Simon and Garfunkel were one of the few groups that I can recall my mother and father both enjoying. I was always familiar with “Mrs. Robinson” and a few others, but I never realized they didn’t have a huge catalog and all of their (many) hits came from five albums.
The Backstory of Simon & Garfunkel and Me
Raffi Lite
It’s hard for me to remember if this was in middle school or elementary school. Regardless, I sat in a cafeteria with the rest of the school for a ‘concert’. We had several concerts and programs a year at Martins Ferry. They were nothing spectacular – but this one stands out for only one reason.
Much like Raffi in the ’80s – this concert was one person sitting on a stool with an acoustic guitar. I’m sure he sang silly songs like “Baby Beluga” and had little bits. The only thing I can remember is the last song he played – “The Boxer”. Even when performed by a lunch-time elementary school gymnasium artist, this song was awesome. He had the entire crowd singing the ‘Lie la lie’ portions and this is my first memory of Simon and Garfunkel.
Falling Over for their Collective Works
Skip forward to 2002/03 – I invited my girlfriend over to my house. The arrangement of my house was a bit odd. When my father passed away, we downsized. The upstairs had two bedrooms, but you had to pass through the one to get to the other. This was not a good situation for my mother and me (17 years old). Instead, I made the first room in the house my bedroom. Everyone that wanted me came to the front door. Everyone else went to the side door.
It was probably a Saturday night and we were just hanging out. For some reason, she got dizzy and went to the bathroom. Minutes later and what was never confirmed but probably was probably vertigo, she was on the floor and couldn’t get up.
We were only dating a few months and I didn’t know what to do. She had me call her mom and she traveled the half hour from Rayland to Martins Ferry to help me out. She didn’t come alone, she brought my girlfriends older brother.
Although this wasn’t my first time meeting her brother (we actually wrestled in the same backyard events a few times), this was my first time actually talking to him. As my girlfriend was attended to in the bathroom, her brother noticed the CD-shelf. He saw the Box Set for Simon and Garfunkel and we started discussing the group. What might have seemed like odd placement and in poor taste, we continued to discuss the group and our musical tastes.
Watching the Classics from the Library
I was no stranger to the library. Instead of attending pre-school, my mom actually enrolled me in some library program to get acquainted with other humans. I was part of every summer reading program until middle school. We would also frequently get our media (VHS tapes) from the library.
As I grew older, I frequented the library less and less. I stopped going for years and had no need to borrow books or movies.
Until 2007 (about the same time where I was ranking music).
I’m not sure what spurred up my interest (it might have been the time I was learning to write screenplays), but I kept seeing the names of classic movies that I have never seen. I watched a lot of movies as a kid, but they were mostly Disney Channel films. Movies like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and A Clockwork Orange intrigued me. I figured it would be in my best interest to finally check out some of these classics.
This was a period of time where the Internet was a thing but it was prior to Netflix and most streaming services. To get a movie, you had to go to a rental store (like Blockbuster or Sun Video – Martins Ferry classic). I really didn’t’ want to spend several dollars to rent these films. My best option: the library.
I went ahead and ordered a library card. Since the Internet was a thing, I could go online and put in requests for movies all over the state of Ohio. I built up a queue for every classic you could find. Of course, The Graduate was on that list.
Of course, the soundtrack was dominated by Simon and Garfunkel tunes. After watching the movie, you can’t help but see images of the film when listening to several songs. It’s not a bad movie to be linked to – better yet, it’s not a bad group for the movie to be linked to.
Simon & Garfunkel Now vs. Rank In 2007
I think I’m at the same exact place with Simon and Garfunkel since 2007. Well, that might be a lie. I was at the same place until I started this process. After watching their documentary and listening to some podcasts, I really find myself liking the group more and more.
Check out where they rank on my current list.
Simon & Garfunkel Metrics
By The Numbers
- Qualified Songs: 57
- Greatest Hits: 9
- Four Star: 41
- Three Star: 5
- Two Star: 1
- One Star: 1
Score
859.65%
Can we all agree that what Simon and Garfunkel did in several years cannot be matched? Okay, maybe The Beatles did it better. It’s just crazy to think of the quality of music they put out with little to no duds.
A Deep Dive Into the Current Score
Simon and Garfunkel released five studio albums (two were in the year 1966). Although the first album wasn’t great (too many church songs), it was still quality. By the time they finished in 1970, they were on fire. If they stopped the “Old People Talking” from going on an album, we could really see a contender for the top three (ranking) spots.
Simon & Garfunkel Podcasts for Reference
Stereo Confidential – The boys recording this podcast did a series on all of the Simon & Garfunkel albums. It was a nice way to get introduced to all of the songs and hear about the dynamics between Art and Paul. Although the hosts classify music slightly different than I, I can appreciate this podcast and I did hit Subscribe.
Love That Album – Although they didn’t hammer out every album from Simon and Garfunkel, I align more with these guys taste. They did a great episode on Bridge Over Troubled Water and I agreed with many of their takes.
Simon & Garfunkel Videos for Reference
The Harmony Game – (Amazon Prime) As great as some of the songs on Bridge Over Troubled Water are, you really can appreciate and enhance your viewpoint of these songs when you watch this documentary. It was plugged in several of the podcasts and was a great watch.
Simon & Garfunkel in the Movies
The Graduate (DVD) – I own The Graduate (no longer renting from the library). Although I normally watch the films while listening to the discography – I was done with Simon & Garfunkel before I had a chance. I put it on one night but fell asleep during the opening credits.
Catch-22 (Amazon Prime) – This movie was referenced many times during the podcasts and documentaries that I watched. Art Garfunkel stars in this movie and I guess was a possible reason for the break-up. Since I hammered through the albums, I didn’t get a chance to watch yet – but I will. Especially since it is free with Amazon Prime.
The Battle of Simon & Garfunkel Albums
All five albums score positively. From just listening and not looking at ratings, it would have been hard for me to determine what was #1. I figured Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. would be in last, but Bookends seemed like it could have been up there. No argument though with Bridge Over Troubled Water being in the top spot.
| Album | Score |
| Bridge Over Troubled Water | 400.00% |
| Sounds of Silence | 363.64% |
| Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme | 200.00% |
| Bookends | 200.00% |
| Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. | 150.00% |
The Greatest Hit from Simon & Garfunkel
We have nine songs to choose from. During this process, I had a clear favorite. I almost thought about just naming the song and not working out a tournament. In fairness to all songs, we will do a classic tournament and see who comes out on top.
Previous Greatest Hit
“I Am A Rock”
I can see why I was high on this song in 2007. It is still a 5-star song but found its defeat this year. I would still consider this a top five song in their discography.
Tournament Outcome
“The Boxer”
It is fair to say that watching The Harmony Game pushed this song to the top. They document the lengths they went through to make this song. From drumming in the hallways and singing in a cathedral, you can really hear the heart they put in this song. This song is haunting and gets the nod in 2019 as my favorite.
Overview
When I started this ranking system years ago, Simon and Garfunkel nearly broke all of my formulas. Having so many good-great-awesome songs and almost zero bad ones always pushed them to the top. As much as I like Simon and Garfunkel, they are still not better than The Beatles and I still don’t prefer them over my guilty pleasures (Journey/“Weird Al”). They benefit from getting out in their prime – but man, I wish they would have produced more music.
Amendments
July 12, 2019
“So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright” is such a tough song. I would probably skip it but the ‘so-called backstory’ of this being a song from Paul to Artie (them breaking up) pushes it to a 4-star.