The legendary folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel created some of the most beautiful and enduring music in American popular culture, with their harmonies defining a generation. From their humble beginnings as Tom and Jerry in the 1950s to their status as Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel crafted songs that continue to resonate with audiences worldwide. With over 100 million albums sold since 1965, their catalog includes unforgettable melodies and poetic lyrics that captured the zeitgeist of the 1960s. This comprehensive guide explores their greatest musical achievements, from chart-topping hits to deeper album cuts, including some recently remastered releases that have brought new life to these classic recordings.
Bridge Over Troubled Water
The title track from their 1970 final studio album stands as perhaps the most iconic song in the Simon & Garfunkel catalog and one of the greatest recordings in popular music history. Written by Paul Simon and featuring Art Garfunkel’s soaring solo vocals, this gospel-influenced power ballad showcases producer Roy Halee’s “Wall of Sound” production style with session musicians from the legendary Wrecking Crew. The song topped charts in multiple countries for six weeks, won five Grammy Awards including Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and has been covered by countless artists including Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash. The track’s creation involved meticulous studio work, with Larry Knechtel’s gospel-style piano accompaniment recorded in California while the vocals were captured in New York, resulting in a transcendent five-minute masterpiece that remains one of the best-selling singles of all time.
The Sound of Silence
Originally released as an acoustic folk song on their 1964 debut album Wednesday Morning, 3 AM, this haunting composition became a cultural phenomenon after producer Tom Wilson overdubbed electric instruments without the duo’s knowledge. The electrified version, released in 1965, transformed the song into a folk rock landmark that hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 by New Year’s Day 1966 and effectively launched Simon & Garfunkel’s career after their initial breakup. Paul Simon’s evocative lyrics paint disturbing imagery of urban isolation and failed communication, with phrases about neon lights splitting the night and people praying to “the neon god they made” creating one of the most ominous and memorable songs in folk music history. The track’s success pioneered the folk rock genre for Top 40 radio and remains a cornerstone of 1960s music, continuing to appear on greatest songs lists decades after its release.
The Boxer
This remarkable storytelling masterpiece from the Bridge Over Troubled Water album showcases Simon & Garfunkel at their most ambitious, with recording sessions that reportedly took over 100 hours to complete. The song’s narrative follows a young man leaving home for New York City, facing hardship and poverty while trying to survive, with the recurring “lie-la-lie” chorus creating an unforgettable hook that has resonated across generations. Released as a single months before the album in 1969, the track reached number seven on the charts and features extensive overdubs, innovative percussion, and a dramatic build that demonstrates the duo’s evolution from their sparse early recordings to sophisticated studio productions. The boxer metaphor speaks to resilience and determination in the face of adversity, making it one of Simon & Garfunkel’s most emotionally powerful and enduring compositions that showcases both Simon’s songwriting prowess and the duo’s impeccable harmonies.
Mrs. Robinson
Written for Mike Nichols’ landmark 1967 film The Graduate, this infectious folk rock tune became one of Simon & Garfunkel’s biggest commercial successes and cultural touchstones. Director Mike Nichols, who became obsessed with the duo’s first two albums during filming, requested their music for the soundtrack, leading Paul Simon to craft this memorable song that perfectly captured the film’s themes of alienation and generational conflict. The song’s cryptic lyrics, including the famous line about Joe DiMaggio, have sparked decades of interpretation and discussion, while its upbeat tempo and memorable “Coo-coo-ca-choo” refrain made it an instant radio favorite that topped the charts. The track earned the duo a Grammy Award for Record of the Year and remains one of the most recognizable songs from both their catalog and 1960s cinema, demonstrating how their music transcended the folk genre to become part of mainstream American culture.
America
From their 1968 album Bookends, this poignant road trip narrative captures the restless spirit and searching quality of 1960s American youth with remarkable emotional depth. The song follows a young couple traveling by Greyhound bus across the country, searching for meaning and connection while experiencing both hope and disillusionment along the way. Paul Simon’s vivid lyrical imagery, including the memorable opening line about cigarettes and counting cars on the New Jersey Turnpike, creates a cinematic journey that feels both intimate and universal. The track’s gradual build from sparse instrumentation to a fuller arrangement mirrors the emotional journey of the characters, making it one of Simon & Garfunkel’s most sophisticated and affecting compositions that continues to resonate with listeners seeking their own America.
Scarborough Fair/Canticle
This stunning arrangement of a traditional English ballad demonstrates Simon & Garfunkel’s ability to reinterpret folk music with sophisticated vocal harmonies and innovative counterpoint. Originally learned by Paul Simon from English folk artist Martin Carthy during his time in England, the song features Art Garfunkel singing the traditional melody while Simon provides a haunting countermelody that transforms the medieval love song into a complex meditation on war and peace. The track appeared on their 1966 album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme and was prominently featured in The Graduate soundtrack, introducing the traditional folk song to a new generation. The interweaving vocal parts create an ethereal, timeless quality that showcases both singers at their finest, making this one of the most beautiful and technically accomplished recordings in their entire catalog.
I Am a Rock
This powerful declaration of emotional isolation first appeared on Paul Simon’s solo album The Paul Simon Songbook before being reimagined with electric instruments for Simon & Garfunkel’s Sounds of Silence album. Taking inspiration from the successful electrification of “The Sound of Silence,” the duo added rock instrumentation that transformed the introspective folk song into a folk rock anthem that reached number three on the charts. The lyrics, which flip John Donne’s famous assertion that “no man is an island,” create a portrait of deliberate isolation as a defense against emotional pain, with the narrator insisting he has “books and poetry to protect me.” The song’s combination of literary references, emotional vulnerability, and driving electric arrangement made it a defining track of 1960s folk rock and showcased Simon’s evolution as a sophisticated songwriter.
The Only Living Boy in New York
This deeply personal song from Bridge Over Troubled Water reflects the growing distance between Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel as their partnership neared its end. Written while Garfunkel was in Mexico filming Catch-22, the lyrics reference the duo’s early billing as Tom and Jerry with the line “Tom, get your plane right on time, I know your part’ll go fine,” revealing Simon’s mixed emotions about his partner’s acting career. The song’s bittersweet tone combines encouragement with loneliness, creating a poignant farewell that takes on even greater significance knowing it came from their final studio album together. The lush arrangement and soaring harmonies demonstrate that even as personal tensions grew, Simon & Garfunkel could still create music of remarkable beauty and emotional resonance.
Cecilia
One of Simon & Garfunkel’s most upbeat and rhythmically infectious songs, this track from Bridge Over Troubled Water features innovative percussion created by the duo and friends stomping, slapping, and hitting various surfaces in the recording studio. The playful, almost irreverent approach to the song’s themes of love and frustration creates a joyful contrast to the album’s more serious material. The memorable opening rhythm and sing-along chorus made it a radio favorite that climbed to number four on the charts, demonstrating the duo’s versatility beyond their reputation for introspective ballads. The song’s energetic arrangement and catchy melody have made it a perennial favorite at weddings and celebrations, showing Simon & Garfunkel’s range extended from profound meditation to pure pop joy.
Homeward Bound
Written by Paul Simon while stranded overnight at Widnes Central railway station in England during his solo touring days, this wistful meditation on life on the road became one of their most beloved hits. A plaque now commemorates the station platform where Simon penned this homesick anthem that reached number five on the US charts. The song’s yearning quality and universal theme of longing for home and stability resonated deeply with audiences, while the clean production and memorable melody made it a radio staple. The track perfectly captures the contradictions of a traveling musician’s life—the excitement of performance mixed with the loneliness of constant movement—making it one of Simon’s most relatable and emotionally direct compositions.
Kathy’s Song
This tender, intimate ballad from Sounds of Silence showcases Paul Simon’s gift for expressing vulnerability and longing through simple, direct language. Written about his English girlfriend Kathy Chitty during his time in England, the song features just Simon’s voice and acoustic guitar, creating a stark, honest portrait of love and distance. The rain imagery throughout the lyrics creates a melancholic atmosphere that perfectly matches the song’s emotional content, while the conversational tone makes listeners feel they’re overhearing a private moment. Unlike many of their bigger hits, this song strips away all production flourishes to reveal the raw emotional core of Simon’s songwriting, making it a favorite among fans who appreciate the duo’s more understated moments.
A Hazy Shade of Winter
This driving, urgent folk rock song from the Bookends album marks a departure from Simon & Garfunkel’s typically mellow sound with its aggressive acoustic guitar and anxious tempo. The lyrics capture a sense of time slipping away and opportunities being missed, with the seasonal metaphor creating a powerful meditation on aging and regret. Originally released as a non-album single in 1966, the song’s faster pace and darker tone made it stand out in their catalog as one of their most rock-oriented recordings. The track was later covered by The Bangles in 1987 for the film Less Than Zero, introducing it to a new generation, but the original remains a testament to Simon & Garfunkel’s ability to channel anxiety and urgency into compelling musical form.
For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her
This ethereal, dreamlike song from Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme features one of Art Garfunkel’s most beautiful solo vocal performances with minimal instrumental accompaniment. The lyrics paint an idealized portrait of romantic love with almost mystical imagery, describing the beloved as someone who can soften sorrow and bring meaning to existence. Garfunkel’s angelic tenor voice floats over delicate guitar work, creating an atmosphere of reverence and wonder that showcases his unique vocal gifts. The song’s simplicity and sincerity make it one of the duo’s most romantic compositions, demonstrating that they knew precisely when to let Garfunkel’s voice take center stage without the intricate harmonies that defined most of their work.
April Come She Will
Clocking in at under two minutes, this brief gem from Sounds of Silence demonstrates how short songs can be just as impactful as longer compositions. Featuring Art Garfunkel’s solo vocals over Paul Simon’s fingerpicked guitar, the song uses the progression of months as a metaphor for a relationship’s journey from spring’s promise to winter’s end. The delicate melody and fleeting nature of the song create a sense of transience that perfectly matches its subject matter about love’s impermanence. Despite its brevity, the track has become one of their most cherished recordings, showing their ability to convey complex emotions with elegant simplicity and restraint, making every note and word count.
Bookends Theme
This poignant instrumental and vocal piece serves as both the opening and closing of the Bookends album, creating a conceptual framework that explores themes of aging and memory. The song’s nostalgic quality and reflective lyrics about old friends gathering to reminisce create a bittersweet meditation on the passage of time. The harmonies between Simon and Garfunkel reach new heights of beauty on this track, with their voices blending seamlessly to convey both warmth and melancholy. The album’s structure, which uses this theme to bookend the collection, represents one of the duo’s most ambitious artistic statements, demonstrating their growth from singles artists to album-oriented musicians creating cohesive artistic statements.
El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could)
This unique adaptation of a traditional Peruvian folk melody by composer Daniel Alomía Robles, with English lyrics by Paul Simon, showcases the duo’s interest in world music. Featured on Bridge Over Troubled Water, the song’s incorporation of Andean instruments and melodies represented an adventurous departure from typical American folk rock. Simon’s contemplative lyrics about wishing to be free like natural elements pair beautifully with the haunting traditional melody, creating a cross-cultural fusion that felt both exotic and accessible to American audiences. The arrangement, which includes authentic Peruvian instruments, demonstrates Simon & Garfunkel’s willingness to explore diverse musical traditions while maintaining their signature sound, making this one of their most distinctive recordings.
The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)
This lighthearted, optimistic tune from Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme captures the carefree spirit of 1960s youth with its bouncing rhythm and positive message. The song’s simple philosophy about slowing down to appreciate life’s small pleasures resonated with the counterculture movement while remaining accessible enough for mainstream success. The cheerful melody and sing-along chorus made it a radio favorite and a stark contrast to many of Simon & Garfunkel’s more introspective works, proving they could craft pure pop confections as effectively as serious artistic statements. The track’s enduring appeal as a feel-good anthem has made it a staple of oldies radio and a reminder that Simon & Garfunkel’s catalog contained moments of pure joy alongside their more contemplative material.
Baby Driver
This playful, rhythm-driven track from Bridge Over Troubled Water showcases Paul Simon’s gift for wordplay and his love of American musical styles including blues and early rock and roll. The song’s references to automobiles and youthful romance create a nostalgic portrait of American teenage culture, while the upbeat arrangement keeps the energy high throughout. The track features some of Simon’s cleverest lyrics, including automotive metaphors woven throughout the narrative, and demonstrates his ability to write in different styles while maintaining his distinctive voice. Though not released as a single, the song became a fan favorite and showed that even on their final album, Simon & Garfunkel could still have fun with their music rather than focusing solely on weighty themes.
Leaves That Are Green
From Sounds of Silence, this contemplative song uses the changing seasons and falling leaves as metaphors for youth’s passing and love’s impermanence. The circular melody and repetitive structure reinforce the cyclical nature of the song’s themes, creating a meditation on time and change that feels both specific and universal. Paul Simon’s lyrics demonstrate his maturing as a songwriter, moving beyond simple love songs to explore more philosophical territory about mortality and transience. The understated arrangement allows the lyrics and melody to take center stage, making this one of their more subtle achievements that rewards close listening and reveals new layers with each encounter.
Overs
This experimental track from Bookends presents a stark portrait of a relationship’s end with an unconventional musical approach. The song features minimalist instrumentation with Simon’s guitar playing in an atypical style that creates an unsettling, disjointed feeling matching the lyrics about emotional distance and routine. Art Garfunkel’s voice enters halfway through, fading in from nowhere to provide an angelic bridge that contrasts beautifully with the song’s overall melancholy. The track’s willingness to embrace discomfort and experimentation shows Simon & Garfunkel at their most artistically ambitious, crafting a piece that evokes the mundane reality of love’s dissolution rather than romanticizing heartbreak.
Recent Releases and Remastered Editions
Simon & Garfunkel’s catalog continues to reach new audiences through various remastered releases and special editions. The Complete Albums Collection, released as a 12-CD box set, features newly remastered versions of all five studio albums using first-generation analog sources, offering audiophiles the highest quality versions of these classic recordings. Recent vinyl reissues, including turquoise and white vinyl editions of their Greatest Hits compilation, have brought renewed attention to their work among collectors and younger listeners discovering the duo through vinyl. Additionally, Art Garfunkel released Father and Son in late 2024, a collaborative album with his son Art Garfunkel Jr. that includes covers of Simon & Garfunkel classics, demonstrating the enduring legacy of these songs and introducing them to new generations. The Simon & Garfunkel Story, an internationally acclaimed theatrical tribute show, continues touring globally with over 60 North American cities scheduled for performances, keeping their music alive in concert halls worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Simon & Garfunkel’s most famous song?
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” is widely considered their most famous song. Released in 1970 as the title track of their final studio album, it topped charts worldwide for six weeks, won five Grammy Awards, and has been covered by countless artists. The gospel-influenced ballad featuring Art Garfunkel’s soaring vocals remains one of the best-selling singles of all time and is regularly cited as one of the greatest songs ever recorded.
Why did Simon and Garfunkel break up in 1970?
Simon and Garfunkel’s 1970 breakup stemmed from growing creative differences and personal tensions. Art Garfunkel’s pursuit of an acting career, particularly his work on the film Catch-22, created distance between the duo. Paul Simon’s increasing desire for creative control and frustration with Garfunkel’s outside interests led to irreconcilable differences. Despite creating their most successful album, Bridge Over Troubled Water, the partnership had become strained, and they decided to pursue solo careers, though they reunited for occasional performances including their famous 1981 Central Park concert.
How many albums did Simon & Garfunkel release together?
Simon & Garfunkel released five studio albums together: Wednesday Morning, 3 AM (1964), Sounds of Silence (1966), Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (1966), Bookends (1968), and Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970). They also released The Graduate soundtrack (1968) and several live albums and compilation albums. Their studio catalog, though relatively small, includes some of the most influential folk rock recordings of the 1960s and has sold over 100 million copies worldwide.
What equipment should I use to best appreciate Simon & Garfunkel’s music?
To fully appreciate the intricate harmonies and production details in Simon & Garfunkel’s recordings, quality audio equipment is essential. Consider exploring headphone comparisons to find models that excel at reproducing vocal clarity and acoustic instrumentation. For portable listening, check out earbud comparisons to discover options that deliver the pristine sound quality these recordings deserve. The duo’s meticulous studio work, particularly on albums like Bridge Over Troubled Water, rewards listeners with high-quality playback equipment that can reveal the subtle details and dynamic range of their productions.
Are there any recent Simon & Garfunkel releases in 2026?
While Simon and Garfunkel have not released new material together since 1970, their catalog continues to be remastered and reissued. Recent releases include various remastered vinyl editions of their greatest hits collections and The Complete Albums Collection box set featuring newly remastered versions from first-generation analog sources. Art Garfunkel released Father and Son with his son Art Garfunkel Jr. in late 2024, which includes covers of classic Simon & Garfunkel songs. Additionally, The Simon & Garfunkel Story tribute show continues touring internationally, keeping their music alive for new audiences.
What was Simon & Garfunkel’s first hit song?
“The Sound of Silence” was their breakthrough hit in 1965, though they had minor success as Tom and Jerry in 1957 with “Hey Schoolgirl.” After the acoustic version of “The Sound of Silence” initially flopped, producer Tom Wilson overdubbed electric instruments without the duo’s knowledge, and the electrified version hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 by New Year’s Day 1966. This success reunited the duo after they had split following their debut album’s poor performance and launched their career as one of the defining acts of 1960s folk rock.
How did Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel meet?
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel met as children in 1953 in their Forest Hills, Queens, New York neighborhood when they both appeared in a sixth-grade production of Alice in Wonderland—Simon played the White Rabbit while Garfunkel played the Cheshire Cat. They lived just blocks apart and became close friends, discovering their natural harmony while singing together. By their junior year at Forest Hills High School, they began performing as Tom and Jerry, eventually evolving into Simon & Garfunkel and creating one of the most successful musical partnerships in American popular music history.
What awards did Simon & Garfunkel win?
Simon & Garfunkel won 10 Grammy Awards during their career, including Album of the Year for Bridge Over Troubled Water in 1971. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” alone won five Grammys including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003, and had “The Sound of Silence” inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004. In 1977, the Brit Awards honored their Bridge Over Troubled Water album with Best International Album, cementing their status as one of the most decorated acts in popular music.