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{{short description|American folk music duo}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Simon & Garfunkel
| image             = SimonandGarfunkel.jpg
| landscape         = Yes
| caption           = Art Garfunkel (left) and Paul Simon performing in [[Dublin]], 1982
| alias             = Tom & Jerry (1956–1958)
| origin            = [[Forest Hills, Queens]], New York City, U.S.
| genre             = [[Folk rock]]
| discography       = [[Simon & Garfunkel discography]]
| years_active      = {{hlist|1956–1958|1963–1970|1972|1975–1977|1981–1984|1990|1993|2003–2005|2007–2010}}
| label             = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| website           = {{URL|simonandgarfunkel.com}}
| past_members      = [[Paul Simon]]<br>[[Art Garfunkel]]
}}

'''Simon & Garfunkel''' were an American [[folk rock]] duo comprising the singer-songwriter [[Paul Simon]] and the singer [[Art Garfunkel]]. They were one of the best-selling musical acts of the 1960s. Their most famous recordings include three U.S. number-one singles—"[[The Sound of Silence]]" and the two [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record of the Year]] [[Grammy Awards|Grammy]] winners "[[Mrs. Robinson]]" and "[[Bridge over Troubled Water (song)|Bridge over Troubled Water]]"—as well as "[[Homeward Bound (Simon & Garfunkel song)|Homeward Bound]]", "[[I Am a Rock]]", "[[Scarborough Fair/Canticle]]", "[[A Hazy Shade of Winter]]", "[[America (Simon & Garfunkel song)|America]]", "[[The Boxer]]" and "[[Cecilia (Simon & Garfunkel song)|Cecilia]]".

Simon and Garfunkel met in elementary school in [[Queens]], New York City, in 1953, where they learned to [[harmonize]] and Simon began writing songs. As teenagers, under the name Tom & Jerry, they had minor success with "Hey Schoolgirl" (1957), a song imitating their idols, the [[Everly Brothers]]. In 1963, they regrouped and were signed to [[Columbia Records]] as Simon & Garfunkel. Their debut album, ''[[Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.]]'' (1964), sold poorly; Simon returned to a solo career, this time in England, while Garfunkel resumed his studies at [[Columbia University]]. In 1965, a remixed version of "The Sound of Silence", became a US [[AM radio]] hit, reaching number one on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. They released their second album, ''[[Sounds of Silence]]'', in 1966, and toured colleges nationwide. They assumed more creative control on their third album, ''[[Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme]]'', released in 1966. Their music featured prominently in [[Mike Nichols]]'s 1967 film ''[[The Graduate]]'', and in 1968 the [[The Graduate (soundtrack)|soundtrack album]] and the duo's fourth album, ''[[Bookends (album)|Bookends]],'' featuring the hit version of "Mrs. Robinson", alternated at number one on the [[List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 1968|''Billboard'' Top 200]].

Simon and Garfunkel had a troubled relationship, leading to artistic disagreements and their breakup in 1970. Their final studio album, ''[[Bridge over Troubled Water]]'', released that January, became [[List of best-selling albums|one of the world's best-selling albums]]. Following their split, Simon had a successful solo career, releasing albums including the acclaimed ''[[Graceland (album)|Graceland]]'' (1986).<ref name = "PBS">{{cite web | title = Episodes: Paul Simon | work = American Masters | date = February 26, 2001 | publisher = [[PBS]] | url = http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/paul-simon-about-paul-simon/705/ | access-date = December 6, 2009}}</ref> Garfunkel released successful singles such as "[[All I Know]]" (1973) and "[[I Only Have Eyes for You]]" (1975) and "[[Bright Eyes (Art Garfunkel song)|Bright Eyes]]" ([[1979 in British music|Britain's top single of 1979]]), and pursued acting, with leading roles in the Mike Nichols films ''[[Catch-22 (film)|Catch-22]]'' (1970) and ''[[Carnal Knowledge (film)|Carnal Knowledge]]'' (1971) and in [[Nicolas Roeg]]'s ''[[Bad Timing]]'' (1980). The duo have reunited several times; their 1981 [[concert in Central Park]] may have attracted more than 500,000 people, one of the [[List of most-attended concerts|largest concert attendances in history]].<ref>{{cite web | url= http://read.mtvhive.com/2011/09/19/hive-five-big-concerts-with-big-draws/ | author= Rebecca Raber | title= Hive Five: Big Concerts With Big Draws | work= MTV | date= September 19, 2011 | access-date= April 3, 2015 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110924181131/http://read.mtvhive.com/2011/09/19/hive-five-big-concerts-with-big-draws/ | archive-date= September 24, 2011 | df= mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="NYT072308">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/nyregion/23about.html |title=Great Lawn: A Bubble of History Bursts |author=Dwyer, Jim |work=[[New York Times]] |date=July 23, 2008}}</ref>

Simon & Garfunkel won seven [[Grammy Awards]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Simon And Garfunkel |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/simon-and-garfunkel/8388 |website=Grammy |publisher=grammy.com |access-date=November 4, 2022}}</ref>—plus four [[Grammy Hall of Fame|Grammy Hall of Fame Awards]]—and in 1990 were inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.brits.co.uk/history/shows/1977 |title=The BRITs 1977 |date=October 18, 1977 |access-date=July 16, 2012}}</ref> [[Richie Unterberger]] described them as "the most successful folk-rock duo of the 1960s" and one of the most popular artists from the decade.<ref name="AM" /> They are among the [[List of best-selling music artists|best-selling music artists]], having sold more than 100 million records.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.kidderminstershuttle.co.uk/news/10081485.The_singer_with_Art/|title=The singer with Art|work=[[The Shuttle (newspaper)|The Shuttle]] |date=December 1, 2012|access-date=February 26, 2018}}</ref> They were ranked 40th on ''[[Rolling Stone]]'s'' 2010 list of the [[Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time|Greatest Artists of All Time]]<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-artists-147446/simon-and-garfunkel-2-89998/|title=Simon & Garfunkel ranked 40th greatest artist|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=December 3, 2010|access-date=August 26, 2021}}</ref> and third on its list of the greatest duos.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=December 17, 2015|title=20 Greatest Duos of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/20-greatest-duos-of-all-time-16272/3-simon-garfunkel-239705/|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=September 6, 2020}}</ref>

==History==
===1953–1956: Early years===
[[Paul Simon]] and [[Art Garfunkel]] grew up in the 1940s and 1950s in the predominantly Jewish neighborhood of [[Kew Gardens Hills]] in [[Queens, New York]], three blocks away from one another. They attended the same schools: Public School 164 in Kew Gardens Hills, Parsons Junior High School, and [[Forest Hills High School (New York)|Forest Hills High School]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b5UiKlrlAwEC&pg=PA119|page=119|title=The Neighborhoods of Queens|author=Claudia Gryvatz Copquin|publisher=Yale University Press|date= 2007|isbn=978-0300112993}}</ref><ref name="Brown">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n1-dDFQj3gwC&pg=PT41|page=31|title=Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Bittersweet Story Of 1970|author=David Browne|publisher=Da Capo Press|date= 2012|isbn=9780306822131}}</ref> They were both fascinated by music; both listened to the radio and were taken with [[rock and roll]] as it emerged, particularly the [[Everly Brothers]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3xrGR7hYesYC&pg=PT27|pages=16–18|title=Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends|author=Pete Fornatale|publisher=Rodale|date= October 30, 2007 |isbn=9781594864278}}</ref> Simon first noticed Garfunkel when Garfunkel was singing in a fourth-grade talent show, which Simon thought was a good way to attract girls. They became friends in 1953, when they appeared in a sixth grade adaptation of ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]''.<ref name="Brown" /><ref name="Pete Fornatale 19">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3xrGR7hYesYC&pg=PT30|page=19|title=Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends|author=Pete Fornatale|publisher=Rodale|date= October 30, 2007 |isbn=9781594864278}}</ref> They formed a streetcorner [[doo-wop]] group, the Peptones, with three friends, and learned to [[Vocal harmony|harmonize]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hfMwjQAO3eQC&pg=PT189|page=189|title=Long Ago And Far Away: James Taylor – His Life And Music|author=Timothy White|publisher=Omnibus Press|date= 2009|isbn=9780857120069}}</ref><ref name="rs">Serpick, Evan (2001). ''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll''. New York: [[Simon & Schuster]], 1136 pp. First edition, 2001.</ref> They began performing as a duo at school dances.<ref name="WP"/>

Simon and Garfunkel later attended Forest Hills High School,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/18 18]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> where in 1956 they wrote their first song, "The Girl for Me"; Simon's father sent a handwritten copy to the [[Library of Congress]] to register a copyright.<ref name="WP">{{cite news|author=Richard Harrington|title=Paul Simon, The Sound Of America|date=May 18, 2007|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/17/AR2007051700717.html|access-date=September 20, 2014}}</ref> While trying to remember the lyrics to the Everly Brothers song "Hey Doll Baby",<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Runtagh |first1=Jordan |title=30 Fascinating Early Bands of Future Music Legends |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/30-fascinating-early-bands-of-future-music-legends-200891/simon-garfunkels-teen-harmony-duo-tom-jerry-200932/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=September 3, 2023 |date=September 7, 2019}}</ref> they wrote "Hey, Schoolgirl", which they recorded for $25 at Sanders Recording Studio in Manhattan.<ref name="Browne32">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n1-dDFQj3gwC&pg=PT42|page=32|title=Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Bittersweet Story Of 1970|author=David Browne|publisher=Da Capo Press|date= 2012|isbn=9780306822131}}</ref> While recording they were overheard by promoter Sid Prosen, who signed them to his independent label Big Records after speaking to their parents. They were both 15.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/21 21]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref>

===1957–1964: Tom & Jerry and early recordings{{anchor|Tom & Jerry}}===
[[File:TomAndJerry-One-front.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|1957 publicity photo of Simon & Garfunkel as Tom & Jerry]]
Under Big Records, Simon and Garfunkel assumed the name Tom & Jerry; Garfunkel named himself Tom Graph, a reference to his interest in [[mathematics]], and Simon Jerry Landis, after the surname of a girl he had dated. Their first single, "Hey, Schoolgirl", was released with the B-side "Dancin' Wild" in 1957.<ref name="Pete Fornatale 19"/><ref name="Forn20">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3xrGR7hYesYC&pg=PT31|page=20|title=Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends|author=Pete Fornatale|publisher=Rodale|date= October 30, 2007 |isbn=9781594864278}}</ref> Prosen, using the [[payola]] system, bribed DJ [[Alan Freed]] $200 to play the single on his radio show, where it became a nightly staple.<ref name="page22">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/22 22]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> "Hey, Schoolgirl" attracted regular rotation on nationwide [[AM broadcasting|AM]] pop stations, leading it to sell more than 100,000 copies and to land on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''{{'s}} charts at number 49 and number 45 in [[CHUM Chart|Canada]].<ref name="page22" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://chumtribute.com/57-12-30-chart.jpg| title=CHUM Hit Parade - December 30, 1957}}</ref> Prosen promoted the group heavily, getting them a headlining spot on [[Dick Clark]]'s ''[[American Bandstand]]'' alongside [[Jerry Lee Lewis]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/23 23]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> Simon and Garfunkel shared approximately $4,000 from the song—earning two percent each from royalties, the rest staying with Prosen.<ref name="page24">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/24 24]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> They released two more singles on Big Records ("Our Song" and "That's My Story") neither of them successful.<ref name="Browne32" /><ref name="Rockabilly">{{cite web|url=http://www.rockabilly.nl/artists/simongarfunkel.htm |title=Tom & Jerry meet Tico & The Triumphs Early Simon & Garfunkel |author=Dee Jay Jamboree|publisher=rockabilly.nl}}</ref><ref name="Davis">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z2IBSoKMsgQC&pg=PA1930|page=13|title=Every Chart Topper Tells a Story: The Seventies|author=Sharon Davis|publisher=Random House|date= January 6, 2012|isbn=9781780574103}}</ref>

After graduating from Forest Hills High School in 1958,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bertrand|first1=Donald|title=For boro, such a trail Jewish heritage map to be light & serious|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/boroughs/boro-trail-jewish-heritage-map-light-serious-article-1.489603|access-date=August 17, 2016|work=NY Daily News|date=May 26, 2002}}</ref> the pair continued their education should a music career not unfold. Simon studied English at [[Queens College, City University of New York]], and Garfunkel studied architecture before switching to art history at [[Columbia College, Columbia University]].<ref name="Forn20" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artgarfunkel.com/bio.html|title=Art Garfunkel Biography|work=artgarfunkel.com|access-date=April 30, 2015|archive-date=April 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423055851/http://www.artgarfunkel.com/bio.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Columbia">{{cite web|url=http://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/art_garfunkel.html|title=C250 Celebrates Columbians Ahead of Their Time: Arthur Ira Garfunkel|date=2004|author=Columbia University}}</ref> While still with Big Records as a duo, Simon released a solo single, "True or False", under the name "True Taylor".<ref name="page24" /> This upset Garfunkel, who regarded it as a betrayal; the emotional tension from the incident occasionally surfaced throughout their relationship.<ref name="Forn22">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3xrGR7hYesYC&pg=PT33|page=22|title=Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends|author=Pete Fornatale|publisher=Rodale|date= October 30, 2007 |isbn=9781594864278}}</ref>

Simon and Garfunkel continued recording as solo artists: Garfunkel composed and recorded "Private World" for Octavia Records, and—under the name Artie Garr—"Beat Love" for Warwick Records; Simon recorded with [[the Mystics]] and Tico and the Triumphs, and wrote and recorded under the names Jerry Landis and Paul Kane.<ref name="Rockabilly" /><ref name="Forn22" /><ref name="Davis14">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z2IBSoKMsgQC&pg=PA1931|page=14|title=Every Chart Topper Tells a Story: The Seventies|author=Sharon Davis|publisher=Random House|date= January 6, 2012|isbn=9781780574103}}</ref> Simon also wrote and performed demos for other artists, working for a while with [[Carole King]] and [[Gerry Goffin]].<ref name="Rockabilly" /><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ShBhKL-9SLIC&pg=PA1|page=1|title=The Words and Music of Paul Simon|author=James Bennighof|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|date= 2007|isbn=9780275991630}}</ref>

After graduating in 1963, Simon joined Garfunkel, who was still at Columbia University, to perform again as a duo, this time with a shared interest in [[folk music]].<ref name="page26">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/26 26]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref><ref name="Davis14" /> Simon enrolled part-time in [[Brooklyn Law School]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/32 32]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> By late 1963, billing themselves as Kane & Garr, they performed at [[Gerde's Folk City]], a [[Greenwich Village]] club that hosted Monday night [[open mic]] performances.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/39 39]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> They performed three new songs—"Sparrow", "He Was My Brother", and "[[The Sound of Silence]]"—and attracted the attention of [[Columbia Records]] staffer [[Tom Wilson (producer)|Tom Wilson]], a prominent A&R man and producer (who would later become a key architect of [[Bob Dylan]]'s transition from folk to rock).<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/the-greatest-music-producer-youve-never-heard-of-is/|title=The Greatest Music Producer You've Never Heard of Is...|author=Michael Hall|magazine=Texas Monthly|date=January 6, 2014|access-date=May 17, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|pages=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/39 39]–40|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> As a "star producer" for the label, he wanted to record "He Was My Brother" with a new British act, the Pilgrims.<ref name="page42">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/42 42]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> Simon convinced Wilson to let him and Garfunkel audition in the studio, where they performed "The Sound of Silence". At Wilson's urging, Columbia signed them.<ref name="page42" />

Simon & Garfunkel's debut studio album, ''[[Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.]]'', produced by Wilson, was recorded over three sessions in March 1964 and released in October.<ref name="Eliot43">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/43 43]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> It contains five songs by Simon, three traditional folk songs, and four originals.<ref name="Eliot43" /> Simon was adamant that they would no longer use stage names.<ref name="Eliot45">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/45 45]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> Columbia set up a promotional showcase at Folk City on March 31, 1964, the duo's first public concert as Simon & Garfunkel.<ref name="Eliot45" />

===1964–1965: Simon in England; Garfunkel in college===
''Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.'' sold only 3,000 copies on release. Simon moved to England,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/53 53]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> where he toured small folk clubs and befriended folk artists such as [[Bert Jansch]], [[Martin Carthy]], [[Al Stewart]], and [[Sandy Denny]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1N87hqo7XlcC&pg=RA2-PT105|pages=105–106|title=Dazzling Stranger: Bert Jansch and the British Folk and Blues Revival|author=Colin Harper|publisher=A&C Black|date= April 2, 2012|isbn=9781408831021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hfMwjQAO3eQC&pg=PT193|page=193|title=Long Ago And Far Away: James Taylor – His Life And Music|author=Timothy White|publisher=Omnibus Press|date= October 28, 2009|isbn=9780857120069}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/48 48]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> He also met Kathy Chitty, who became the object of his affection and is the Kathy in "Kathy's Song" and "[[America (Simon & Garfunkel song)|America]]".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hngcBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA72|page=72| title=Jackson C. Frank: The Clear, Hard Light of Genius|author=Jim Abbott|publisher=Ba Da Bing Records|date= November 11, 2014|isbn=9780990916413}}</ref>

A small music publishing company, Lorna Music, licensed "Carlos Dominguez", a single Simon had recorded two years prior as Paul Kane, for a new recording by [[Val Doonican]] that sold well.<ref name="Eliot54">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/54 54]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> Simon visited Lorna to thank them, and the meeting resulted in a publishing and recording contract. He signed to the [[Oriole Records (UK)|Oriole]] label and released "He Was My Brother" as a single.<ref name="Eliot54" /> Simon invited Garfunkel to stay for the summer of 1964.<ref name="Eliot54" />

Near the end of the season, Garfunkel returned to Columbia for class.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/55 55]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> Simon also returned to the US, and resumed his studies at Brooklyn Law School for one semester, partially at his parents' insistence. He returned to England in January 1965, now certain that music was his calling.<ref name="Eliot56">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/56 56]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> In the meantime, his landlady, Judith Piepe, had compiled a tape from his work at Lorna and sent it to the [[BBC]] in hopes they would play it.<ref name="Eliot56" /> The demos aired on the ''Five to Ten'' morning show, and were instantly successful. Oriole had folded into [[Sony Music Entertainment|CBS]] by that point, and hoped to record a new Simon album.<ref name="Eliot57">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/57 57]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref>

Simon recorded his first solo album, ''[[The Paul Simon Songbook]],'' in June 1965, featuring future Simon & Garfunkel staples including "[[I Am a Rock]]" and "[[April Come She Will]]". CBS flew Wilson over to produce the record, and he stayed at Simon's flat.<ref name="Eliot57" /> The album was released in August; although sales were poor, Simon felt content with his future in England.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/59 59]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> Garfunkel graduated in 1965, returning to Columbia University to pursue a master's degree in mathematics.<ref name="Columbia" /><ref name="page37">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/37 37]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref>

===1965–1966: Mainstream breakthrough and success===
[[File:Simon & Garfunkel - Cash Box 1966.png|thumb|Simon & Garfunkel on the cover of ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'', January 22, 1966]]

In the United States, Dick Summer, a late-night DJ at [[WBZ (AM)|WBZ]] in Boston, played "The Sound of Silence"; it became popular with a college audience.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/64 64]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> It was picked up the next day along the [[East Coast of the United States]]. When Wilson heard about this new wave of interest, he took inspiration from the success of the folk-rock hybrid that he had created with Dylan in "[[Like a Rolling Stone]]" and crafted a rock remix of "Sound of Silence" using studio musicians.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gaslightrecords.com/articles/tom-wilson-the-mid-wife-of-the-folk-rock-movement|title=Tom Wilson: The Mid-Wife of the Folk Rock Movement|author=Roland Ellis|publisher=Gaslight Records|date=November 30, 2015|access-date=May 17, 2019}}</ref> The remix was issued in September 1965, and it eventually reached the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].<ref name="Eliot65">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/65 65]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> Wilson did not inform the duo of his plan, and Simon was "horrified" when he first heard it.<ref name="Eliot65" />

By January 1966, "The Sound of Silence" had topped the Hot 100, selling more than one million copies.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/66 66]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> Simon reunited with Garfunkel in New York, leaving Chitty and his friends in England behind. CBS demanded a new album to be called ''[[Sounds of Silence]]'' to ride the wave of the hit.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/67 67]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> Recorded in three weeks and consisting of rerecorded songs from ''The Paul Simon Songbook'' plus four new tracks, ''Sounds of Silence'' was rush-released in mid-January 1966, peaking at number 21 [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Top LPs]] chart.<ref name="Eliot69">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/69 69]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> A week later, "[[Homeward Bound (Simon & Garfunkel song)|Homeward Bound]]" was released as a single, entering the USA top ten, followed by "I Am a Rock" peaking at number three.<ref name="Eliot69" /> The duo supported the recordings with a nationwide tour of the US including a performance during the first Spring Weekend of the [[University of Massachusetts Boston]] where the duo was the headline act.<ref>{{cite book|last=Feldberg|first=Michael|title=UMass Boston at 50: A Fiftieth-Anniversary History of the University of Massachusetts Boston|publisher=[[University of Massachusetts Press]]|place=[[Amherst, MA]]|year=2015|page=26|isbn=978-1625341693}}</ref> CBS continued its promotion by re-releasing ''Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.'', which charted at number 30.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/70 70]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> Despite the success, the duo was derided by some critics as a manufactured imitation of folk music.<ref name="Eliot69" />

[[File:Simon & Garfunkel 919-3036.jpg|thumb|left|Garfunkel & Simon at [[Schiphol Airport]], [[the Netherlands]], in 1966]]

Since they considered ''The Sounds of Silence'' a "rush job" to capitalize on their sudden success, Simon & Garfunkel spent more time crafting the follow-up. For the first time, Simon insisted on total control in aspects of recording.<ref name="1001die">Dimery, Robert (ed.) (2005). ''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]''. Milan, Italy: [[Universe Publishing]], p. 94. First edition, 2005.</ref> Work began in 1966 and took nine months.<ref name="Forn57">{{cite book |last=Fornatale |first=Pete |title=Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3xrGR7hYesYC&pg=PT68 |publisher=Rodale |date= October 30, 2007 |page=57 |isbn=9781594864278}}</ref> Garfunkel considered the recording of "[[Scarborough Fair (ballad)|Scarborough Fair]]" to be the point at which they stepped into the role of producer, as they were constantly beside [[Recording engineer|engineer]] [[Roy Halee]] mixing.<ref name="Forn57" /> ''[[Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme]]'' was issued in October 1966, following the release of several singles and sold-out college campus shows.<ref>{{cite book |last=Eliot |first=Marc |title=Paul Simon: A Life |url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |date=2010 |page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/73 73] |isbn=978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> The duo resumed their college circuit tour eleven days later, crafting an image that was described as "alienated", "weird", and "poetic".<ref name="Marc Eliot 2010 72">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/72 72]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> Manager Mort Lewis also was responsible for this public perception, as he withheld them from television appearances unless they were allowed to play an uninterrupted set or choose the setlist.<ref name="Marc Eliot 2010 72"/> Simon, then 26, felt he had "made it" into an upper echelon of rock and roll while retaining artistic integrity; according to his biographer Marc Eliot, this made him "spiritually closer to [[Bob Dylan]] than to, say, [[Bobby Darin]]".<ref name="Eliot89">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/89 89]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> The duo chose [[William Morris Agency|William Morris]] as their [[Talent agent|booking agency]] after a recommendation from [[Wally Amos]], also a friend of Wilson's.<ref name="Eliot89" />

During the sessions for ''Parsley'', Simon and Garfunkel recorded "[[A Hazy Shade of Winter]]"; it was released as a single, peaking at number 13 on the national charts.<ref name="Forn57" /> "[[At the Zoo]]", recorded in early 1967 for a single release, charted at number 16.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3xrGR7hYesYC&pg=PT69|page=58|title=Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends|author=Pete Fornatale|publisher=Rodale|date= October 30, 2007 |isbn=9781594864278}}</ref> Simon began work for their next album around this time, telling ''[[High Fidelity (magazine)|High Fidelity]]'' he was no longer interested in singles.<ref name="Forn61">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3xrGR7hYesYC&pg=PT71|page=61|title=Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends|author=Pete Fornatale|publisher=Rodale|date= October 30, 2007 |isbn=9781594864278}}</ref> He developed [[writer's block]], which prevented the duo from releasing an album in 1967.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3xrGR7hYesYC&pg=PT70|page=60|title=Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends|author=Pete Fornatale|publisher=Rodale|date= October 30, 2007 |isbn=9781594864278}}</ref> Many other successful artists at the time were expected to release two or three albums each year, and the lack of productivity worried Columbia executives.<ref name="Forn61" /> Amid concerns for Simon's apparent idleness, Columbia Records chairman [[Clive Davis]] arranged for up-and-coming producer [[John Simon (record producer)|John Simon]] to kick-start the recording.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fornatale |first=Pete |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3xrGR7hYesYC&pg=PT72 |page=62 |title=Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends |publisher=Rodale |date=October 30, 2007 |isbn=9781594864278}}</ref> Simon was distrustful of label executives; on one occasion, he and Garfunkel recorded a meeting with Davis, who was giving a "fatherly talk" on speeding up production, to laugh at it later.<ref name="Forn63">{{cite book |last=Fornatale |first=Pete |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3xrGR7hYesYC&pg=PT73 |page=63 |title=Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends |publisher=Rodale |date=October 30, 2007 |isbn=9781594864278}}</ref> The duo's rare television appearances at this time saw them performing on network broadcasts as ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'', ''[[The Mike Douglas Show]]'', and ''[[The Andy Williams Show]]'' in 1966, and twice on ''[[The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour]]'' in 1967.{{Citation needed|date=July 2018}}

Meanwhile, director [[Mike Nichols]], at that time filming ''[[The Graduate]]'', had become fascinated with Simon & Garfunkel's records, listening to them extensively before and after filming.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/88 88] |date=2010 |author=Marc Eliot |title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> He met Davis to ask for permission to license Simon & Garfunkel music for his film. Davis viewed it as a perfect fit and envisioned a best-selling soundtrack album.<ref name="Eliot89" /> Simon was not as receptive and was cautious of "[[selling out]]". After meeting Nichols and being impressed by his wit and the script, he agreed to write new songs for the film.<ref name="Eliot89" /> [[Leonard Hirshan]], a powerful agent at William Morris, negotiated a deal that paid Simon $25,000 to submit three songs to Nichols and producer [[Lawrence Turman]].<ref name="Eliot90">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/90 90]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> When Nichols was not impressed by Simon's songs "[[Punky's Dilemma]]" and "[[Overs (song)|Overs]]", Simon and Garfunkel offered another, incomplete song, which became "[[Mrs. Robinson]]"; Nichols loved it.<ref name="Eliot90" />

===1967–1968: Studio time and low profile===
Simon & Garfunkel's fourth studio album, ''[[Bookends (album)|Bookends]]'', was recorded in fits and starts from late 1966 to early 1968. Although the album had long been planned, work did not begin in earnest until late 1967.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3xrGR7hYesYC&pg=PT80|title=Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends|author=Pete Fornatale|date=October 30, 2007|publisher=Rodale|page=70|isbn=9781594864278}}</ref> The duo were signed under an older contract that specified the label pay for sessions,<ref name="Forn63" /> and Simon & Garfunkel took advantage of this, hiring viola and [[brass instrument|brass]] players and percussionists.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3xrGR7hYesYC&pg=PT74|page=64|title=Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends|author=Pete Fornatale|publisher=Rodale|date= October 30, 2007 |isbn=9781594864278}}</ref> The record's brevity reflects its concise and perfectionist production; the team spent more than 50 hours recording "Punky's Dilemma", for example, and rerecorded vocal parts, sometimes note by note, until they were satisfied.<ref>{{Gilliland |show=46 |track=4 |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19813/m1/#track/4 |title=Show 46 – Sergeant Pepper at the Summit: The very best of a very good year |time=4:00}}</ref> Garfunkel's songs and voice took a lead role on some of the songs, and the harmonies for which the duo was known gradually disappeared. For Simon, ''Bookends'' represented the end of the collaboration and became an early indicator of his intentions to go solo.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/97 97]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref>

Prior to release, the band helped put together and performed at the [[Monterey Pop Festival]], which signaled the beginning of the [[Summer of Love]] on the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]].<ref name="linernotes">{{cite AV media notes | title=Bookends (2001 Remaster) | year=2001 | others=Simon & Garfunkel | type=liner notes | publisher=[[Columbia Records]] | location=US | id=CK 66003}}</ref> "[[Fakin' It (Simon & Garfunkel song)|Fakin' It]]" was issued as a single that summer and found only modest success on AM radio; the duo were much more focused on the rising [[FM radio|FM]] format, which played album tracks and treated their music with respect.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3xrGR7hYesYC&pg=PT76|page=66|title=Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends|author=Pete Fornatale|publisher=Rodale|date= October 30, 2007 |isbn=9781594864278}}</ref> In January 1968, the duo appeared on a ''[[Kraft Music Hall (TV series)|Kraft Music Hall]]'' special, ''Three for Tonight'', performing ten songs, largely taken from their previous album.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/85 85]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> ''Bookends'' was released by Columbia Records in April 1968, 24 hours before the [[assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.]] which spurred nationwide [[King assassination riots|outrage and riots]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3xrGR7hYesYC&pg=PT91|page=81|title=Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends|author=Pete Fornatale|publisher=Rodale|date= October 30, 2007 |isbn=9781594864278}}</ref> The album debuted on the ''Billboard'' Top LPs in the issue dated April 27, 1968, [[List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 1968|climbing to number one]] and staying at that position for seven non-consecutive weeks; it remained on the chart as a whole for 66 weeks.<ref name="linernotes"/> ''Bookends'' received such heavy orders weeks in advance of its release that Columbia was able to apply for award certification before copies left the warehouse, a fact it touted in magazine ads. The album became the duo's best-selling to date, helped by the attention for the ''Graduate'' soundtrack ten weeks earlier, creating an initial combined sales figure of more than five million units.<ref name="Eliot93">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|pages=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/93 93]–94|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref>

Davis had predicted this, and suggested raising the list price of ''Bookends'' by one dollar to $5.79, above the then standard retail price, to compensate for a large poster included in vinyl copies.<ref name="Eliot93" /><ref name="clive">{{cite magazine|last=Gross|first=Mike| date =April 13, 1968| title =All-Stereo LP Swing Boon to Industry: Columbia's Davis| magazine =[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]| volume =80 | issue = 15| page =8 | location =New York City| issn =0006-2510| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=rQoEAAAAMBAJ&q=All-Stereo+LP+Swing+Boon+to+Industry:+Columbia%E2%80%99s+Davis | access-date =January 14, 2014}}</ref> Simon scoffed and viewed it as charging a premium on "what was sure to be that year's best-selling Columbia album". According to biographer Marc Eliot, Davis was "offended by what he perceived as their lack of gratitude for what he believed was his role in turning them into superstars".<ref name="Eliot93" /> Rather than implement Davis' plan, Simon & Garfunkel signed a contract extension with Columbia that guaranteed them a higher [[Royalty payment|royalty]] rate.<ref name="Eliot93" /> At the [[1969 Grammy Awards]], the lead single "[[Mrs. Robinson]]" became the first rock and roll song to receive [[Record of the Year]], and also won [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals|Best Contemporary Pop Performance by a Duo or Group]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/96 96]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref>

===1969–1970: Growing apart and final album===
''Bookends'', alongside the ''Graduate'' soundtrack, made Simon & Garfunkel the biggest rock duo in the world.<ref name="Eliot93" /> Simon was approached by producers to write music for films or license songs; he turned down [[Franco Zeffirelli]], who was preparing to film ''[[Brother Sun, Sister Moon]]'', and [[John Schlesinger]], who was preparing to film ''[[Midnight Cowboy]]''.<ref name="Eliot93" /> In addition to [[Cinema in the United States|Hollywood]] proposals, Simon declined a request by producers from the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] show ''[[Jimmy Shine]]'' (starring Simon's friend [[Dustin Hoffman]], who also starred in ''Midnight Cowboy'').<ref name="Eliot94">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/94 94]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> He collaborated briefly with [[Leonard Bernstein]] on a sacred [[Mass (Bernstein)|mass]] before withdrawing from the project due to "finding it perhaps too far afield from his comfort zone".<ref name="Eliot94" />

Mike Nichols, director of ''The Graduate'', was impressed by the duo's performance styles and asked them both to play parts in his next film, ''[[Catch-22 (film)|Catch-22]]''. Garfunkel was cast as Captain [[Nately]], and Simon as Dunbar. However, the screenwriter, [[Buck Henry]], felt the film was already crowded with characters, and wrote Simon's part out.<ref>{{cite book |last=Browne |first=David |title=Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Bittersweet Story Of 1970 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n1-dDFQj3gwC&pg=PT317 |publisher=Da Capo Press |date=2012 |page=27 |isbn=9780306822131}}</ref><ref name="Ebel52">{{cite book |last=Ebel |first=Roswitha |title=Paul Simon: seine Musik, sein Leben |trans-title=Paul Simon: His Music, His Life |publisher=epubli |date=2004 |pages=52–53 |isbn=978-3-937729-00-8 |language=de}}</ref> Garfunkel left to begin filming in Mexico in January 1969 (this is the subject of the song "[[The Only Living Boy in New York]]"). Simon remained behind and prepared for them to record their next album after filming ended,<ref name="Ebel52" /> but the film's production lasted longer than expected, forcing Garfunkel to return to the studio intermittently.<ref name="Calley obit">{{cite web |last=Hayward |first=Anthony |title=John Calley: Film producer who made 'Catch-22' and successfully headed three major studios |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-calley-film-producer-who-made-lsquocatch22rsquo-and-successfully-headed-three-major-studios-2365494.html|work=Obituaries|publisher=The Independent|access-date=August 13, 2012|date=October 5, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Patrick Humphries|title=Bookends: The Simon and Garfunkel Story|year=1982|publisher=Proteus Books|isbn=978-0-86276-063-2|page=65}}</ref> The resulting frictions exacerbated existing tensions in the duo's relationship;<ref name="Ebel52" /> Simon wrote in his memoir: "I think if Artie had become a big movie star he would have left. Instead of just being the guy who sang Paul Simon songs, he could be Art Garfunkel, a big star all by himself … This made me think about how I could still be the guy who wrote songs and sing them. I didn't need Artie."<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Beaumont-Thomas |first=Ben |date=November 11, 2024 |title='I was a fool': Art Garfunkel describes tearful reunion with Paul Simon |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/nov/11/i-was-a-fool-art-garfunkel-describes-tearful-reunion-with-paul-simon |access-date=November 11, 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

Following the end of filming in October, the first performance of what was planned to be the last Simon & Garfunkel tour took place in [[Ames, Iowa]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Roswitha Ebel | title= Paul Simon: seine Musik, sein Leben |trans-title=Paul Simon: His Music, His Life |publisher=epubli | date= 2004 | isbn= 978-3-937729-00-8 | language= de | pages=64, 673}}</ref> The US leg ended in the sold-out [[Carnegie Hall]] on November 27.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.paul-simon.info/PHP/listconcerts.php?tour=18 |title=Paul Simon and Garfunkel – Bridge over troubled waters tour |publisher=Paul-simon.info |access-date=July 16, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Roswitha Ebel | title= Paul Simon: seine Musik, sein Leben |trans-title=Paul Simon: His Music, His Life |publisher=epubli | date= 2004 | isbn= 978-3-937729-00-8 | language= de | page=65}}</ref> Meanwhile, the duo, working with director [[Charles Grodin]], produced an hourlong [[CBS]] special, ''Songs of America'', a mixture of scenes featuring notable political events and leaders concerning the US, such as the [[Vietnam War]], [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], [[John F. Kennedy]]'s funeral procession, [[Cesar Chavez]] and the [[Poor People's March]]. It was broadcast only once, due to tension at the network regarding its content.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/107 107]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Roswitha Ebel | title= Paul Simon: seine Musik, sein Leben |trans-title=Paul Simon: His Music, His Life |publisher=epubli | date= 2004 | isbn= 978-3-937729-00-8| language= de | pages=63–64}}</ref> The BBC said that "one million viewers responded by turning the dial and watching the figure skating on [[NBC]] instead."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200122-the-forgotten-political-roots-of-bridge-over-troubled-water|title = The forgotten political roots of Bridge over Troubled Water}}</ref>

''[[Bridge over Troubled Water]]'', Simon & Garfunkel's final studio album, was released in January 1970 and charted in more than 11 countries, topping the charts in 10, including the ''Billboard'' Top LP's chart in the US and the [[UK Albums Chart]].<ref name="Charting">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/bridge-over-troubled-water-mw0000191730/awards |title=Bridge over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel : Awards |publisher=Rovi Corporation|work=Allmusic |access-date=July 16, 2012}}</ref><ref name="ukchart2">{{cite web|title=The Official Charts Company – Album chart for 19/11/2011 |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]] |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/archive/official-albums-chart/ |access-date=February 4, 2012}}</ref> It was the best-selling album in 1970, 1971 and 1972 and was at that time [[List of best-selling albums|the best-selling album of all time]].<ref name="Ebel68">{{cite book |author=Roswitha Ebel | title= Paul Simon: seine Musik, sein Leben |trans-title=Paul Simon: His Music, His Life |publisher=epubli | date= 2004 | isbn= 978-3-937729-00-8| language= de | page=68}}</ref> It was also [[CBS Records International|CBS Records]]' best-selling album before the release of [[Michael Jackson]]'s ''[[Thriller (Michael Jackson album)|Thriller]]'' in 1982.<ref>R. Serge Denisoff (1988). ''Inside MTV'', Transaction Publishers, p.&nbsp;117</ref> The album topped the ''Billboard'' charts for 10 weeks and stayed in the charts for 85 weeks.<ref name="Ebel68" /> In the United Kingdom, the album topped the charts for 35 weeks, and spent 285 weeks in the top 100, from 1970 to 1975.<ref name="Ebel68" /> It has since sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.<ref name="UK retail sales">{{cite web| url=http://www.bpi.co.uk/assets/files/top%2040%20albums.pdf| title=BPI Highest Retail Sales| publisher=British Phonographic Industry| access-date=December 26, 2009| archive-date=March 3, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303191500/http://www.bpi.co.uk/assets/files/top%2040%20albums.pdf| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Bridge over Troubled Water 25 million copies">{{cite news |url= http://www.nzherald.co.nz/music/news/article.cfm?c_id=264&objectid=10564668 |title=Simon and Garfunkel heading to NZ |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |date=April 2, 2009|access-date=April 18, 2009}}</ref> "[[Bridge over Troubled Water (song)|Bridge over Troubled Water]]", the lead single, reached number one in five countries and became the duo's biggest seller.<ref name="rs" /> The song has been covered by more than 50 artists,<ref>{{cite book|author=Chris Charlesworth|author-link=Chris Charlesworth|year=1997|title=The Complete Guide to the Music of Paul Simon and Simon & Garfunkel|page=49|publisher= Omnibus Press}}</ref> including [[Elvis Presley]], [[Johnny Cash]], [[Aretha Franklin]], [[Jim Nabors]], [[Charlotte Church]], [[Maynard Ferguson]], [[Willie Nelson]], [[Roy Orbison]], [[Michael W. Smith]], [[Josh Groban]], and [[The Mormon Tabernacle Choir]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/103 103]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> "[[Cecilia (Simon & Garfunkel song)|Cecilia]]", the follow-up, reached number four in the US, and "[[El Cóndor Pasa (song)|El Condor Pasa]]" hit number 18.<ref name="rs" /> A brief British tour followed the album release, and the duo's last concert as Simon & Garfunkel took place at [[Forest Hills Stadium]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/112 112]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> In 1971, the album won six awards at the [[13th Annual Grammy Awards]], including [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]].<ref name=awards />

===1971–1990: Breakup, rifts, and reunions===
The recording of ''Bridge over Troubled Water'' was difficult, and Simon and Garfunkel's relationship had deteriorated. "At that point, I just wanted out", Simon later said.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|title=Paul Simon: A Life|author=Marc Eliot|date=2010|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-43363-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/111 111]}}</ref>

In 1972, Simon told ''Rolling Stone'' magazine:

{{blockquote|text=During the making of ''Bridge over Troubled Water'' there were a lot of times when it just wasn't fun to work together. It was very hard work and it was complex, and both of us thought – I think Artie said that he felt that he didn't want to record – and I know I said I felt that if I had to go through these kind of personality abrasions, I didn't want to continue to do it. Then when the album was finished Artie was going to [act in the film] ''Carnal Knowledge'' and I went to do an album by myself. We didn't say that's the end. We didn't know if it was the end or not. But it became apparent by the time the movie was out and by the time my album was out that it was over.<ref>''Paul Simon: The Rolling Stone Interview'', by Jon Landau, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, July 20, 1972</ref>}}
At the urging of his wife, Peggy Harper, Simon called Davis to confirm the duo's breakup.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|title=Paul Simon: A Life|author=Marc Eliot|date=2010|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-43363-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/114 114]}}</ref> For the next few years, they spoke only two or three times a year.<ref name="RS82" />

In the 1970s, the duo reunited several times. Their first reunion was [[Together for McGovern]], a benefit concert for presidential candidate [[George McGovern]] at New York's [[Madison Square Garden]] in June 1972.<ref name="rs" /> In 1975, they reconciled when they visited a recording session with [[John Lennon]] and [[Harry Nilsson]].<ref name="Eliot139">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/139 139]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> For the rest of the year, they attempted to make the reunion work, but their collaboration only yielded one song, "[[My Little Town]]", that was featured on Simon's ''[[Still Crazy After All These Years]]'' and Garfunkel's ''[[Breakaway (Art Garfunkel album)|Breakaway]]'', both released in 1975.<ref name="Eliot139" /> That year, Garfunkel joined Simon for a medley of three songs on ''[[Saturday Night Live]],'' guest-hosted by Simon.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/75/75b.phtml|title=SNL Transcripts: Paul Simon: 10/18/75|website=snltranscripts.jt.org|access-date=January 24, 2018}}</ref> In 1977, Garfunkel joined Simon for a brief performance of their songs on ''The Paul Simon Special'', and later that year they recorded a cover of [[Sam Cooke]]'s "[[(What a) Wonderful World]]" with [[James Taylor]].<ref name="rs" /> Old tensions appeared to dissipate upon Garfunkel's return to New York in 1978, when the duo began interacting more often.<ref name="RS82" /> On May 1, 1978, Simon joined Garfunkel for a concert held at [[Carnegie Hall]] to benefit the hearing disabled.<ref>{{cite news |title=Reunion At Carnegie |work=Lakeland Ledger |date=May 3, 1978 |page=2}}</ref>

[[File:Optreden Simon and Garfunkel (links) in Feijenoordstadion, Rotterdam, Bestanddeelnr 932-2092.jpg|thumb|The group performing in the Netherlands in 1982]]

By 1980, the duo's solo careers were not doing well.<ref name="RS82" /> To help boost morale for New Yorkers during [[History of New York City (1978–present)#Koch and Dinkins (1978–1993)|a serious economic decline]] in the city, concert promoter Ron Delsener suggested a free concert in [[Central Park]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Eliot |first=Marc |title=Paul Simon: A Life |url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio |url-access=registration |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/171 171] |date=2010 |isbn=978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> Delsener contacted Simon with the idea of a Simon & Garfunkel reunion, and once Garfunkel had agreed, plans were made.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/172 172]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> The concert, held on September 19, 1981, attracted more than 500,000 people, at that time the largest ever concert attendance.<ref name="rs" /> [[Warner Bros. Records]] released a live album of the show, ''[[The Concert in Central Park]]'', which went double platinum in the US.<ref name="rs" /> A 90-minute recording of the concert was sold to [[Home Box Office]] (HBO) for more than $1&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/173 173]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> The concert created a renewed interest in Simon & Garfunkel's work.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/177 177]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> They had several "heart-to-heart talks", attempting to put their disagreements behind them.<ref name="RS82">{{cite magazine|author=Stephen Holden| date =March 18, 1982| title =Class Reunion: It Looks Like a Lasting Thing| magazine =[[Rolling Stone]]| issue = 365| pages = 26–28| location =New York City | issn =0035-791X }}</ref> The duo undertook a world tour beginning in May 1982, but their relationship grew contentious; for the majority of the tour, they did not speak to one another.<ref name="Eliot178">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/178 178]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref>

Warner Bros. pushed for the duo to extend the tour and release a new studio album.<ref name="Eliot178" /> Simon had new material ready, and, according to Simon, "Artie made a persuasive case that he could make it into a natural duo record."<ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/paul-simon-african-odyssey-104029/|title=Paul Simon: African Odyssey|last=Fricke|first=David|author-link=David Fricke|date=October 23, 1986|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=April 27, 2020}}</ref> They quarreled again as Garfunkel refused to learn the songs in the studio and would not give up his longstanding [[cannabis]] and cigarette habits, despite Simon's requests.<ref name="Eliot180">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/180 180]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> Instead, the material became Simon's 1983 album ''[[Hearts and Bones]]''.<ref name="rs" /> A spokesperson said: "Paul simply felt the material he wrote is so close to his own life that it had to be his own record. Art was hoping to be on the album, but I'm sure there will be other projects that they will work on together."<ref name="Eliot180" /> Another rift opened when the lengthy recording of Simon's 1986 album ''[[Graceland (album)|Graceland]]'' prevented Garfunkel from working with engineer [[Roy Halee]] on his Christmas album ''[[The Animals' Christmas]]'' (1985).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/192 192]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> In 1986, Simon said he and Garfunkel remained friends and got on well, "like when we were 10 years old", when they were not working together.<ref name=":1" />

===1990–2010: Awards and final tour===
In 1990, Simon and Garfunkel were inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]. Garfunkel thanked Simon, calling him "the person who most enriched my life by putting those songs through me"; Simon responded, "Arthur and I agree about almost nothing. But it's true, I have enriched his life quite a bit." After performing three songs, the duo left without speaking. In August 1991, Simon staged his own concert in Central Park, released as a live album, ''[[Paul Simon's Concert in the Park]],'' a few months later. He declined an offer from Garfunkel to perform with him at the park.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/204 204]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref>
{{Quote box
| quote = We are indescribable. You'll never capture it. It's an ingrown, deep friendship. Yes, there is deep love in there. But there's also shit.
| source = – Garfunkel describing his decades-long relationship with Simon<ref name="Art2014" />
| quoted = 1
| width = 25%
| align = right
}}

By 1993, the relationship had thawed, and Simon invited Garfunkel on an international tour.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/211 211]|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> Following a sold-out 21-date run at the [[Paramount Theatre (New York City)|Paramount Theater]] in New York and an appearance at that year's [[Bridge School Benefit]] in California, they toured the Far East.<ref name="rs" /> They became acrimonious again for the rest of the decade.<ref name="rs" /> Simon thanked Garfunkel at his 2001 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist: "I regret the ending of our friendship. I hope that some day before we die we will make peace with each other," adding after a pause, "No rush."<ref name="rs" />

In 2003, Simon and Garfunkel received a [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award|Lifetime Achievement Award]] at the [[45th Annual Grammy Awards]], for which the promoters convinced them to open with a performance of "The Sound of Silence". The performance was satisfying for both, and they planned a full-scale reunion tour. The Old Friends tour began in October 2003 and played to sold-out audiences across the United States for 40 dates until mid-December,<ref name="usa">{{cite web|title=Simon & Garfunkel, again|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2003-09-14-sg-tour_x.htm|author=Elysa Gardner|date=September 14, 2003|work=[[USA Today]]|access-date=September 22, 2014}}</ref> earning an estimated $123&nbsp;million.<ref name="cnn">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/19/simon.garfunkel.reunion.tour/index.html?iref=24hours|title=Simon and Garfunkel reuniting for tour|author=Alan Duke|date=March 19, 2009|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=September 22, 2014}}</ref> A second US leg commenced in June 2004, consisting of 20 cities. Following a 12-city run in Europe in 2004, they ended their nine-month tour with a free concert along [[Via dei Fori Imperiali]], in front of the [[Colosseum]] in Rome, on July 31, 2004. It attracted 600,000 fans, more than their Concert in Central Park. In 2005, Simon and Garfunkel performed three songs for a [[Hurricane Katrina]] benefit concert in [[Madison Square Garden]], including a performance with singer [[Aaron Neville]].<ref name="RS04">{{cite magazine|author=Steve Knopper| date =September 2, 2004| title =Simon and Garfunkel Take Rome| magazine =[[Rolling Stone]]| issue = 956| page = 57| location =New York City | issn =0035-791X }}</ref>

[[File:Simon & Garfunkel, Jazz Fest 2010 (cropped).jpg|thumb|The duo at the 2010 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival<ref name="Art2014" />]]
In February 2009, Simon and Garfunkel reunited for three songs during Simon's two-night engagement at New York's [[Beacon Theatre (New York City)|Beacon Theatre]]. This led to a reunion tour of Asia and Australia in June and July 2009.<ref name="cnn" /> On October 29, 2009, they performed five songs at the 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert at Madison Square Garden. In January 2010, Garfunkel developed vocal problems following damage to his [[vocal cords]] as the result of an incident in which he had briefly choked on a piece of lobster.<ref name=Greene2015>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201101234002/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/flashback-simon-and-garfunkel-play-together-for-possibly-the-last-time-39629/ "Flashback: Simon and Garfunkel Play Together for Possibly the Last Time"] by Andy Greene, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', September 22, 2015.</ref> Their headlining set several months later at the 2010 [[New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival]] was difficult for Garfunkel. "I was terrible, and crazy nervous. I leaned on Paul Simon and the affection of the crowd," he told ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' several years later.<ref name="Art2014" /> Garfunkel was diagnosed with [[vocal cord paresis]], and the remaining tour dates were canceled. They reunited two months later to perform "Mrs. Robinson" at an [[American Film Institute Life Achievement Award]] tribute to director [[Mike Nichols]], in what ''Rolling Stone'' suggested might have been their last performance together.<ref name=Greene2015/> Garfunkel's manager, John Scher, informed Simon's camp that Garfunkel would be ready within a year, which did not happen, damaging relations between the two. Simon continued to publicly wish Garfunkel better health and praised his "angelic" voice. Garfunkel regained his vocal strength over the course of the next four years, performing shows in a [[Harlem]] theater and to underground audiences.<ref name="Art2014" />

In 2014, Garfunkel told ''Rolling Stone'' that he believed he and Simon would tour again, but said: "I know that audiences all over the world like Simon and Garfunkel. I'm with them. But I don't think Paul Simon's with them."<ref name="Art2014">{{cite magazine|author=Andy Greene| date =February 19, 2014| title =Art Garfunkel Is Ecstatic: 'My Voice Is 96 Percent Back'| magazine =[[Rolling Stone]]| location =New York City | issn =0035-791X | url =https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/art-garfunkel-is-ecstatic-my-voice-is-96-percent-back-20140219 | access-date =September 21, 2014}}</ref> In a 2015 interview with Nigel Farndale for ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', Garfunkel said: "How can you walk away from this lucky place on top of the world, Paul? What's going on with you, you idiot? How could you let that go, jerk?"<ref name=Farndale2015>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopmusic/11626027/art-garfunkel-interview-paul-simon.html "Art Garfunkel on Paul Simon: 'I created a monster'"] by Nigel Farndale, ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', May 24, 2015.</ref> In 2016, Simon denied that a reunion was possible as he did not enjoy performing under their fractious relationship.<ref>{{cite news |first1=David |last1=Greene |date=June 3, 2016 |title=Paul Simon On 'Stranger To Stranger' And Why You Can Call Him Al (Again) |work=[[Morning Edition]] |publisher =[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=479619178 | access-date=June 6, 2016}}</ref> In November 2024, Garfunkel said he had been a "fool" and that he and Simon had reconciled as friends.<ref name=":2" /> In April 2025, Garfunkel was asked about a potential reunion and said "we may give it a try and see where it leads".<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Meredith Wilshere |date=April 4, 2025 |title=Art Garfunkel Gets Candid About His Relationship with Paul Simon, and If the Two Will Ever Reunite |magazine=[[People magazine|People]] |location=New York City |issn=0093-7673 |url=https://people.com/art-garfunkel-shares-reconciliation-with-paul-simon-exclusive-11707142 |accessdate=April 6, 2025}}</ref>

==Musical style==
Over the course of their career, Simon & Garfunkel's music gradually moved from a basic folk rock sound to incorporate more experimental elements for the time, including [[Latin music|Latin]] and [[gospel music]].<ref name="AM">{{cite web |author=Richie Unterberger |author-link=Richie Unterberger |title=Simon & Garfunkel – All Music Guide |website=[[AllMusic]] |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/simon-garfunkel-mn0000038936/biography |access-date=September 22, 2014}}</ref> According to ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', their music struck a chord among lonely, alienated young adults near the end of the 1960s.<ref name="RollingStone1990">{{cite magazine| date =August 23, 1990| title =The Top 25 Rock & Roll Albums of the '60s| magazine =[[Rolling Stone]]| issue =585 | page =76 | location =New York City | issn =0035-791X }}</ref> According to ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'', though Simon & Garfunkel were a highly regarded folk act "distinguished by their intuitive harmonies and Paul Simon's articulate songwriting", they were more conservative than the [[American folk-music revival|folk music revivalists]] of [[Greenwich Village]].<ref name=":0" /> By the late 1960s, they had become the "folk establishment ... primarily unthreatening and accessible, which forty years later makes them an ideal gateway act to the weirder, harsher, more complex folkies of the [[60s counterculture]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11325-live-1969/|title=Simon & Garfunkel: Live 1969|website=Pitchfork|language=en|access-date=June 5, 2019}}</ref> Their later albums explored more ambitious production techniques and incorporated elements of gospel, rock, R&B, and classical, revealing a "voracious musical vocabulary".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Deusner |first=Stephen |author-link=Stephen Deusner |date=March 18, 2011 |title=Simon & Garfunkel: Bridge Over Troubled Water Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15197-bridge-over-troubled-water |access-date=June 5, 2019 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref>

==Critical reception and legacy==
Simon & Garfunkel received criticism at the height of their success. In 1968, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' critic Arthur Schmidt described their music as "questionable&nbsp;... it exudes a sense of process, and it is slick, and nothing too much happens."<ref>{{Citation |last=Schmidt |first=Arthur |date=May 25, 1968 |title=''Bookends'' |location=New York City |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/bookends-19680525 |access-date=August 22, 2015}}</ref> ''New York Times'' critic Robert Shelton said that the duo had "a kind of Mickey Mouse, timid, contrived" approach.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio/page/45 45], 46|date=2010|author=Marc Eliot|title=Paul Simon: A Life|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8}}</ref> According to [[Richie Unterberger]] of [[AllMusic]], their clean sound and muted lyricism "cost them some hipness points during the [[Psychedelic music|psychedelic]] era ... the pair inhabited the more polished end of the folk-rock spectrum and was sometimes criticized for a certain collegiate sterility."<ref name="AM" /> He noted that some critics regard Simon's later solo work as superior to Simon & Garfunkel.<ref name="AM" />

In 2003, ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]] list included ''[[Bridge over Troubled Water]]'' at number 51,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/bridge-over-troubled-water-simon-and-garfunkel-19691231|title=Bridge over Troubled Water ranked no. 51|publisher=Rolling Stone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902081012/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/bridge-over-troubled-water-simon-and-garfunkel-19691231|access-date=October 7, 2021|archive-date=September 2, 2011}}</ref> ''[[Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme]]'' at number 201,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/parsley-sage-rosemary-and-thyme-simon-and-garfunkel-19691231|title=Parsley ranked no. 201|publisher=Rolling Stone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902072834/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/parsley-sage-rosemary-and-thyme-simon-and-garfunkel-19691231|access-date=October 7, 2021|archive-date=September 2, 2011}}</ref> ''[[Bookends (album)|Bookends]]'' at number 233,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/bookends-simon-and-garfunkel-19691231|title=Bookends ranked no. 233|publisher=Rolling Stone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902072541/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/bookends-simon-and-garfunkel-19691231|access-date=October 7, 2021|archive-date=September 2, 2011}}</ref> and ''[[Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits|Greatest Hits]]'' at number 293.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/greatest-hits-simon-and-garfunkel-19691231|title=Greatest Hits ranked no. 293|publisher=Rolling Stone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902075639/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/greatest-hits-simon-and-garfunkel-19691231|access-date=October 7, 2021|archive-date=September 2, 2011}}</ref> And in 2004, on their [[500 Greatest Songs of All Time]] list, ''Rolling Stone'' included "[[Bridge over Troubled Water (song)|Bridge over Troubled Water]]" at number 47, "[[The Boxer]]" at number 105, and "[[The Sound of Silence]]" at number 156.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spotirama.blogspot.com/2015/04/rolling-stone-500-greatest-songs-of-all.html|title=Rolling Stone: 500 Greatest Songs of All-Time(compiled in 2004)|date=April 30, 2015|publisher=Sportirama|access-date=October 7, 2021}}</ref>

==Awards==
;Grammy Awards
The [[Grammy Awards]] are held annually by the [[National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences]]. Simon & Garfunkel have won 9 total competitive awards, 4 Hall of Fame awards, and a Lifetime Achievement Award.<ref name=awards>{{cite web|title=Simon & Garfunkel Awards and Nominations|date=November 16, 1968 |url=http://www.simonandgarfunkel.com/us/awards|publisher=Sony Music Entertainment|access-date=March 3, 2014}}</ref>
{{awards table}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="5"| [[11th Annual Grammy Awards|1969]]
| ''[[Bookends (album)|Bookends]]''
| [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| "[[Mrs. Robinson]]"
| [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Record of the Year]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals|Best Contemporary Pop Performance – Vocal Duo or Group]]
| {{won}}
|-
| ''[[The Graduate (soundtrack)|The Graduate]]''
| [[Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media|Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special]]
| {{won}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="7"| [[13th Annual Grammy Awards|1971]]
| rowspan="2"| ''[[Bridge over Troubled Water]]''
| [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical|Best Engineered Recording]]
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="5"| "[[Bridge over Troubled Water (song)|Bridge over Troubled Water]]"
| Record of the Year
| {{won}}
|-
| Song of the Year
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Song|Best Contemporary Song]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals|Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| [[18th Annual Grammy Awards|1976]]
| "[[My Little Town]]"
| [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals|Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| [[40th Grammy Awards|1998]]
| "Bridge over Troubled Water"
| [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award]]
| {{won}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"| [[41st Grammy Awards|1999]]
| "[[Mrs. Robinson]]"
| [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award]]
| {{won}}
|-
| ''[[Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme]]''
| [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award]]
| {{won}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| [[45th Grammy Awards|2003]]
| Simon & Garfunkel
| [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]]
| {{won}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| [[46th Grammy Awards|2004]]
| "[[The Sound of Silence]]"
| [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award]]
| {{won}}
|-
{{end}}

;Other recognition
* [[Awit Awards]] (1969) – Single of the Year Foreign Division (for "[[The Sound of Silence]]")
* [[Awit Awards]] (1969) – Album of the Year Foreign Division (for [[The Graduate (soundtrack)|The Graduate]])
* [[Brit Awards]] (1977) – [[Brit Award for International Album|International Album]] (for ''Bridge over Troubled Water'')
* [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] ([[List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees|1990]]) – Inductee
* [[Vocal Group Hall of Fame]] (2006) – Inductee

==Discography==
{{main|Simon & Garfunkel discography|List of songs recorded by Simon & Garfunkel}}
;Studio albums
* ''[[Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Sounds of Silence]]'' (1966)
* ''[[Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme]]'' (1966)
* ''[[Bookends (album)|Bookends]]'' (1968)
* ''[[Bridge over Troubled Water]]'' (1970)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Bennighof|first=James|title=The Words and Music of Paul Simon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ShBhKL-9SLIC|year=2007|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-99163-0|ref=none}}
* {{cite book|last=Browne|first=David|title=Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Lost Story Of 1970|url=https://archive.org/details/firerainbeatless00brow|url-access=registration|year=2012|publisher=Da Capo Press|isbn=978-0-306-82072-4|ref=none}}
* {{cite book|last=Charlesworth|first=Chris|author-link=Chris Charlesworth|title=The Complete Guide to the Music of Paul Simon and Simon & Garfunkel|year=1997|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=978-0-7119-5597-4|chapter=Bridge Over Troubled Water|ref=none}}
* {{cite book |first=Roswitha |last=Ebel | title= Paul Simon: seine Musik, sein Leben |trans-title=Paul Simon: His Music, His Life |publisher=epubli | year= 2004 | isbn= 978-3-937729-00-8 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=5tGr0Ufh_0EC| language= de|ref=none }}
* {{cite book |first=Marc |last=Eliot | title= Paul Simon: A Life | publisher=John Wiley and Sons | year= 2010 | isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8 | url= https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio |url-access=registration|ref=none }}
* {{cite book|last=Fornatale|first=Pete|author-link=Pete Fornatale|title=Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends|year=2007|publisher=Rodale|isbn=978-1-59486-427-8|ref=none}}
* {{cite book|last=Humphries|first=Patrick|title=Bookends: The Simon and Garfunkel Story|year=1982|publisher=Proteus Books|isbn=978-0-86276-063-2|ref=none}}
* {{cite book|last=Kingston|first=Victoria|title=Simon & Garfunkel: The Biography|year=2000|publisher=Fromm International|isbn=978-0-88064-246-0|ref=none}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|d=Q484918|c=Category:Simon and Garfunkel|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|wikt=no|s=no|species=no}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{Pop Chronicles|36}}
* {{Discogs artist|Simon & Garfunkel}}

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