Bridge Over Troubled Water is the fifth and final studio
albumAn album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on their websites.-...
by Simon & Garfunkel. Released on January 26, 1970, it reached No. 1 on Billboard Music Charts pop albums list. It won a
Grammy Award for Album of the YearThe Grammy Award for Album of the Year is one of the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
, as well as for
Best Engineered RecordingThe Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical has been awarded since 1959. The award had several minor name changes:*In 1959 the award was known as Best Engineered Record - Non-Classical...
, while its
title track"Bridge Over Troubled Water" is the title song of Simon & Garfunkel's final album together, released January 26, 1970. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 28, 1970, and stayed at the top of the chart for six weeks. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" also topped the adult...
won the
Grammy Award for Record of the YearThe Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959. The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
and
Song of the YearThe Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 to the composer of the song in question...
in the
Grammy Awards of 1971The 13th Grammy Awards were held on 16 March 1971, and was the first time the ceremonies were broadcast on television by ABC. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1970...
. It has since sold over 25 million copies worldwide.
The album attained a great success in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, enjoying several runs at number one, spending some years in the charts and eventually becoming the country's biggest-selling album of 1970 and 1971.
Bridge Over Troubled Water is the fifth and final studio
albumAn album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on their websites.-...
by Simon & Garfunkel. Released on January 26, 1970, it reached No. 1 on Billboard Music Charts pop albums list. It won a
Grammy Award for Album of the YearThe Grammy Award for Album of the Year is one of the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
, as well as for
Best Engineered RecordingThe Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical has been awarded since 1959. The award had several minor name changes:*In 1959 the award was known as Best Engineered Record - Non-Classical...
, while its
title track"Bridge Over Troubled Water" is the title song of Simon & Garfunkel's final album together, released January 26, 1970. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 28, 1970, and stayed at the top of the chart for six weeks. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" also topped the adult...
won the
Grammy Award for Record of the YearThe Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959. The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
and
Song of the YearThe Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 to the composer of the song in question...
in the
Grammy Awards of 1971The 13th Grammy Awards were held on 16 March 1971, and was the first time the ceremonies were broadcast on television by ABC. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1970...
. It has since sold over 25 million copies worldwide.
The album attained a great success in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, enjoying several runs at number one, spending some years in the charts and eventually becoming the country's biggest-selling album of 1970 and 1971. In August 2006, the continued popularity of the album was proven when it charted 7th place in The
BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the UK. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
Music Club Top 100 Albums. In 2003, it was ranked at #51 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. The album won Best International Album at the first
Brit AwardsThe Brit Awards, often simply called The Brits and stylized as The BRIT Awards, are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British" or "Britannia", but has subsequently become a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
in 1977.
Side one
- "Bridge Over Troubled Water
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" is the title song of Simon & Garfunkel's final album together, released January 26, 1970. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 28, 1970, and stayed at the top of the chart for six weeks. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" also topped the adult...
" – 4:52
Recorded: November 9, 1969
- "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)
El Cóndor Pasa is a song from the zarzuela El Cóndor Pasa by the Peruvian composer Daniel Alomía Robles written in 1913 and based on traditional Andean folk tunes....
" (Daniel Alomía RoblesDaniel Alomía Robles was a Peruvian composer and ethnomusicologist. He is best known for composing the song El Cóndor Pasa in 1913 as part of a zarzuela, a musical play that alternates between spoken and sung parts, by the same name...
, English lyrics by Paul Simon, arranged by Jorge Milchberg) – 3:06
Recorded: November 2, 1969
- "Cecilia
"Cecilia" is a song written by Paul Simon and recorded by Simon and Garfunkel for their 1970 album Bridge Over Troubled Water. When released as a single, it reached #4 in the US charts...
" – 2:55
Recorded: November 2, 1969
- "Keep the Customer Satisfied" – 2:33
Recorded: November 2, 1969
- "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 projects, which resulted in more than 500 completed works....
" – 3:41
Recorded: November 9, 1969
Side two
- "The Boxer
"The Boxer" is a folk rock ballad written by Paul Simon in 1968 and first recorded by Simon & Garfunkel. It was released as the follow up single to their number one hit "Mrs. Robinson", and reached #7 in the US charts. It later appeared on their last studio album, Bridge over Troubled Water, along...
" – 5:08
Recorded: November 8, 1969
- "Baby Driver" – 3:14
Recorded: November 2, 1969
- "The Only Living Boy in New York
"The Only Living Boy in New York" is a song written by Paul Simon and performed by Simon and Garfunkel. It is the eighth track from the American pop duo's fifth and final studio album, Bridge Over Troubled Water...
" – 3:58
Recorded: November 15, 1969
- "Why Don't You Write Me" – 2:45
Recorded: November 8, 1969
- "Bye Bye Love
"Bye Bye Love" is a popular song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and published in 1957. It is best known in a debut recording by The Everly Brothers, issued by Cadence Records as catalog number 1315. The song reached #2 on the US Billboard Pop charts and #1 on the Cash Box Best Selling...
" (Felice and Boudleaux BryantFelice Bryant and Boudleaux Bryant were an American wife and husband country music songwriting team who were also at the forefront of the evolution of pop music...
) (live recording from Ames, IowaAmes is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. It is the principal city of the Ames, Iowa...
) – 2:55
Recorded: November 14, 1969
- "Song for the Asking" – 1:49
Recorded: November 1, 1969
Bonus tracks (2001 CD reissue)
- "Feuilles-O" [Demo] (Traditional) – 1:45
Recorded: August 11, 1969
- "Bridge over Troubled Water" [Demo Take 6] – 4:46
Recorded: August 13, 1969
Outtakes
The songs "Cuba Si, Nixon No," "Groundhog," and the demo "Feuilles-O" (later Garfunkel released "Feuilles-Oh/Do Space Men Pass Dead Souls on Their Way to the Moon?" as the flip to his "I Shall Sing") were recorded during sessions but not released on the album. "Cuba Si, Nixon No" was later released on a bootleg copy of a November 11, 1969 concert by Simon and Garfunkel at
Miami UniversityMiami University is a coeducational public university located in the college town of Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809 and is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and second oldest in the U.S. state of Ohio. Miami is cited as one of the eight original Public...
in
Oxford, OhioOxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States, in the southwestern portion of the state. It lies in Oxford Township, originally called the College Township. The population was 21,943 at the 2000 census. This college town was founded as a home for Miami University. Oxford...
, while the demo recording of "Feuilles-O" was later released on the
Old Friends and
The Columbia Studio Recordings (1964–1970) box sets.
A remastered and expanded version of the album was released on CD in 2001, also containing "Feuilles-O" and a previously unreleased demo version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water."
Personnel
- Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter. He entered the public consciousness in 1965 as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, along with longtime artistic partner Art Garfunkel. Simon solely wrote most of duo's songs, including such memorable songs as "The Sound of Silence", "The Boxer",...
— lead vocals, guitarThe guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
- Art Garfunkel
Arthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel is an American singer, poet and actor, best known as half of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel.-Early life and career:...
— lead vocals
- Los Incas
Los Incas is a group known for Andean music. They are best known in North America for accompanying Simon and Garfunkel on the song El Condor Pasa included on the duo's fifth album, Bridge Over Troubled Water...
— Peruvian instrumentsThe music of Peru is an amalgamation of sounds and styles drawing on Peru's Andean musical roots and Spanish musical influences.Native Peruvian music is dominated by the national instrument, the charango. The charango is a type of mandolin, and was invented in the Viceroyalty of Peru by musicians...
- Joe Osborn
Joe Osborn is an American bass guitar virtuoso, notable for his work as a session musician in Los Angeles and Nashville during the period from the 1960s through the 1980s...
— bass guitarThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
- Larry Knechtel
Lawrence William "Larry" Knechtel was an American keyboard player and bassist, best known for his work as a session musician with such artists as Simon & Garfunkel, Duane Eddy, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & the Papas, The Doors, and Elvis Presley, and as a member of the 1970s band,...
— pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Fred Carter, Jr.
Fred Carter, Jr. is a guitarist, singer, producer and composer. Beginning his professional career in the 1950s, the record charts are replete with his fingerprints across a number of genres...
— guitar
- Hal Blaine
Hal Blaine is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, Simon & Garfunkel, The Carpenters and the Beach Boys...
— drumsA drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
- Pete Drake
Pete Drake , born Roddis Franklin Drake, was a major Nashville, Tennessee-based record producer and pedal steel guitar player....
— Steel guitarSteel guitar is a type of guitar and/or the method of playing the instrument. The name steel guitar comes not from the material of which the guitar is made, but from the name of the steel, a slide held in the left hand....
, DobroDobro is a trade name now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
- Jimmy Haskell and Ernie Freeman
Ernie Freeman was an American pianist and arranger.In 1935 he began playing in local Cleveland area nightclubs, and also formed a classical music trio for local social functions with his father and his sister Evelyn...
— strings
- ? - flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind group. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, saxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bored transposing musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by Adolphe Sax in 1841...
s, horn sectionIn music, a horn section refers to two separate groups of musicians. It can refer to the musicians in a symphony orchestra who play the horn . In popular music, it can also refer to a small group of wind instrumentalists who augment a band...
Awards and ratings
In the 1971 Grammy Awards' ceremony the album (and its contents) won six Grammys:
- Record of the Year — "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (relates to one track)
- Album of the Year — Bridge Over Troubled Water (relates to the whole album)
- Best Contemporary Pop Song — "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
- Song of the Year — "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
- Best Engineered Recording (Non-Classical) — Bridge Over Troubled Water
- Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) — "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
Album
| Year |
Chart |
Position |
| 1970 |
Billboard Pop Albums (Billboard 200) |
1 (10 weeks) |
| 1970 |
Australian Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
Albums Chart |
1 (15 weeks) |
| 1970 |
United Kingdom Albums Chart |
1 (33 weeks) |
| 1970 |
Germany Albums Chart |
1 (17 weeks) |
| 1970 |
The Netherlands Albums Chart |
1 (17 weeks) |
| 1970 |
Norway Albums Chart |
1 (14 weeks) |
| 1970 |
Spain Albums Chart |
1 (20 weeks) |
| 1970 |
France Albums Chart |
1 (2 weeks) |
| 1970 |
Chile Albums Chart |
1 (20 weeks) |
| 1970 |
Japan Albums Chart |
1 |
Singles
Billboard Music Charts (North America) — singles
| Year |
Single |
Chart |
Position |
| 1969 |
"The Boxer" |
Pop Singles |
7 |
| 1969 |
"The Boxer" |
Adult Contemporary |
3 |
| 1970 |
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" |
Pop Singles |
1 |
| 1970 |
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" |
Adult Contemporary |
1 |
| 1970 |
"Cecilia" |
Pop Singles |
4 |
| 1970 |
"El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" |
Pop Singles |
18 |
| 1970 |
"El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" |
Adult Contemporary |
6 |