No matter how iconic and decade-defining, a song will always appear different to the writer than it does the audience, and the Simon & Garfunkel classic Paul Simon ironically “resented” is a perfect example of this reality. What was an ode to companionship to some became a stinging reminder of the musical duo’s increasing tension.
Unsurprisingly, this distinctive song arrived at the end of Simon & Garfunkel’s duo career. As Art Garfunkel more heavily invested in his acting career and Paul Simon became more adamant about his creative independence, the song might not have been the official mark of the beginning of the end, but it was certainly the soundtrack for it.
Paul Simon Resented This Simon & Garfunkel Classic
In a 1972 interview with Rolling Stone, the songwriting half of the famous Simon & Garfunkel musical duo revealed that by the time they were cutting their final record in 1970, animosity between the two musicians began to reach a boiling point. Art Garfunkel was often away from the studio for months on end, working on various acting projects in and outside of the States. Paul Simon, meanwhile, stayed close to home, writing, arranging, and recording. During this time, Simon wrote “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
After Garfunkel returned to the studio after a three-month-long hiatus, Simon presented his musical partner with the soon-to-be classic song. Simon wrote the song in Garfunkel’s key and intended for him to sing it, but Garfunkel initially refused. “He couldn’t hear it for himself,” Simon told Rolling Stone. “He felt I should have done it. And many times, I think I’m sorry I didn’t do it.”
Indeed, those regrets deepened once the duo began performing the song live. “Many times on a stage, though, when I’d be sitting off to the side, and Larry Knechtel would be playing the piano, and Artie would be singing “Bridge,” people would stomp and cheer when it was over, and I would think, ‘That’s my song, man. Thank you very much. I wrote that song.’ I must say this: in the earlier days when things were smoother, I never would have thought that, but towards the end, when things were strained, I did. It’s not a very generous thing to think, but I did think that. I resented it. I was aware of the fact that I resented it, and I knew that this wouldn’t have been the case two years earlier.”
One of the Duo’s Final Compromises
Despite Paul Simon’s sense of ownership over “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” the entire composition was undeniably a group effort. It was Art Garfunkel’s decision to expand Simon’s original two-verse concept into a sprawling three-verse magnum opus that increased in production value with each new section. In this way, the song highlights the successful collaboration between the two artists.
Nevertheless, this writing process, compromising, and re-writing had lost its allure by 1970. “There was always some kind of strain, but it was workable,” Simon told Rolling Stone. “The bigger you get, the more of a strain it is because, in your everyday life, you’re less used to compromising. As you get bigger, you have your own way. But in a partnership, you always have to compromise. When you got into a partnership, you’re not the boss. There’s no boss. That makes it hard.”
As difficult as it might have been, we’re just grateful Paul & Simon left the world with one final beautiful record before splitting ways to pursue their respective creative endeavors.
Photo by Jon Lyons/Shutterstock
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