Simon and Garfunkel "Bookends"
- Olivia
- Jun 18, 2021
- 5 min read
Welcome to my first blog post! I hope you enjoy!
About the Artists:
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel grew up in Queens, New York, three blocks away from one another. They formed a friendship in elementary school through their love of music and wrote and recorded their first song together in 1956. At the recording studio, they were noticed by a music promoter and got signed to an independent record label (they were only 15 years old). Simon and Garfunkel continued to make music separately as they went off to college and reunited to play at an open mic night. A new record label discovered the duo, and they recorded their first album, "Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.," which included the well-known song "The Sound of Silence." This album did not reach the amount of success they had hoped for until their producer, Tom Wilson, created a rock remix of "The Sound of Silence," which ended up topping the Billboard 100. This kickstarted the duo's successful music career. They began touring with a new album, "Sounds of Silence," and rereleased "Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.," which was a hit. After they recorded their third album, "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme," Simon mentioned he felt like they had entered a higher level of rock and roll yet still were able to keep close to their artistic roots. Their fourth album, "Bookends," featured songs recorded for the movie "The Graduate" and became the top album on the Billboard Top LPs for 7 non-consecutive weeks. Their final album "Bridge over Troubled Water" topped the Billboard charts for 10 weeks and was the best-selling album of 1970, 1971, and 1972, making it (at the time) the best-selling album of all time. It won 6 Grammy awards including "Album of the Year." Sadly, Simon and Garfunkel's relationship became strained, and they broke up in 1970, but have performed many reunion shows since. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
About the Album:
"Bookends" was Simon and Garfunkel's fourth studio album released in 1968. The first half is a concept album portraying themes of youth, old age, and the American Dream. It represents the metaphorical "bookends" at the beginning and the end of life. The second half includes recordings for the soundtrack of the movie,"The Graduate." While creating this album, Simon suffered from writers block, so with the help of producers John Simon and Roy Halee, the album was recorded over a period of about 2 years - the first single, "A Hazy Shade of Winter" being released in 1966. Mike Nicols, the director of "The Graduate" had taken a liking to the duo and asked them to submit three songs for the movie. "Overs" and "Punky's Dilema" were not the right fit for the movie, but Nicols loved, "Mrs. Robinson." "Mrs. Robinson" became the first rock and roll song to receive a Grammy award for "Record of the Year." Recording the album was a long process, as Paul Simon was adamant about getting every part perfect. "Punky's Dilema" took about 50 studio hours to record. The album was a commercial success and reached number one on the US and UK charts. It was the duos most successful album, and prompted Simon and Garfunkel to become the best rock duo in the world.
Singles off of the Album:
1. "America"
2. "The Zoo"
3. "Mrs. Robinson"
4. "A Hazy Shade of Winter"
5. "Fakin' It"
Picture of the Artists Around the Time of Album Release:
Do they have a good fashion style?
not really
Overall Opinions on "Bookends"
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to "Bookends" by Simon and Garfunkel. In fact, I had to listen to it for a second time right after finishing it the first time! I chose this album because I wanted to listen to something chill while I painted, and from the few songs I had heard previously ("Only Living Boy in New York," "Sound of Silence," "Mrs. Robinson"), I thought this album would be a good choice. The opening song, "Bookends" was very relaxing and I loved the instrumental acoustic guitar. It was a great way to introduce the album. I was preparing for another soft song, when I was greeted with a very loud noise that was shocking at first. This song, "Save the Life of my Child," was very passionate, and the strong bass notes helped add to the desperate theme. The verses had the story-telling speaking tones that reminded me of Bob Dylan. It seemed to be about a mother begging for someone to help her son who is threatening to jump off a ledge. No one understands what he is going through and blames his rougue mentality on drugs. The boy feels he needs to hide away from the adults who do not understand his intentions. In the end he ends up flying away instead of falling.
The next song, "America" is one of my favorites off of the album. The harmonies are very natural for the duo and seem to be instinctive. I love the build up in dynamics throughout the song. The song's writing is very interesting and I believe it is about Paul Simon and his girlfriend heading out to achieve the American Dream when they are still young. It is very hopeful at the beginning, but then Simon loses hope when he realizes that everyone is searching for the same dream, and it seems impossible to reach. "Voices of Old People" was a strange...song? It literally consisted of old people talking. This was a very artsy move by the duo and it definitely highlights how old age affects a person. It wasn't too pleasant to listen to, but it added to the "journey of life" theme the album had. "Old friends" was a bittersweet song. It was very dramatic and included string instruments which I enjoyed. The interval sung during the words "old friends" was very ominous, which I thought was interesting because usually being old friends is a good thing, but this song takes a different perspective on being old friends. Paul is imagining how he and Art will eventually grow old together with their lives behind them. They are afraid of the future and what may come next for them. The last song on side one of the album was, "Bookends Theme," which describes how a person often looks back on their youthful and innocent days as they grow old. This song ends the concept album.
The next side of the album has a more pop/rock aspect to it, as many of the songs were hit singles and made for "The Graduate" movie. Every song on this side was catchy and enjoyable. I particularly liked when Garfunkel sang solo-I felt he should have gotten the opportunity to sing more on his own. Simon's writing is very clever and thought-provoking. One of the lyrics in "Punky's Dilema" was "Wish I was a Kellogg's Cornflake" which made me smile. The song was very imaginative and relatable. I loved "Mrs. Robinson," as the writing was fun and the melody was very catchy. The song is happy and upbeat, yet the lyrics are describing how she is hiding secrets that will inevitably get her into trouble.
Overall, this album was great to listen to, but was way too short and left me wanting more. Its amazing how only two voices and a guitar can be so magical. It proves that you do not need a huge production with tons of effects and instruments to sound incredible.
Favorite Song: "Mrs. Robinson"
Their Influences and Who They Influenced:
Influences: Bob Dylan, The Byrds, The Everly Brothers, the Hilltoppers, the Four Aces, the Crewcuts, Little Richard, and Fats Domino.
Who they influenced: Crosby, Stills, & Nash, Nick Drake, The Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men, and Mumford & Sons.
Overall Rating: 9/10
Resources:
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