Tag Archives: Bridge Over Troubled Water

by

Song of the Day #4,475: ‘Why Don’t You Write Me’ – Simon & Garfunkel

One of the more disposable tracks from Simon & Garfunkel’s classic 1970 album Bridge Over Troubled Water, ‘Why Don’t You Write Me’ falls on Side Two after the excellent trio of ‘The Boxer,’ ‘Baby Driver’ and ‘The Only Living Boy in New York.’

An early Paul Simon experiment with reggae that hinted at his future exploration of world music, this track has mistakenly been lumped in with ‘The Only Living Boy in New York’ as a reference to Art Garfunkel leaving for Mexico to film Catch-22 during the beginning stages of the album.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #2,815: ‘Baby Driver’ – Simon & Garfunkel

bridgeoverMy fourth favorite album from 1970 is the final record by Simon & garfunkel, Bridge Over Troubled Water. I’ve already featured five of this album’s 11 songs on the blog so clearly it hits a nerve.

This record was a smash hit for the duo. In fact, for the decade before the release of Michael Jackson’s Thriller in 1982, this was the best-selling album of all time. But Simon and Garfunkel has already decided to part ways. The front cover, with Simon partially obscuring Garfunkel’s face, was perhaps unintentionally symbolic of the dynamic between them.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #1,416: ‘Cecilia’ – Simon & Garfunkel

Best Albums of the 70s – #15
Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel (1970)

Simon & Garfunkel’s final album was their finest, in large part because it feels like a swan song.

There was plenty of tension between the duo during the writing and recording of the album — some of which found its way into the songs — and an undercurrent of melancholy to the project that serves it well.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #1,199: ‘So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright’ – Simon & Garfunkel

Simon & Garfunkel recorded together for just six years, releasing only five albums, but they made a major impact on popular music both through their sound and through the classic songs Paul Simon wrote for them to perform.

A couple of years after their (second) breakup, Paul Simon would start his solo career in earnest, but Garfunkel would remain a presence in his music in one way or another for more than a decade.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #1,198: ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ – Simon & Garfunkel

Simon & Garfunkel’s fifth and final album, Bridge Over Troubled Water, was released in 1970 and became the duo’s best-selling record as well as a Grammy Album of the Year winner. It was a massive critical and commercial success, topping the charts in 10 countries and selling more than 25 million copies worldwide.

And it was recorded and released as the lifelong friends saw their partnership collapse.

Continue reading →