"A Simple Desultory Philippic (or How I was Robert McNamara'd into Submission)" is a song by Simon & Garfunkel (originally released for Paul Simon's solo album). The song makes reference to many celebrities and famous people of the 1960s; written by Paul Simon, the song parodies Bob Dylan's music at the time.

The song was originally written by Paul Simon in 1965; it was recorded by Simon for his first solo album The Paul Simon Song Book. When he recorded his solo version it was subtitled "(or How I was Lyndon Johnson'd into Submission)."
In 1966, Simon, along with Art Garfunkel, re-recorded the track for Simon & Garfunkel's third album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. The Simon & Garfunkel version added an electric guitar (which is tuned to "drop-D" tuning) and drums.

The song as a whole is a parody of Bob Dylan's work of the mid '60s, particularly "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding" from Bringing It All Back Home, but the lyrics make reference to Dylan at several points.
During the interlude, Simon sings, "When you say 'Dylan' they think you're talkin' about Dylan Thomas." Dylan Thomas was the poet who inspired Dylan to change his name from Zimmerman to Dylan.
The lyrics at the end of the interlude reference two Dylan songs: "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)," and "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35."
The 1965 version makes reference to Tom Wilson who produced much of Bob Dylan's early music releases.
During the fade-out of the 1966 version, Simon can be heard saying, "I've dropped my harmonica, Albert." This is a reference to a performance Dylan gave while drunk, in which he did drop his harmonica mid-song; "Albert" is Albert Grossman, Dylan's manager.

The following people were mentioned in the lyrics of Paul Simon's solo 1965 version:
Lyndon Johnson, Jack Kerouac, John Birch, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Ayn Rand, Walt Disney, Dis Disley, Walter Brennan, John Lennon, Krishna Menon, Cassius Clay (later known as Muhammad Ali), Lenny Bruce, Bob Dylan, Dylan Thomas, James Joyce, Mick Jagger, Andy Warhol, Tom Wilson, Art Garfunkel, and Barry Kornfeld.Lyric Wiki: Simple Desultory Philippic Lyrics
The following names were added to the 1966 Simon & Garfunkel version, and were not included in the 1965 version:
Robert McNamara, Norman Mailer, Maxwell Taylor, Phil Spector, Lou Adler, Barry Sadler, Roy Halee, and Albert Grossman.Sing365: Simon and Garfunkel SDP Lyrics