Sound of Silence also you should listen to the cover by Disturbed

Try some Jim Croce (Pronounced: Crow-chee, chee as in see) Time in a Bottle or Operator to start with. Another artist on the folksy side.

Scarborough Fair / Canticle, America, Mrs Robinson, I Am A Rock, The Sounds Of Silence. Paul Simon is one of the greatest American songwriters there is.

Sound of Silence has to be next. Considered to be one of their masterpieces.

SG's "Cecilia", and "Mrs Robinson".( the latter was in their soundtrack for the movie "The Graduate".

I thought ( if possible ) he was better in Central Park.

@@davidmiles533 - I agree completely. Their "Concert in the Park" was truly AMAZING!!

@@ArielleNaMara I hated it, I watched it with mum and she kept telling me off! It doesn't sound the same mum! Shut up and listen!!!

@@davidmiles533 I was there. Got there with my friend at 9 AM for the concert in the evening. My son wears the t-shirt with the Fiorucci logo on the sleeve these days. Evidently worth a few bucks.

And Paul wrote it--- he's one of the best too....but oh wow, this is one for the ages.

A gay angel maybe

Can you imagine him and Karen Carpenter doing a duet back in the day? Would have been heavenly.

@@edvonblue that's redundant.

He's said so himself. Which is kind of funny!

@@TheCornishCockney Oh yes. Their ranges were actually similar! Karen did record at least one Paul Simon song, "Still Crazy After All These Years", but that one was post S&G. Art is still with us and still sounds terrific...perhaps there could be a digital duet a la the Coles back in the day? BTW re the "gay angel" remark, Art isn't...and BTW Art Jr. sometimes performs with him...sounds very much like his dad and can sing as high at Art Sr. could in his heyday...

This is indeed their_magnum opus._

This song has been covered at least 50 times by different artist. They all can’t touch the original.

Sounds like you might not really be an athiest. God is a personal relationship. Not you him and some church.

@@Shawney-jf6kc Great response. !!

@@Shawney-jf6kc Maybe don't decide for people whether they are atheists - possibly the most offensive thing you can do for an atheist.

does someone hand you the collection plate whenever Art does art 🎨?

No matter your religious beliefs, be it none at all, this song gives hope and comfort. May it be a blessing.

Including our boys from RUSH.

Absolutely, Sounds of Silence for S&G, then jump to Boy in the Bubble for Simon in the early 80s . Studio or live in Harare.

Studied it in my grade 12 English class, 1972. So, yeah. Fuck I'm old.

For what?

This could be back-to-backed with the Disturbed cover for the cover duo comparison.

I always thought this and Roberta Flack's "First Time ever I saw your face" were two of the best songs ever.

your right , a piece of perfection and greatness

...Yeah, too bad these guys were too heartless to too appreciate a truly loving friendship...no it's not a church song. It's entirely humanistic.

@@ugaladhThat’s not Roberta Flack’s song. It was written by the British political singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl. For his then mistress, who later became his wife Peggy Seeger.

Yes....i got a look at the song list on the musician stand at Art's San Diego Navy Pier concert w/ orchestra.....all the titles spelled out, but the last one....just "Bridge."

Yes this is a different genre, BUT Simon and Garfunkel were their own genre! Their music is transcendent. Sounds of Silence is mesmerizing for me! They’ve recorded some songs for the ages!

This one!

This is a great one too and I know it's just my opinion but I thought bridge over troubled water was their masterpiece.

@@michaellynch5254 I believe they both are.

@@jeffschielka7845 I can agree with this.

@@michaellynch5254 Thanks Michael. It's a phenomenal song.

That line, "Sail on Silver Girl, Your dreams are on the way" destroys me. This song brings out all of the feelings. Amazing song!

Lol everytime..

I straight up get goosebumps. And tears.

It's an ASMR moment

"I'm sailing right behind" goes right to the center of my heart.

While I love both of those, "I will ease your mind" always eased my mind.

"Churchy" is funny, as they're two nice Jewish boys from Queens...😉

I really like the "Sail on silver girl, sail on by! Your time has come to shine. All your dreams are on their way. See how they shine! If you need a friend, I'm sailing right behind". I choke every time. And the musical transition for that verse is so great!

@@THX-ov8rvyep !

Amen!

That's a fair statement.

Amen!!

Grant , I agree 1000% I tell my brother a real audiophile who probably has 5 different pressings of bridge that it could be the best song ever written. Check out the bluray of 25th r a roll hall of fame show with them both singing bridge, insane !!!

Absolutely.

Absolutely. It's not the type of song I would listen to very often but I can appreciate just how amazing it is. Giving it an A rating is ridiculous.

David G Fisher I think Andy was going there. “Encapsulated” was the word he used. Seemed like Alex’s comments pulled him down.

Agreed

@@davidgfisher Might be that they don't have a personal connection to this song like so many of us do. So many people have a seminal connection to this song because they heard it at a highly emotional time in their life.

Amen. Shocked.

Right, it had a huge impact on kids like me all over the world when it came out. It was played all day and everywhere where kids gathered. I never looked at it as a spiritual song though it just blended in with the love, peace, weed and beer :)

@@Antoon55 Well stated! Another song from that time that always seemed to resonate with me was The Hollies "He Ain`t Heavy, He`s My Brother". Two other songs that DID seem to have a 'spiritual message' were "Spirit In The Sky" by Norman Greenbaum, and "Come Together" by The Youngbloods.

Definitely a "spiritual song!" " I will lay me down" Same year as "Let it Be" by the Beatles. Two huge spiritual songs.

Featuring Joe Osborn on bass and Hal Blaine on drums; two of the world famous Wrecking Crew backing musicians on so many hits, from Beach Boys to Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" recordings to TV theme songs (M*A*S*H, Bonanza, Hawaii Five-O).

Only 48. Missed by twenty or so, at least.

I sang it in my high school choir 😌

Tracy Zimmerman - I’ve always considered it to very hymn like, I wish we’d sung this in school instead of the boring stuff.

We played The Boxer at my dad's funeral!

@@Young_Jim I also sang in latin (religious songs) but there definitely was a good mix.

We sang this in my high school choir also. Sound of Silence and you should do Silent Night.

That is an eternally beautiful song.

That's what I was thinking. There's so many great songs of theirs, but that's the perfect follow up.

Beautiful. But not an original of theirs. A very old song from the Middle Ages.

@@DreamsSketcher Yes, dear, I know the origins of the song from the mid 17th century. The S&G version is from an original arrangement by Martin Carthy, who wasn't thrilled to hear it on their album.

The live version from the Central Park reunion concert

That’s a very nice take - both captures the message of the song and the dream-like quality of the delivery.

Aww beautiful

Love it too

Looove it.

LOVE that song.

But then they have to listen to the YES cover of it

@@Lightmane Yes! I've been asking for side by sides like they mentioned they did with All Along the Watchtower. Yes does a great cover of America. I also want them to do Santana's version of She's Not There. They should also do Mrs. Robinson, followed by the Lemonhead's version.

@@61hink Some think their "cover" was terrible, lol, and I think it's awesome that some feel that way about it. I just love what they did with it. JustJP and Dicon Dissectional Reactions both reacted to the original and then the cover and both are great reactions. Check them out. You'll very enjoy it, but let them know I sent you, hah hah 🙂

As noted above, this song has great lyrics

We've all gone to look for America. Amen.

yes!

That song is funky

That song is a freaking jam!

And from the same album.

1987 Dickson St just after The SCREAMING TREES perform on the stage at Lily's Bar & Showcase outside on the sidewalk people standing around talking (including TREE band members). Some guy runs after a gal yelling, "OH CECELIA!" someone replies, 'You're breaking my ♡heart.' Others join. (TREE members too). After a chouras r 2 ALL SINGING "IN REEEEELAAATION SHE LOVES ME AGAIN.....!" oh about 100 people sing. (Including TREE members).

That’s a really remarkable story, @Corinne SunQueen-thanks for sharing. I was in high school in a small town in SW Ontario, Canada when Kent State happened and I remember it well. (And then of course ‘our’ own Neil Young immortalized that terrible event not long after with the song ‘Ohio’. Such turbulent times.) As a retired teacher myself, I wonder if *your* teacher knew/knows what a powerful experience and memory she left you with. I hope so.

Wow.

@@margaretanscombe730 Such different times. Now no one cares that we're bombing and occupying countries all over the world, as long as the 'right' person is president.

That's one special teacher!!

That’s when teachers could do stuff like that.😿

Agreed. It is a wonderful thing to watch.

I was there at that concert. It was amazing. 500000 people and you could hear a pin drop.

Yes this is so good! I watch it all the time.

That's my favorite version, because it's only garfunkel

@TryingToBeKind Yeah I mean we expressed our A with this is for sure other peoples’ S tier, we want to make sure we’re always honest with you guys with our personal feel for a song, that honesty comes with being ‘wrong’ sometimes.

Without a doubt "S".

Yeah, I had to fire them for this one too

😊

When I was a young buck, a local AM station would run a contest where they'd play two songs, the people would, and the winner go on. Usually the winning song would last 2 or 3 days, then this song entered the contest. Two weeks later, they retired the song. Nothing even came close to beating it. For another month, they did the contest and then played Troubled Waters afterwards. The first part of the third verse is my favorite part: Sail on silver girl Sail on by Your time has come to shine All your dreams are on their way See how they shine Oh, if you need a friend I’m sailing right behind The silver girl is Simon's wife who started getting grey hair in her 30s Simon wrote the song, but he insisted Gafunkel sing it on his own. When they did a reunion concert in 1981 in Central Park, 500,000 people saw it live in the park, and this song was simply the pinnacle of the concert. Yeah, A&A really got it wrong here, but they are young and a bit inexperienced , and unlike me, I hope they will learn from such terrible mistakes. BTW, I love your channel. I found it about two weeks ago and I love it. I even got a nice pair of Bose headphones. I thought I'd never ever need a really decent set of headphones. When you would mentioned what you had heard, I realized I had been missing a lot of good music for the last 55+ years. Thank you dudes for that little gift in my life. Only one small criticism for you guys, now my wife wants a pair, and they've got to be better. She knows I can't say no. I just might send you guys a bill for $400 - $500. Friday is just the "end"less friend day

You got that right. Did Amtrak Soth West Chief from LA to Chicago. Its the only way to do it, or on a Harley,. With Bruce Springsteen!! ✌🏻😊

We smoked the last one an hour ago.

I'm with you too!

@@emilyflotilla931 😂♥️

Did the Greyhound from Holland, Michigan to Portland, Oregon, hitchhiked all over Southern Michigan to Ann Arbor, hitchhiked to work at a drive in theater in Mansfield, Ct, from Willimantic, smoked and toked. Worked in a bar in SW Michigan that was frequented by lots of bikers...yes, I had a few rides as well. (The Motoguzzi was the greatest, but Harleys were amazing as well) Amtraked to Chicago from Holland, Michigan to Chicago a few times, and from Oakland, CA, to Chico, and had a great motor home trip from there with my best friend from our early teens, (Still Crazy After All These Years) we called it the No Bra Zone trip..America was beautiful! At night fall we were led to our next stops over the high desert skies! This Friday, Feb 5th, 2021 will mark 38 years of continuous sobriety for me. Saw the real America when I saw Crater Lake for the first time at 6 months sober. I graduated from hitchhiking and busses to flying! This song impacts me in ways I never imagined. Even in my alcohol infused haze, it spoke to me. I'm a live and let live old hippie today, and grateful i made it out alive.

"Hazy Shade of Winter" also done well by the Bangles

I'm Truly sorry for your loss 😭 Dogs are WONDERFUL 💖 There's an old Polish proverb that says "No one is really gone as long as they're Remembered"

@@mikeyates7931 Thank you so much, beautiful words my friend.

@@patriciagoodwin1922 you are very welcome 💖

"Kathy's Song". "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her".

Great tune!

Great tune and the cover by Everything But The Girl is also great.

YES! "The Only Living Boy in New York" is an incredible song. But no one ever reacts to it, and that is just amazing to me because it's so terrific. The chorale part, as someone above stated, is ethereal. After "The Boxer," it's my favorite song from the Bridge Over Troubled Water album.

Joe Osborn's bass part is sublime

Yes!!!! My favorite Simon and Garfunkel song. Literally you can listen to it multiple times in a row and never get tired of it.

From the book, "The Wrecking Crew.... "Of course, contributing something unusual to a Simon & Garfunkel session was hardly a first for Blaine. Some months before, during the recording of “The Boxer” (the first track cut for the Bridge Over Troubled Water album), the duo had decided that they wanted to add an exploding sound as an emphatic point of emphasis between the song’s repeated vocal choruses of “lie-la-lie.” Needing an enclosure that could provide the maximum possible echo, Simon had asked Blaine to fly to New York, where Halee then recorded the drummer whacking a snare while sitting at the bottom of an elevator shaft at Columbia’s 52nd Street studios. This time around, with Simon’s blessing, Blaine stepped out to his car and brought in a set of snow chains from his trunk. Spending the next few hours on his knees in an old microphone storage room, Blaine alternately slammed the heavy-duty galvanized steel links onto the cement floor while being remotely recorded. Drag on one, smack on two, drag on three, smack on four. The brilliant maneuver ended up being incorporated as a dramatic percussion element from the song’s third verse all the way through its epic conclusion."

@@douginny thanks, that’s good stuff.

Heard a rumor that doctors use this song to test for neuropathy. If a person does not display goose bumps when Simon joins in harmony on the last verse, they may suffer from loss of feeling. Backup test is Garfunkel’s last line. Just a rumor.

S Tier! Context...when this song came out. We had just dealt with assassinations, riots...America was burning. THIS SONG Was a rescue

These guys are too young to know this song is an S. Still an S!

LOL

LOL, totally

Let's get out Chris Coumo.

Alex loves everybody when he's drunk.

America is my favorite.

Yes covered America.

Yes! My brother from another mother... lol

Agreed. You must do Mrs. Robinson for the sake of covering their most popular song, but America is better.

America is top flight. Absolutely.

Simon and Garfunkel is one of my all time favorites. My sister 10 years older than me left for college. Years later when I was a young teen, I found her albums. One of them being "Bookends" by Simon and Garfunkel. Still one of my faves. The song America 🇺🇸 has always been one of my favorites. Dang I listened to that album over and over. I always think of the movie "Almost famous " which some might think of it as not the best movie, but when the older sister left home and gave her brother her albums and said these will open your mind, he was holding "Bookends "

That's really Beautiful ❤️

It was released I n 1970

how was the comedown?

Or scarred by abuse

What is astounding about that is he's older and the song is harder for him to sing, but he still sings it beautifully with such casual ease of effort.

Veritas

That's exactly the kind of personal connection so many of you on here have with this song.

S & G was my first concert. 15 years old, 1969. My mom had to drive me all the way downtown and then pick me up afterwards.

@@medina607 I'm envious. I was from (very) small town Texas, and had to wait years to see them.

I think they will end up preferring Simon solo to S&G. It has more of a rock sound to it. "Kodochrome" is a good place to start.

Great list. I would add “Late in the Evening” to it as well as “Mother and Child Reunion”.

It was actually Alex who said he's heard "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover" (and "You Can Call Me Al" as well).

@@ravenswoodcovenantchurch9658 Yes it was. I typed the wrong name.

Don't forget the song 'Graceland'.

Why were the youth of the 60s “shattered”? They had an easier life than any generation before them. Most, but not all were educated in public school systems their ancestors only dreamed of. Most of them did not have to farm or hunt their food, and hope it was enough to get through winter. Unemployment was quite low throughout the 60s. Almost every home had a television. A source of information and entertainment none of their ancestors had. The “shattered” youth of the 60s were simply ungrateful, spoiled, and lazy. Lack of responsibility led to lack of purpose.

@@drameday, did you forget that more than 50,000 Americans died in the Vietnam War in the ‘60s?

@@drameday They were the generation that had every preconceived belief turned on its ear. Vietnam showed the corruption of the government. Civil rights and the way demonstrators had dogs, clubs, and fire hoses turned on them showed that the societal order was a sham. Feminism showed half of the people that they didn't need to be under the thumb of the other half. So many previous generations just kept on and changes happened slowly. For those who came of age in the 60's and 70's, their entire lives were nothing but societal changes.

You forgot Mrs. Robinson, from the Graduate.

O sacred head now wounded was actually the inspiration for American Tune, not Bridge.

@@Yaktahbay No, I had long ago heard that Simon had used a classical music piece to inspire BOTW. I didn't remember which one, so I got the name from Wikipedia. If it got it wrong, I will happily stand corrected.

@@lreadlResurrected "American Tune" is a more direct crib from "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded" -- the melody of Simon's song is very close to Bach's -- but you can hear a hint of where Simon got a certain chord sequence (which he altered) for "Bridge Over Troubled Water" in the next-to-last line of "O Sacred Head". The most direct connection to sacred music in "Bridge Over Troubled Water", though, is the title phrase; the 1959 version by the Swan Silvertones of the old black spiritual "Mary, Don't You Weep" contains the ad-libbed line, ""I'll be your bridge over deep water if you trust in my name," that inspired Simon to write "Bridge Over Troubled Water".

@@gregsager2062 Point taken. Thanks.

...American Tune by Paul Simon is certainly worth a listen too, along with some of the fine covers of it, such as Eva Cassidy's and not one but two versions by jazz singer Kurt Elling...

Gee, I’m glad he has sat in the past, just imagine if he hadn’t, poor Paul XD

Is married to Eddie Brickel

This is true. I saw an interview where he said he was engrossed by some gospel group, spending a lot of time listening to them, and he felt that was the inspiration for this song.

@@erblack2 I never knew that and never caught onto any association.

@@erblack2 It was The Swan Silvertones and the song was "Mary Don't You Weep"

The Team? You mean another great composition by Paul Simon as Art never wrote a word...

Great piano, totally ruined by the drums drenched in reverb.

Larry Knechtel

I love the reverb snare. Only song to ever give me goosebumps every time I hear it.

I believe that Mr. Knechtel got a Grammy, just for his piano part? "Give me a few minutes to sus out these chords."

The live version from the Concert in Central Park is astonishing. One guy on stage, with his hands in his pockets, delivering this in front of 500,000, and they are SILENT.

@@loosilu Just suggested that version too

Yes!

That’s Paul Simon.

Looked thru the comments to make sure Larry was championed. His intro for this song is legendary. He said he sat at the piano after the producer said this song needed an intro. What he played wasn't planned, it was impromptu. Truly an amazing talent. Thanks Stephen.

Yes, the great Larry Knechtel. A superb musician and so unknown to many. Great to see he is not forgotten.

I always think of his exuberant gospel piano that opens up The Byrds’ cover of “Glory, Glory”

Great selections - hope they get that deep into S&G.

S&G just have so many great songs to choose from ( though I’m partial to the Bookends Album ) I usually just listen to all of their stuff when doing a S&G 🎧

agree wholeheartedly on "Emily" incredible song to close your eyes and picture a foggy London street, cobblestones, street lamps on ..... gorgeous.

Mama Told Me Not To Come would be good.

so much good stuff from those guys. "Old Fashioned Love Song", "The Show Must Go On".

"Shambala", "Joy To The World" and "Black And White"

@@wicky4473 A Randy Newman tune! I enjoy both versions.

Saw the Dogs a few time in my youth, and the song One was my favourite. Chuck’s voice actually reminds me a bit of Garfunkles

He wrote it about Carrie Fisher!

@@loosilu think you’re getting mixed up with ‘Hearts and Bones..’ aren’t you?.

@@suehaden6103 I must be!