One song split up Simon and Garfunkel: “At that point, I just wanted out”
The pop duo has always been a bit of a contentious dynamic in rock and roll. Even though it might be more inclusive than just the traditional band rapport, there will still be moments when ego comes into the equation, and artists decide to spread their wings beyond their partner’s limitations. Although Simon and Garfunkel kept everything on an even keel throughout the 1960s, one song was responsible for tearing them apart.
During the band’s first handful of years, it may have seemed impossible for them to become stars. Outside of some modest success in their local scene with the folk ballad ‘The Sound of Silence’, the band couldn’t get arrested with any of their other songs, leading to them splitting up for a while and moving on to solo projects.
Once they had forgotten their Simon and Garfunkel, a funny thing began happening in America. Inspired by Bob Dylan’s move towards folk-rock music, the duo’s producer decided to add a band arrangement behind ‘The Sound of Silence’, slowly working its way up the charts and bringing Paul Simon’s songwriting back into high demand.
Quickly reforming and capitalising off their success, the duo would dominate the rest of the 1960s folk rock scene, including stellar vocal arrangements on tracks like ‘Scarborough Fair’. Even though the band could play Simon’s tunes forever, the road to making the song ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ was a disaster.
Looking to move away from the traditional way of making records, Simon wanted to incorporate different musical styles back into his sound, all while making his voice heard on more political material. Once Art Garfunkel came back from starring in the movie Catch-22, though, he thought that Simon’s new material wasn’t the direction he wanted to go in, leading to various disagreements over songs like ‘Cuba Si, Nixon No’, which would be nixed from the final mix of the album.
Even though the pair had disagreements, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ would become one of the greatest anthems of their career, with Garfunkel delivering a fantastic performance centred around Simon’s words of hope for the world. By the time the pair had decided to part ways, though, Simon was happy to have washed his hands of Simon and Garfunkel.
When talking about his work on the album, Simon admitted that he was glad to be out, later telling Marc Eliot, “At that point, I just wanted out.” Not having to cater to what Garfunkel wanted anymore, Simon’s first solo album would see him working with different styles to his heart’s content, all while bringing back his traditional songwriting flair on tracks like ‘Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard’.
Despite the bad blood that may have coated the album’s development, Simon still thought the title track had a specific power, unlike any other Simon and Garfunkel song. When asked about the piece years later, Simon almost regretted giving it to his singing partner, telling Rolling Stone, “He always thought I should have sung it. Many days, I’m sorry I didn’t do it.”
In July 1970, just after Bridge Over Troubled Water, they parted ways in a car park. “We were finished,” Simon said. “With Artie, there was no reason to talk about it.”
Did they ever reunite?
They reunited in 1993 for shows in New York, but criticism revived old wounds. One review claimed Garfunkel was just part of Simon’s supporting cast. Simon’s manager said: “If there had been a knife on the table, one of them would have used it.”
In 2010, a reunion tour was scrapped after Simon said Garfunkel’s voice had deteriorated. Garfunkel’s denial infuriated him. “I was tired of all the drama,” Simon said. “I didn’t feel I could trust him anymore.”
Garfunkel had the last word in 2018, telling The Telegraph he thought Simon was an “idiot” for breaking up the band. Whatever way you look at it, the story of Simon and Garfunkel is steeped in rivalry, ego, and lasting bitterness. Since 1970, every reunion has ended in fallout. And while their music remains timeless, their partnership serves as one of pop’s most poignant cautionary tales.
