Your Lover’? ‘You Can Call Me Al’?”

That last one struck a chord with my co-worker, and I shook my head. Of all the songs on “Graceland” to recognize, it’s my least favorite.

In the old days, I would have made her a mixtape of my favorite Simon tunes. Instead, I opted to go the Spotify playlist route. I created a list of 12 songs – although it could easily be double that. I tried not to include more than two songs from any one album. (That’s hard to do with “Graceland,” so I picked three from it). And I kept it to Simon’s solo catalog – no “Bridge Over Troubled Waters,” “America” or “The Boxer,” songs he recorded with Art Garfunkel. (Simon & Garfunkel fans will be happy to know that Simon has been playing some of those songs on this latest tour, including “America,” “The Boxer,” “The Sound of Silence,” and “Homeward Bound.”)

The list is available on Spotify (search for “Carolyn Lamberson”). Use it as a starting point to build your own list – or check out “Paul Simon – The Concert in Hyde Park,” released earlier this month – and get ready for Friday’s show. More here.

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