Bridge over Troubled Water (song)

"Bridge over Troubled Water" is a song by the American folk duo Simon & Garfunkel, released in January 1970 as the second single from their fifth studio album, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970). It was written by Paul Simon and produced by Simon & Garfunkel and Roy Halee.

"Bridge Over Troubled Water"

"Keep the Customer Satisfied"

January 20, 1970 (1970-01-20)

August, November 1969

Pop rock^[1] · gospel^[2] · soft rock^[3]

4:55

Columbia

Paul Simon

"Bridge over Troubled Water" features lead vocals by Art Garfunkel and a piano accompaniment influenced by gospel music, with a "Wall of Sound"-style production.^[4]^[5] It was the last song recorded for the album, but the first completed.^[6] The instrumentation, provided by the Wrecking Crew, was recorded in California, while Simon and Garfunkel's vocals were recorded in New York.^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9] Simon felt Garfunkel should sing solo, an invitation Garfunkel initially declined.^[10] Session musician Larry Knechtel performs piano, with Joe Osborn playing bass guitar and Hal Blaine on drums.

The song won five awards at the 13th Annual Grammy Awards in 1971, including Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It is Simon & Garfunkel's most successful single, and it is often considered their signature song. It topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for six weeks, and was the No. 1 song on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1970. It also hit number one in the United Kingdom, Canada, France and New Zealand. It reached the top five in eight other countries, eventually selling over six million copies worldwide. It became one of the most performed songs of the 20th century, covered by over 50 artists, including Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin and Johnny Cash. It is ranked number 66 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

– lead vocals

Art Garfunkel

– backing vocals

Paul Simon

– piano

Larry Knechtel

– bass guitar

Joe Osborn

– drums and percussion

Hal Blaine

– vibraphone

Gary Coleman

Ernie Freeman – string arrangements

Jimmie Haskell

Critical reception[edit]

Billboard called it a "beautiful, almost religious-oriented ballad" whose "performance and arrangement are perfect."^[27] Cash Box said that "set in parable, this love ballad carries a two-level interpretation" and praised "Garfunkel’s magnificent vocal performance and the material."^[28] Record World predicted that the song would "equal [the duo's] 'Boxer' success."^[29]

The song has also been lauded as one of the greatest by Simon & Garfunkel. In 2017, The Guardian called the song one of the best by the duo, describing it as "heart-stirring".^[30] The Independent similarly lauded the song in 2020, calling it "a transcendent experience" and ranking it as the best song by the group.^[31]

Commercial performance[edit]

Despite the song's five-minute length, Columbia decided to release "Bridge over Troubled Water" for play on pop radio. AM radio had previously played Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" in 1965, despite its running over the conventional three-minute playtime limit. This figured in Columbia's decision to release the five-minute version of "Bridge over Troubled Water" as a single.^[32] 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 contemporary chart in the US for six weeks.^[33] Billboard ranked it as the No. 1 song for 1970.^[34]

The song was certified Gold for over one million copies in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America,^[35] and sold over six million copies worldwide.^[36]^[37]