1. Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel)

Paul Simon wrote this about providing comfort to a person in need. It started as a modest Gospel hymn but became more dramatic as he put it together.

Art Garfunkel sang this alone, although he thought Simon should have sung it. Says Simon, "Many times I'm sorry I didn't do it."

The production was based on Phil Spector's "Old Man River" by The Righteous Brothers. Spector is famous for his "Wall Of Sound" production technique.

This is one of the most covered songs ever. In the '70s, so many people sang a version of this that it became a joke.

This was one of the few songs to top the US and UK charts at the same time. It was #1 in the US for 6 weeks, #1 in the UK for 3.

In 1971, this won 5 Grammys: Song Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Best Contemporary Song, Best Engineered Record, and Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists. The album also won Album Of The Year.

Bridge Over Troubled Water was the last album Simon & Garfunkel released before they split up. It is the biggest selling ever for Columbia Records.

Elvis Presley did a version of this song that helped win over many critics who claimed he was not a great vocalist. It appears on his 1970 album That's The Way It Is.
Paul Simon said this about the Elvis recording: "It was in his Las Vegas period and done with conventional thinking. He sang it well, but it would have been nice to hear him do it Gospel because he did so many Gospel albums and was a good white Gospel singer. It would have been nice to hear him do it that way, to take it back - as opposed to the big ending; he seemed to end everything with a karate chop and an explosion. So he didn't really add anything to the song. It's not nearly as significant as the Aretha Franklin recording. It's just a pleasure for me that Elvis Presley recorded one of my songs before he died." 

The big "explosion" sound is a baby grand piano being slammed shut.

Larry Knechtel from the soft-rock group Bread played piano.

The line "Sail on, silver girl" is often reputed to refer to a needle (meaning the song is about heroin) but it actually refers to Simon's girlfriend (and later wife) Peggy Harper who found a few gray hairs and was upset. The lyric was meant as a joke - Simon calling her "Silver Girl" because of her hair. 

The sound of the drum that enters in the middle of the song was obtained when engineer Roy Halee put a snare drum at the bottom of an elevator shaft and placed a microphone at the top of the shaft. Within the music industry, this was a much discussed and much admired sound.

Simon started writing this In 1969 at a summer house that he and Garfunkel rented on Blue Jay Way in Los Angeles (Garfunkel was in Mexico acting in the film Catch 22 at the time). It was the same house where George Harrison wrote The Beatles song "Blue Jay Way."

Simon wrote this in the key of G, but since Garfunkel sang in E-flat, the chords had to be transposed. This was accomplished by Jimmy Haskell, who did the strings for the song and was credited as co-arranger. 

Simon played a stark version of this at the 2001 "Tribute To Heroes" benefit telethon for the victims of the terrorist attacks on America. Other performers included Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Mariah Carey. Almost 60 million people watched the show in the US. To put that in perspective, the Super Bowl draws about 80 million viewers.

This was included on the 2001 Columbia Records benefit CD God Bless America. Proceeds from the disc went to the Twin Towers Fund.

2003 American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken released this as his first single after the show. Aiken lost to Ruben Studdard, but still gained massive publicity from the show.

In 2008 it was reported that Paul Simon sued a musical clock company for using this song without permission. His lawyers claimed that Rhythm Watch Co Ltd and its subsidiary had used its tune on 40,000 clocks, making a profit of around $3.7 million.