10 Facts About Simon and Garfunkel

1. Simon and Garfunkel originally went by the name Tom and Jerry, making the top 50 with their first single “Hey Schoolgirl”. The two were only 16.

2. They met when they were 11, in a school play of Alice In Wonderland. They started singing at 12.

3. The two split up several times during their careers—once after recording their debut acoustic album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.—only to ultimately reunite.

4. Virtually all of the material was written by Paul Simon.

5. Art Garfunkel, feeling overshadowed by Simon, began to pursue an acting career in 1969, and was featured in the film Catch-22.

6. In 1968, the duo’s song “Mrs. Robinson” was featured in the film The Graduate, becoming an instant hit and winning two Grammys.

7. In the late 50’s and early 60’s, after abandoning Tom and Jerry, Simon briefly reached the charts in the group Tico and the Triumphs with the song “Motorcycle”, and again with “The Long Teen Ranger” under the name Jerry Landis.

8. Their final album, Bridge Over Troubled Waters, topped the charts for 10 weeks, with four hit singles.

9. “The Sound of Silence”, one of Simon and Garfunkel’s most well-known tracks, was originally released on their unsuccessful debut acoustic album. Tom Wilson, the duo’s producer, rereleased the song, adding electric guitars, bass, and drums. The song got to number one on the charts in early 1966.

10. A planned studio album was cancelled in the early 80’s due to artistic differences.

Links:

Simon and Garfunkel official website

Paul Simon official website

Art Garfunkel official website

The Concert In Central Park, 1981 - "Mrs. Robinson"

A Simon and Garfunkel Timeline

Oct. 13, 1941 – Paul Simon is born

Nov. 5, 1941 – Art Garfunkel is born

1956 – Begin playing together as Tom and Jerry

1957-58 – Score chart hit with “Hey Schoolgirl”; both are 16.

1964 – Record their debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.; the album does poorly

1966 – Tom Wilson releases new version of “The Sound of Silence”; the song becomes a #1 hit; Simon and Garfunkel reunite; Record “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme”

1968 – The album Bookends hits #1 with the song “Mrs. Robinson”

1970 – Bridge Over Troubled Waters tops charts for 10 weeks with the songs “The Boxer”, “Cecilia”, “El Condor Pasa”, and the title track

1975 – Simon and Garfunkel reunite for Top Ten single “My Little Town”

1981 – They play New York’s Central park concert, which attracts half a million fans; live album is released

1990 – They are inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame

"The Sound of Silence" Analysis

Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” is a brilliantly written song which has profound meaning behind its beautiful lyrics. One interpretation is that the song’s meaning revolves around ignorance to art in the media. “I turned my collar to the cold and damp; When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light that split the night; And touched the sound of silence”. The “neon light” referred to represents the flashiness of the media and its ability to brainwash society. “And in the naked light I saw; Ten thousand people, maybe more; People talking without speaking; People hearing without listening; People writing songs that voices never share”. These lines clearly illustrate society’s blatant cluelessness to the world around it. “People talking without speaking” refers to the lack of depth and meaning behind people’s words—how the important aspects of life are ignored while the trivial, brainless parts are kept the main focus. “People hearing without listening” refers more specifically to the music industry, and how appreciation for true art and talent is disappearing; people are merely hearing the music, rather than listening and indulging in its meaning. “’Fools’, said I, ‘You do not know; Silence, like a cancer, grows; Hear my words that I might teach you; Take my arms that I might reach you’; But my words, like silent raindrops, fell; And echoed in the wells of silence’”. The speaker recognizes the poison of the media as the rest of the world remains ignorant. He tries to enlighten them, but no one seems to listen. “And the people bowed and prayed; To the neon god they made”. The “neon god”, again, is the flashy advertisement in the media, which seems to brainwash society to the point of unquestioning worship. “And the sign flashed out its warning; In the words that it was forming; And the signs said, the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls; And tenement halls; And whispered in the sounds of silence”. In these final lines, the speaker is saying how the truth of what lies ahead (the words of the prophets) can be found in places where people are always coming and going (subway walls and tenement halls). People always pass by these signs but never see what is right in front of them. Thus, they choose to remain ignorant. In the end, the “sound of silence” is the sound of the world, namely the media; silence is the ignorance people choose to live by, and will ultimately continue to live by, no matter what whispers attempt to disturb the peace.


Check out Simon and Garfunkel lyrics and discussion here.
Find and listen to songs here.