The two songs Paul Simon wrote about Art Garfunkel
Paul Simon experienced significant success and acclaim in the early stages of his career, especially through his partnership with Art Garfunkel in the duo Simon and Garfunkel. Their music was renowned for its poetic lyrics and captivating melodies, garnering them widespread acclaim and affection.
Similarly to many artists, however, the duo encountered obstacles and setbacks throughout their career, reminding us that even the most esteemed figures in music must navigate the intricacies of fame and creative growth. According to their manager, Mort Lewis, the two grew jealous of each others’ position, Simon finding it difficult not to become irritated by Garfunkel’s popularity.
Things officially turned sour when Garfunkel decided to make the movie Carnal Knowledge, which didn’t sit right with Simon, who said: “He later told me he didn’t see why it was such a big deal to me – he would make the movie for six months, and I could write the songs for the next album. I thought, ‘Fuck you, I’m not going to do that’. I think if Artie had become a big movie star, he would have left. And this made me think about how I could still be the guy who wrote songs and sing them.”
In fact, when Garfunkel left to film Catch-22 in Mexico, Simon conveyed his frustration in ‘The Only Living Boy In New York’, where he referenced their former nickname, Tom and Jerry and implied Garfunkel was eager to break free from the shackles of his partnership with Simon.
Garfunkel addressed the track during a screening of Songs of America, saying: “I had Paul sort of waiting: ‘All right, I can take this for three months. I’ll write the songs, but what’s the fourth month? And why is Artie in Rome a fifth month? What’s Mike [Nichols] doing to Simon & Garfunkel?’ And so there’s Paul in the third month, still with a lot of heart, writing about, ‘I’m the only living boy in [New York]. You used to be the other one.”
Although not explicitly about Garfunkel, many also allege that ‘So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright’ was written by Simon to address his farewell to Garfunkel, especially considering the fact that Bridge Over Troubled Water was their last album together. Many of the lyrics on the track also seem like a profound goodbye between two friends.
During an interview with Mojo, Simon said: “Singing that on ‘So Long Frank Lloyd Wright’ kind of fitted because Artie had been an architecture student. But I guess the bigger picture was that him flying down to Mexico was a disappointment I was trying to block out. […] Artie went to Mexico, and that was the main reason [we] broke up. But I think we would have broken up anyway. All duos do. It’s just too hard. When one person does all the writing, the stress is very difficult to manage.”
