Bridge over Troubled Water
Encyclopedia
Bridge Over Troubled Water is the fifth and final studio album
by Simon & Garfunkel. Released on January 26, 1970 on both Quadraphonic
and Stereo
formats, it reached No. 1 on Billboard Music Charts pop albums list. It won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year
, as well as for Best Engineered Recording
, while its title track
won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year
and Song of the Year
in the Grammy Awards of 1971
. It has since sold over 25 million copies worldwide.
The album attained a great success in the United Kingdom
, enjoying several runs at number one, spending some years in the charts and eventually becoming the country's biggest-selling album of 1970 and 1971. In August 2006, the continued popularity of the album was proven when it charted 7th place in The BBC Radio 2
Music Club Top 100 Albums. In 2003, it was ranked at #51 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. The album won Best International Album at the first Brit Awards
in 1977.
CD2 - Live 1969
DVD
in Oxford, Ohio
, while the demo recording of "Feuilles-O" was later released on the Old Friends and The Columbia Studio Recordings (1964–1970) box sets.
A remastered and expanded version of the album was released on CD in 2001, also containing "Feuilles-O" and a previously unreleased demo version of "Bridge over Troubled Water".
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Simon & Garfunkel. Released on January 26, 1970 on both Quadraphonic
Quadraphonic
Quadraphonic sound – the most widely used early term for what is now called 4.0 surround sound – uses four channels in which speakers are positioned at the four corners of the listening space, reproducing signals that are independent of one another...
and Stereo
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
formats, it reached No. 1 on Billboard Music Charts pop albums list. It won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
, as well as for Best Engineered Recording
Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
The Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical has been awarded since 1959. The award had several minor name changes:*In 1959 the award was known as Best Engineered Record - Non-Classical...
, while its title track
Bridge over Troubled Water (song)
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" is the title song of Simon & Garfunkel's album of the same name. The single was released on January 26, 1970, though it also appears on the live album Live 1969, released in 2008. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 28, 1970, and stayed at...
won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
and Song of the Year
Grammy Award for Song of the Year
The Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 and unlike the Record of the Year award, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year...
in the Grammy Awards of 1971
Grammy Awards of 1971
The 13th Grammy Awards were held on 16 March 1971, and was the first time the ceremonies were broadcast on television by ABC. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1970...
. It has since sold over 25 million copies worldwide.
The album attained a great success in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, enjoying several runs at number one, spending some years in the charts and eventually becoming the country's biggest-selling album of 1970 and 1971. In August 2006, the continued popularity of the album was proven when it charted 7th place in The BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
Music Club Top 100 Albums. In 2003, it was ranked at #51 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. The album won Best International Album at the first Brit Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
in 1977.
Side 1
- "Bridge Over Troubled WaterBridge over Troubled Water (song)"Bridge Over Troubled Water" is the title song of Simon & Garfunkel's album of the same name. The single was released on January 26, 1970, though it also appears on the live album Live 1969, released in 2008. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 28, 1970, and stayed at...
" – 4:52 - "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)El Cóndor Pasa (song)El Cóndor Pasa is a song from the zarzuela El Cóndor Pasa by the Peruvian composer Daniel Alomía Robles, written in 1913 and based on traditional Andean folk tunes....
" (Daniel Alomía RoblesDaniel Alomía RoblesDaniel Alomía Robles was a Peruvian composer and ethnomusicologist. He is best known for composing the song El Cóndor Pasa in 1913 as part of a zarzuela, a musical play that alternates between spoken and sung parts, by the same name...
, English lyrics by Paul Simon, arranged by Jorge Milchberg) – 3:06 - "CeciliaCecilia (song)"Cecilia" is a song written by US musician Paul Simon. It was first recorded by Simon and Garfunkel for their 1970 album Bridge Over Troubled Water. When released as a single, it reached #4 in the US charts...
" – 2:55 - "Keep the Customer Satisfied" – 2:33
- "So Long, Frank Lloyd WrightSo Long, Frank Lloyd Wright"So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" is a song written by Paul Simon that was originally released on Simon & Garfunkel's 1970 album Bridge Over Troubled Water. It has since been released on several Simon & Garfunkel compilation albums. It has also been recorded by the London Pops Orchestra and Joe...
" – 3:41
Side 2
- "The BoxerThe Boxer"The Boxer" is a folk rock ballad written by Paul Simon in 1968 and first recorded by Simon & Garfunkel. It was released as the follow-up single to their number one hit "Mrs. Robinson", and reached #7 in the US charts. It later appeared on their last studio album, Bridge Over Troubled Water, along...
" – 5:08 - "Baby Driver" – 3:14
- "The Only Living Boy in New YorkThe Only Living Boy In New York"The Only Living Boy in New York" is a song written by Paul Simon and performed by Simon and Garfunkel. It is the eighth track from the American pop duo's fifth and final studio album, Bridge Over Troubled Water...
" – 3:58 - "Why Don't You Write Me" – 2:45
- "Bye Bye Love" (Felice and Boudleaux BryantFelice and Boudleaux BryantFelice Bryant and Boudleaux Bryant were an American husband-and-wife country music and pop songwriting team best known for songs such as "Rocky Top," "Love Hurts" and numerous Everly Brothers hits, including "All I Have to Do Is Dream" and "Bye Bye Love".-Beginnings:Boudleaux was born Diadorius...
) (live recording from Ames, IowaAmes, IowaAmes is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...
) – 2:55 - "Song for the Asking" – 1:39
Bonus tracks (2001 CD reissue)
- "Feuilles-O" [Demo] (Traditional) – 1:45
- "Bridge over Troubled Water" [Demo Take 6] – 4:46
40th Anniversary Edition
CD1 - as per original albumCD2 - Live 1969
- Homeward Bound
- At The Zoo
- The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)
- Song For The Asking
- For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her
- Scarborough Fair / Canticle
- Mrs. Robinson (from the motion picture The GraduateThe GraduateThe Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay was by Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk, and Calder...
) - The Boxer
- Why Don't You Write Me
- So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright
- That Silver-Haired Daddy Of Mine
- Bridge Over Troubled Water
- The Sound Of Silence
- I Am A Rock
- Old Friends / Bookends Theme
- Leaves That Are Green
- Kathy's Song
DVD
- Songs Of America - Originally aired on CBS, and unavailable since its 1969 broadcast, this TV special is composed of footage of the 1969 tour, intimate backstage conversations, historic news footage and more. (running time approx 52min 37sec)
- The Harmony Game - brand new documentary about the making of Bridge Over Troubled Water, featuring new 2010 interviews with Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Roy Halee and more key principals involved with the making of the album. (running time approx 1hr 10min 54 sec)
Outtakes
The songs "Cuba Si, Nixon No", "Groundhog", and the demo "Feuilles-O" (later Garfunkel released "Feuilles-Oh/Do Space Men Pass Dead Souls on Their Way to the Moon?" as the flip to his "I Shall Sing") were recorded during sessions but not released on the album. "Cuba Si, Nixon No" was later released on a bootleg copy of a November 11, 1969 concert by Simon and Garfunkel at Miami UniversityMiami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
in Oxford, Ohio
Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States, in the southwestern portion of the state. It lies in Oxford Township, originally called the College Township. The population was 21,943 at the 2000 census. This college town was founded as a home for Miami University. Oxford...
, while the demo recording of "Feuilles-O" was later released on the Old Friends and The Columbia Studio Recordings (1964–1970) box sets.
A remastered and expanded version of the album was released on CD in 2001, also containing "Feuilles-O" and a previously unreleased demo version of "Bridge over Troubled Water".
Personnel
- Paul SimonPaul SimonPaul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
– lead vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Art GarfunkelArt GarfunkelArthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and actor, best known as being a member of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel...
– lead vocals - Los IncasLos IncasLos Incas is a group known for Andean music. They are best known in North America for accompanying Simon and Garfunkel on the song "El Condor Pasa " included on the duo's fifth album, Bridge Over Troubled Water...
– Peruvian instrumentsMusic of PeruThe music of Peru is an amalgamation of sounds and styles drawing on Peru's Andean musical roots and Spanish musical influences.Native Peruvian music is dominated by the national instrument, the charango. The charango is a type of mandolin, and was invented in the Viceroyalty of Peru by musicians... - Joe OsbornJoe OsbornJoe Osborn is an American bass guitar virtuoso, notable for his work as a session musician in Los Angeles and Nashville during the period from the 1960s through the 1980s. Osborn's work is widely admired by fellow musicians.Osborn began his career working in local clubs, then played on a hit...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Larry KnechtelLarry KnechtelLawrence William "Larry" Knechtel was an American keyboard player and bassist, best known for his work as a session musician with such artists as Simon & Garfunkel, Duane Eddy, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & the Papas, The Partridge Family, The Doors, and Elvis Presley, and as a member of the 1970s...
– pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Fred Carter, Jr.Fred Carter, Jr.Fred Carter, Jr. was an American guitarist, singer, producer and composer.- Early career :Carter was raised in the delta country in Winnsboro, the seat of Franklin Parish in northeastern Louisiana. Carter grew up with the heavy musical influences of jazz, country & western, hymns, and blues...
– guitar - Hal BlaineHal BlaineHal Blaine is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, John Denver, the Ronettes, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, and...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Pete DrakePete DrakePete Drake , born Roddis Franklin Drake, was a major Nashville, Tennessee-based record producer and pedal steel guitar player....
– Steel guitarSteel guitarSteel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
, DobroDobroDobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar... - Jimmie HaskellJimmie HaskellJimmie Haskell born Sheridan Pearlman 1936 in Brooklyn, New York is a prolific American composer and arranger for a variety of popular singers and motion pictures.-Biography:...
and Ernie FreemanErnie FreemanErnie Freeman was an American pianist, organist and arranger.In 1935 he began playing in local Cleveland area nightclubs, and also formed a classical music trio for local social functions with his father and his sister Evelyn...
– strings - Bryan Beck – fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
s, horn sectionHorn sectionIn music, a horn section can refer to several groups of musicians. It can refer to the musicians in a symphony orchestra who play the horn . In a British-style brass band it refers to the tenor horn players. In popular music, it can also refer to a small group of wind instrumentalists who augment a...
Awards and ratings
In the 1971 Grammy Awards' ceremony the album (and its contents) won six Grammys:- Record of the Year – "Bridge over Troubled Water" (relates to one track)
- Album of the Year – Bridge over Troubled Water (relates to the whole album)
- Best Contemporary Pop Song – "Bridge over Troubled Water"
- Song of the Year – "Bridge over Troubled Water"
- Best Engineered Recording (Non-Classical) – Bridge over Troubled Water
- Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) – "Bridge over Troubled Water"
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Australian Kent Music Report Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998... Albums Chart |
1 (15 weeks) |
| 2011 | Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) | 43 |
| 2011 | Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) | 33 |
| 1970 | Chile Albums Chart | 1 (20 weeks) |
| 1970 | Finland Albums Chart | 1 |
| 1970 | France Albums Chart | 1 (2 weeks) |
| 1970 | Germany Albums Chart | 1 (17 weeks) |
| 2000 | Irish Albums Chart | 41 |
| 1970 | Italian Albums Chart | 4 |
| 1970 | Japan Albums Chart | 1 |
| 1970 | The Netherlands Albums Chart | 1 (17 weeks) |
| 1970 | Norway Albums Chart | 1 (14 weeks) |
| 1970 | Spain Albums Chart | 1 (20 weeks) |
| 1970 | United Kingdom Albums Chart | 1 (33 weeks) |
| 1970 | US Billboard Pop Albums (Billboard 200) | 1 (10 weeks) |
Singles
Billboard Music Charts (North America) — singles| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | "The Boxer" | Pop Singles | 7 |
| 1969 | "The Boxer" | Adult Contemporary | 3 |
| 1970 | "Bridge over Troubled Water" | Pop Singles | 1 |
| 1970 | "Bridge over Troubled Water" | Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| 1970 | "Cecilia" | Pop Singles | 4 |
| 1970 | "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" | Pop Singles | 18 |
| 1970 | "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" | Adult Contemporary | 6 |
See also
- List of best-selling albums worldwide
- Top best-selling albums by UK Chart