(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)
Simon & Garfunkel - "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
Hit Number 1: February 28, 1970
Stay at Number 1: 6 Weeks
In a way, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" was the one that got away from Paul Simon. Remarkably, he wrote the song so quickly that he asked himself "Where did that come from? That doesn't sound like me." He got the idea from a 1958 song by the Swan Silvertones "Mary Don't You Weep" that has the line "I'll be your bridge over deep water if you trust in my name." He produced the song as a big gleaming gospel track, and didn't think he had the kind of voice that would go well with it. So instead he turned to his partner, Art Garfunkel. Neither thought they could do it justice, and both of them thought the other one would sing it better. Garfunkel eventually agreed to sing it, and it would go on to be one of Simon's biggest life regrets.
Every time the duo performed the song live together, Simon would be on the sidelines while Garfunkel belted out the song. The crowds would cheer, and Simon would think to himself "That's my song, man." Reportedly, Garfunkel liked Simon's voice on the demo tape, and it's strange to me why Simon didn't try it out. After all, he wrote the words, and the final verse is about his wife at that time, Peggy Harper. The "sail on silver girl" is a reference to Harper finding her first gray hairs. That final verse doesn't fit into the rest of the song, and it was only placed there because Garfunkel and producer Roy Halee thought the song could use another verse. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" isn't about being there for those who are finding gray hairs. It's about being there for those in their desperate times of need.
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" is in a league of its own as far as Simon & Garfunkel material goes. These guys were folk junkies, using their perfectly intertwined harmonies together to create classic staples in the genre. Their previous #1 hits, "The Sound of Silence" and "Mrs. Robinson" are unmistakable late 1960's gems. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" only features their harmonies in the last verse, and it's nowhere near the folk music that they were famous for. Instead, it's mostly gospel, and it sounds a lot like what Phil Spector was doing in the 60's with his "Wall of Sound" technique. Grand piano riffs, glistening strings, and a drum-echo sound that all builds on top of each other as the song continues to carry on. It was unfamiliar territory for the duo, that's for sure.
But it's also a masterpiece, and they pulled it off about as well as they could. The instrumentation is big and bold, but that's not what carries the song. Garfunkel is the heart and soul of the song, and his voice builds up with the instruments as the song goes on. He sings in a soft quiver when it starts out, but eventually he's belting out a mesmerizing shout, one that commands your attention and forces you to learn that he means what he is saying. The message is clear here: Life can suck sometimes. All you need sometimes is someone to talk to. Garfunkel takes on the form of someone you can lean on when times are hard. And he does it so effortlessly. When everything finally builds all the way up, that final note of the song is sharp, and it's clean. It's like being lifted up to the heavens.
Simon & Garfunkel didn't last long after "Bridge Over Troubled Water". Simon set out on a solo career, and he had a successful one. He'll appear in this blog again. But for the two to depart everything that made them famous, and to come up with and perform a masterpiece like this? It speaks measures to the levels of talent these guys contributed to the music industry.
GRADE: 10/10
JUST MISSED:
Creedence Clearwater Revival's 4th #2 hit "Travelin' Band" peaked behind "Bridge Over Troubled Water". It's a 7.
ANOTHER JUST MISSED:
The Jaggerz' funk and folk infused hit "The Rapper" also peaked at #2 behind "Bridge Over Troubled Water". It's an 8.
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