It's easy to see why people keep going back to the music of the Sixties. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is another of the classics from that time, by Simon & Garfunkel. According to Wikipedia the song features lead vocals by Art Garfunkel and a piano accompaniment influenced by gospel music with a "Wall of Sound"-style production.
The song received five Grammy Awards (I didn't know one song could win that many, but one of them was for being part of the Grammy-winning album of the year by the same name.)
The instrumentation was produced by L.A.'s famous session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew. The vocals were recorded in New York.
Inspirations for the song came from some interesting places. The concept of the bridge over deep waters was taken from Claude Jeter's 1959 song "Mary Don't You Weep." Another portion of the melody was drawn from the classic hymn "O Sacred Head Now Wounded." It's no wonder that the song can find a home in both secular settings and religious ones.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Paul Simon compared the instrumentation here with the Beatles' "Let It Be." I find it interesting that both albums took their name from these two songs, and also that for each group it was their last studio album before their breakups.
While listening to some Roy Orbison songs on YouTube last night I was quite moved by the song's power in this great vocalist's hands. Which led me to check out some other artist's renditions. Wow! What a great song. Roy, Elvis and Whitney each knock it out of the park. (Forgive me the cliche metaphor, but Paul Simon likes to wear a baseball cap, so please excuse me.) Make time to enjoy these if you can.
Roy Orbison
Elvis gives it his all.
Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans... feel the power.
There's a scene in the film Impromptu in which George Sand says something to this effect: "When Chopin plays, it's proof that there is a God." She is speaking of the exquisite beauty with which he plays, the pure, unfettered beauty of his music. Whether literal or figurative, the statement is an effort to categorize the the feeling it generates. This is how I feel about Art Garfunkel. His voice carries such an evocative purity, tinged with melancholy, elevating listeners to some transcendent place.
Art Garfunkel met Paul Simon in sixth grade in an elementary school graduation play. But he'd been singing since first grade and his gifts were well on their way to being honed at an early age. When he was 15 he and Paul Simon began performing together as Tom & Jerry. They themselves idolized The Everly Brothers because of their intertwined harmonies. Like a lot of youth who were swept up in the music of their lives, they performed at high school dances and even recorded some songs. Each went off to college but they continued to perform together.
When we think of Simon & Garfunkel we don't picture them as anything other than musicians, but in college Garfunkel was a member of the tennis team, did fencing, skiing and bowling. After an art history degree he went on to get his masters in mathematics which he received in 1967. Paul Simon's initial studies were directed toward a degree in law.
But their natural gifts won out. Paul Simon was a gifted poet who would go on to write so many great songs that reflected the angst our youth was experiencing in the Sixties. "Save the Life of My Child," "The Boxer," "Only Living Boy In New York," "Sounds of Silence," "I Am A Rock"... songs that spoke of alienation and longing for hope.
"Bridge Over Troubled Water," which Paul wrote for Art to sing solo, became their biggest hit as a duo, hitting number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks straight, also topping the charts in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and New Zealand. It eventually sold over six million copies worldwide. Wikipedia notes that it became one of the most performed songs of the twentieth century, with over 50 artists, among them Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, covering the song.
Troubled waters speak of impassable rivers, places in life where we're thwarted, isolated. The turbulence is frightening. But we're not alone. Someone has noticed our sorrows, is reaching out... It's the voice of an angel.
It's Art's voice that elevates these simple images, making the song soar. And soar it does. Like a bird. Bridge Over Troubled Water
When you're weary, feeling small When tears are in your eyes I will dry them all I'm on your site, oh, When times get rough And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down, Oh, like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down
When you're down and out, when you're on the streets When evening falls so hard, I will comfort you I'll take your part when the darkness falls and pain is all around
Yes, like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down Oh, like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down
Sail on, silver girl, sail on by Your time has come to shine All your dreams are on their way See how they shine Oh, if you need a friend, I'm sailing right behind
Yes, like a bridge over troubled water I, I will ease your mind Like a bridge over troubled water I will easy your mind
The sheer beauty
of the song is therapeutic.
His work with Paul Simon put him on the map, but his career didn't end with their breakup. In addition to numerous singles and albums he earned six Grammy's, including the Lifetime Achievement Award.
EdNote: Art Garfunkel was born in 1941, same year as Bob Dylan. Both will be 75 this year, Bob in May and Art in November. One of my favorite Art Garfunkel albums from his solo career is Up 'Til Now. I for one am grateful he chose to pursue a singing career instead of tennis.
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