{"id":12322,"date":"2025-12-17T15:56:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T15:56:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/?p=12322"},"modified":"2025-12-17T19:04:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T19:04:29","slug":"bridge-over-troubled-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/17\/bridge-over-troubled-water\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridge Over Troubled Water"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Farewell, Friend<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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On <\/span>Bridge Over Troubled Water<\/span><\/i>, Simon & Garfunkel teach listeners how to say goodbye.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Review by Charlotte McNamee<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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How\u00a0do you say goodbye to a lifelong friend?<\/p>

If you are Paul Simon, you compose some of the greatest music of your career and record it right alongside him.<\/p>

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel did not start their careers as accomplished musicians. They started as friends. Growing up blocks away from each other in Queens, the boys bonded in their preteen years over a shared love of music, making up for what they lacked in skill with relentless enthusiasm. Their earliest records ring with the bright sound of youthful optimism as they began to forge a creative partnership that would eventually become Simon & Garfunkel. Despite this promising beginning boasting the potential for a long and fruitful partnership, the duo parted ways after the conclusion of their fifth and final studio album, Bridge Over Troubled Water. <\/i>The album stands as a testament to the friendship-that-was\u2014anger, love, hope, and all.<\/p>

The music of this record rings with soulful camaraderie, but the experience of recording the album was far from friendly. While Paul Simon moved deeper into his music, Art Garfunkel had his sights set on Hollywood. Just a few years prior, the duo had found success composing the soundtrack for the now-iconic film The Graduate<\/i>. The film\u2019s director, Mike Nichols, offered both musicians parts in his upcoming film adaption of Joseph Heller\u2019s Catch-22<\/i>. Simon eventually dropped\u00a0from the film in order to focus on what would become the duo\u2019s final album while Garfunkel fully embraced this opportunity at the expense of the musical collaboration. Tensions were high during the recording of this album, as both felt stung by what they perceived as the other\u2019s lack of support for their new pursuits. Much of the strain on the production was the result of time spent apart as Paul Simon wrote and recorded much of the album while Art Garfunkel was away filming. This specific tension is explicitly captured in the somber tune of \u201cThe Only Living Boy in New York.\u201d While both continued to find great success in their respective endeavors, the bedrock of friendship that started them on their creative journey crumbled.<\/p>

This revelation may give modern listeners pause; even the tracks that most explicitly reference the breakup of the duo, which was by no means cordial behind the scenes, hold no vitriol. In our age of diss tracks, where one of the surest ways for a musician to find fast fame is often at the expense of another, it\u2019s hard to envision a musical landscape that could produce such tender sentimentality that honors and celebrates the good-that-once-was in a now-broken relationship. Perhaps whatever insight led to Paul Simon\u2019s continued success also gave him an intuitive understanding of the lasting legacy music can forge. This is evident in the way fans talk about the music of Simon & Garfunkel today; they revel in the honesty and pathos of the music that continues to reverberate through generations of listeners. They do not speak of the duo in terms of turmoil and creative differences. They speak of them as friends.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Bridge over Troubled Water<\/span><\/i> can and should challenge listeners to consider how we tell the stories of ourselves, others, and our relationships.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Simon, the sole songwriter out of the duo, writes a wistful ballad of farewell across the tracks of the record. His departing words carry the weight of dual meanings: he sings goodbye to both Art Garfunkel and their fans. Simon knows that this album is both the last of his creative partnership with Art Garfunkel and the end of the community of those who have listened to and supported the project, Simon & Garfunkel. While Simon will continue to pursue music with great success, he writes with the foresight and maturity to appreciate that it will never be the same. This sense is captured most poignantly in his closing song on the record, \u201cSong for the Asking\u201d:<\/p>

Here is my song for the asking \/ Ask me and I will play \/ So sweetly, I’ll make you smile \/ This is my tune for the taking \/ Take it, don’t turn away \/ I’ve been waiting all my life \/ Thinking it over, I’ve been sad \/ Thinking it over, I’d be more than glad \/ To change my ways for the asking \/ Ask me and I will play \/ All the love that I hold inside.<\/p>

In these lyrics, Simon shares with his listeners what music he has to offer and asks them to take it as a parting gift. This parting gift is filled with equal parts grief and joy, held together in love. The sentiment of this song is reflective of the tone of the whole album, woven together with strands of both sorrow and joy between each track. They dance back and forth between upbeat tunes, such as \u201cKeep the Customer Satisfied,\u201d and soft melodies, such as \u201cSo Long, Frank Lloyd Wright,\u201d simulating for listeners the momentum of a boat at sea or, in the spirit of endings, of a child being rocked to sleep.<\/p>

Bridge over Troubled Water<\/i> can and should challenge listeners to consider how we tell the stories of ourselves, others, and our relationships. We must take seriously the legacy of our creative output, whatever that may be, and how it can shape the narratives by which we ourselves and others are remembered. Simon & Garfunkel do not look backward with a false sense of sentimentality; there is an honest and sorrowful acknowledgment of brokenness, a real lament. However, this is held in tension with the real good that once was and, to some degree, persists. This tension is what resonates with listeners today and what I would dare call creative compassion.<\/p>

Rather than a sharp crash or a pitiful fadeout, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel part ways with a satisfying final bow rarely enjoyed in the music business. While fans are often tempted to judge the final musical product of an artist in extremes, either as their \u201cbest\u201d out of uncritical devotion or their \u201cworst\u201d from a place of bitter disappointment, fans of Simon & Garfunkel can confidently judge Bridge over Troubled Water<\/i> to be the duo\u2019s best work, joining in the conclusion of casual listeners and critics alike.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Charlotte McNamee<\/b> is a current graduate student at Boston College pursuing a Master\u2019s degree in Theological Studies. She holds a Bachelor\u2019s degree from Gordon College in Historical Theology and is passionate about engaging vibrant faith conversations inside and outside of the academy.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Bridge Over Troubled Water<\/b> was released on January 26th, 1970, by Columbia Records<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon & Garfunkel teach listeners how to say goodbye. Review by Charlotte McNamee<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":69,"featured_media":12325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsletter","entry","has-media"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1765983850.jpg?fit=1500%2C1372&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/69"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12322"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12643,"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12322\/revisions\/12643"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12322"}],"wp:term":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