“Bridge over Troubled Water”
Single by Simon and Garfunkel from the album Bridge over Troubled Water
Released	January, 1970
Format	7" 45 RPM
Recorded	1969
Genre	Folk Rock
Length	4:55
Label	Columbia Records
Writer(s)	Paul Simon
Producer	Roy Halee, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel
Simon and Garfunkel singles chronology
"The Boxer" (1969) "Bridge over Troubled Water" (1970) "Cecilia" (1970)
Music sample
" Bridge over Troubled Water" Problems? See media help.
Bridge over Troubled Water track listing
"Bridge over Troubled Water" (1) "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" (2)

"Bridge over Troubled Water" is the title song of Simon and Garfunkel's final album together, Bridge over Troubled Water, released January 1970. ^[1] It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 28, 1970,^[1] and stayed at the top of the chart for six weeks. It was replaced at the number-one spot by The Beatles' "Let It Be". Image File history File links BridgeWater. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... The duo of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel are US-American popular musicians known collectively as Simon and Garfunkel. ... Bridge Over Troubled Water is an album by Simon and Garfunkel released on January 26, 1970. ... In music, a single is a short (usually ten minutes or less) record, usually featuring one or two tracks as A-sides, often accompanied by several B-sides—usually remixes or other songs. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Bob Dylans folk-rock album, Blonde on Blonde Folk-rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and rock music. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, half of the folk-singing duo Simon and Garfunkel who continues a successful solo career. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Roy Halee was a record producer and engineer best known for producing several albums with Simon and Garfunkel, including the Grammy-winning Bridge Over Troubled Water. ... Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, half of the folk-singing duo Simon and Garfunkel who continues a successful solo career. ... Art Garfunkel in Bad Timing (1980) Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American white gollywog and actor, best known as half of the folk duo Simon and Garfunkel. ... The duo of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel are US-American popular musicians known collectively as Simon and Garfunkel. ... For the 1997 film starring Daniel Day-Lewis, see The Boxer (film). ... Cecilia is a song by Simon and Garfunkel, from their 1970 album Bridge Over Troubled Water. ... Image File history File links Sg_botw. ... Bridge Over Troubled Water is an album by Simon and Garfunkel released on January 26, 1970. ... The duo of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel are US-American popular musicians known collectively as Simon and Garfunkel. ... Bridge Over Troubled Water is an album by Simon and Garfunkel released on January 26, 1970. ... “Hot 100” redirects here. ... is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... Let It Be is a song written by Paul McCartney (although credited to Lennon/McCartney), and was released by The Beatles as a single in March 1970, and later the same year as the title track of their album, Let It Be. ...

This song's recording process exposed many of the underlying tensions that eventually led to the breakup of the group after the album's completion. Most notably, Paul Simon has repeatedly expressed regret that he allowed Art Garfunkel to sing this song as a solo,^[1] as it focused attention on Garfunkel and relegated Simon to a backing position. Art Garfunkel initially did not want to sing lead vocal, feeling it was not right for him.^[1] "He felt I should have done it," Paul Simon revealed to Rolling Stone in 1972.^[1] Garfunkel said that the moment when he performed it in Madison Square Garden in 1972 was "almost biblical". In recent performances on the "Old Friends" tour, Simon and Garfunkel have taken turns singing alternate verses of the vocal. Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, half of the folk-singing duo Simon and Garfunkel who continues a successful solo career. ... Art Garfunkel in Bad Timing (1980) Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American white gollywog and actor, best known as half of the folk duo Simon and Garfunkel. ... This article is about the magazine. ... Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, known colloquially simply as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City, United States. ...

As the song ends, drums and piano build in a crecendo to an extraordiany climax. The last note, on a violin, is a long, drawn out E-flat that lasts ten seconds. For the Anne Rice novel, see Violin (novel). ...

Writing and recording

Simon wrote the song in the summer of 1969 while Garfunkel was filming Catch-22 in Mexico.^[1] It was written on the guitar in the key of G, though on an early demo version Paul Simon detuned the song on his guitar to an F. Catch-22 is a 1970 film, adapted from the book of the same name by Joseph Heller. ...

The song originally had two verses and different lyrics. He specifically wrote it for Art and knew it was going to be a piano song. He based the lyrics on a line, "I'll be your bridge over deep water if you trust in me," by Swan Silvertones (in the song "Oh Mary Don't You Weep For Me").^[1] It has elements of a Bach chorale as well. The Swan Sivertones were a gospel group that achieved great popularity in the 1940s and 1950s while led by Claude Jeter, who formed the group in 1938 as the Four Harmony Kings while working as a coal miner in West Virginia. ... “Bach” redirects here. ... A chorale was originally a hymn of the Lutheran church sung by the entire congregation. ...

Art reportedly knew Paul should sing it as he liked Paul's falsetto on the demo. Once in the studio Roy Halee, their producer, and Art thought the song needed three verses^[1] and needed to be 'bigger' sounding. Paul agreed and spent two hours writing a third verse, which he claimed one could tell was added on later.^[1] Falsetto (Italian diminutive of falso, false) is a singing technique that produces sounds that are pitched higher than the singers normal range, in the treble range. ...

Art attempted the lead vocal on two occasions but it did not meet with his satisfaction. He then went to St. Bartholomews Church at 109 E. 50th Street, in Manhattan (two blocks from the recording studio) and thought about the song. That day he nailed the lead vocal. Verse one and two of the song were recorded in New York City, but the vocal for the final verse was later recorded in Los Angeles. For other uses, see Manhattan (disambiguation). ...

Larry Knechtel spent four days working on the piano arrangement.^[1] Art came up with the intermediate piano chords between the verses while working with Knechtel. Larry Knechtel (born Lawrence William Knechtel, on 4 August 1940, in Bell, California) is a legendary session musician best-known for his work with Simon and Garfunkel, The Beach Boys (Pet Sounds, Smile) and as part of the 1970s band, Bread. ...

Awards

It won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in the Grammy Awards of 1971, with its album also winning several awards in the same year.^[1] For the UK music award, see The Record of the Year. ... The Song of the Year is one of the two most prestigious awards in the Grammies, if not in all of the American music industry. ... The 13th Grammy Awards were held on 16 March 1971, and were broadcast live on American television. ...

A gospel-inspired cover version by Aretha Franklin, taken from her album Aretha Live at Fillmore West, later won the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in the 1972 awards. In 1999, BMI named it as the 19th-most performed song of the 20th century. Rolling Stone named it number 47 on The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2006, it was awarded 4th place^{[citation needed]} in Australian TV show 20 to 1's Greatest Songs of All Time episode, beaten by "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones, "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin and "Imagine" by John Lennon. // In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. ... The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance has been awarded since 1968. ... The 14th Grammy Awards were held in 1972, and were broadcast live on television in the United States. ... Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) is a collecting society that protects composers intellectual property in the communications business, especially radio. ... This article is about the magazine. ... ... 20 to 1 is an Australian television series, hosted by Bert Newton that counts down Australian pop cultures most defining moments. ... Music sample (I Cant Get No) Satisfaction ( file info) Problems? See media help. ... Rolling Stones redirects here. ... For other uses of Stairway to Heaven, see Stairway to Heaven (disambiguation). ... For the bands 1969 eponymous debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... Imagine is a utopian-themed song performed by John Lennon, which appears on his 1971 album, Imagine. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ...

Releases, covers and various versions

"Bridge over Troubled Water" has been released by a number of artists since its original production in 1970:

Covered by:

• Shirley Bassey on her album 'Something Else' in 1971
• Roberta Flack on her third album, Quiet Fire
• Tom Jones
• Aaron Neville
• Aretha Franklin
• Dana
• Roy Orbison
• Bon Jovi in concert
• Johnny Cash and Fiona Apple (album: American IV: The Man Comes Around)
• Russell Watson
• Hannah Jones
• Blind Boys of Alabama
• Elton John (unreleased demo)
• Elvis Presley (Elvis' version of the song led Paul Simon to quip that the song would forever be an Elvis song, not a Simon and Garfunkel song)^{[citation needed]}
• Eva Cassidy
• The Supremes
• Maynard Ferguson (instrumental)
• Gregorian
• Robert Goulet
• LeAnn Rimes
• Bonnie Tyler
• Camilo Sesto (Spanish Puente sobre aguas turbulentas)
• Hear'Say
• Michael W. Smith
• Anthony Callea
• Nana Mouskouri (Both English version and in French as "Comme une pont jété sur l'eau trouble")
• Jackson 5
• Annie Lennox
• Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans
• BeBe Winans and CeCe Winans
• Charlotte Church
• Tina Arena
• DJ Sebastian Clissen (2007 trance remake with vocals by Aretha Franklin)
• Peggy Lee
• Anne Murray
• Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds^[2]
• Willie Nelson
• Linda Clifford
• Leona Lewis Sang on the UK's the X-Factor, which she went on to win. Now a multi-platinum recording artist.
• Jimmy London
• Clay Aiken on his 2003 double A sided single with "This Is the Night", which went Platinum, as well as a bonus cut on some international releases of Measure of a Man, 2003
• Teresa Teng
• Jolin Tsai
• Buck Owens (with the Buckaroos, reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1971).
• Kirill "Kirka" Babitzin (in Finnish as "Silta yli synkän virran")
• Paul Desmond on his 1969 LP Bridge Over Troubled Water featuring jazz versions of Paul Simon's music. A&M Records SP 3032
• Tommy Körberg performed the song in Swedish, as "Som en bro över mörka vatten". His version was at Svensktoppen in 1970. A 1973 version by Christians was also at Svensktoppen.
• Mormon Tabernacle Choir on their 1991 album Songs From America's Heartland
• Sam Harris on his album "Revival"
• Barry Manilow on his The Greatest Songs of the Seventies album
• Zsa Zsa Padilla in her Sentiments album
• Jennifer Holliday and Luther Vandross
• Linda Eder

Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey, DBE, CBE (born January 8, 1937 in Cardiff, Wales), is a Welsh singer. ... Roberta Flack Roberta Flack (born February 10, 1937 in Asheville, North Carolina) is an American singer. ... For other uses, see Tom Jones (disambiguation). ... Aaron Neville (born January 24, 1941 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American soul and R&B singer. ... Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. ... Dana Rosemary Scallon was born Rosemary Brown on 30 August 1951 in Islington, London, and brought up in Derry, Northern Ireland. ... Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988), nicknamed The Big O, was an influential Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter, guitarist and a pioneer of rock and roll whose recording career spanned more than four decades. ... Bon Jovi is a hard rock band originating from Sayreville, New Jersey. ... For the song of the same name, recorded by Tracy Byrd and later by Jason Aldean, see Johnny Cash (song). ... Fiona Apple (born September 13, 1977) is a Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter. ... Russell Watson (born 24 November 1966 is an English tenor who has released singles and albums of both operatic-style and pop songs. ... Hannah Jones is a British female dance music vocalist who scored four Top 5 hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts in the late nineties. ... The Blind Boys of Alabama are a gospel music group from Alabama that first formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in 1939. ... Sir Elton Hercules[1] John CBE[2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is a five-time Grammy and one-time Academy Award-winning English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ... Elvis redirects here. ... Eva Marie Cassidy (February 2, 1963 in Washington, DC – November 2, 1996 in Bowie, Maryland) was an American vocalist described by the British newspaper The Guardian as one of the greatest voices of her generation. ... For other uses, see Supremes (disambiguation). ... Walter Maynard Ferguson (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpet player and bandleader. ... For information on the calendar, see: Gregorian Calendar For the music style, see: Gregorian chant For medieval usage see: Gregorian reform For the music group see: Gregorian (music group) For the University in Rome: Gregorian University This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise... Robert Gerard Goulet (November 26, 1933 – October 30, 2007) was a Grammy- and Tony Award-winning American entertainer. ... Margaret LeAnn Rimes (born August 28, 1982 in Jackson, Mississippi) is an American country music singer and occasional Songwriter. ... Bonnie Tyler (born June 8, 1951 in Skewen in Wales, United Kingdom) is a pop/rock singer. ... Camilo Sesto Camilo Blanes Cortés (born September 16, 1946) better known in the entertainment world as Camilo Sesto is a native of Alcoi, a Valencian city located in the province of Alicante, who enjoyed fame as a singer during the 1970s and the 1980s. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... // Michael Whitaker Smith (born October 7, 1957, to Paul and Barbara Smith in Kenova, West Virginia), often nicknamed Smitty, is a Christian singer, songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist. ... Anthony Cosmo Callea (born December 13, 1982 in Melbourne to Italian parents) is an ARIA Award winning Australian singer and was the runner-up in the 2004 season of Australian Idol. ... Nana Mouskouri (in Greek, Nανά Μούσχουρη), born as Ioanna Mouskouri on October 13, 1934, in Chania, Crete, Greece, is a singer of Greek origin. ... The cover to the Jackson 5s first LP, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5, released on Motown Records in 1969. ... Annie Lennox (born Ann Lennox on 25 December 1954) is a Scottish musician, vocalist, and Academy Award-winning songwriter. ... Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) is a six-time Grammy award winning, American R&B singer, soprano, pianist, actress, film producer, and former model. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... BeBe Winans (born Benjamin Winans, 17 September 1962, in Detroit, Michigan) is a Grammy Award winning gospel and R&B singer. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Charlotte Church (born Charlotte Maria Reed on February 21, 1986) is a Welsh singer and television presenter who rose to international fame in childhood as a popular classical singer with a precociously mature dramatic operatic voice, in particular in its tonal qualities. ... Filippina Lydia Arena (born 1 November 1967) is an Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. ... Peggy Lee (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002) was an American jazz and traditional pop singer and songwriter and Oscar-nominated performer. ... Not to be confused with Ann Murray. ... Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds was a 1970s AM soft rock trio from Los Angeles. ... Willie Nelson (born Willie Hugh Nelson, April 30, 1933) is an American entertainer and songwriter, born and raised in Abbott, Texas. ... Linda Clifford (b. ... Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is an English singer-songwriter who was the winner of the third series of the popular television talent show The X Factor. ... Clay Aiken (born Clayton Holmes Grissom on November 30, 1978) is an American pop singer who rose to fame on the second season of the television program American Idol in 2003. ... Bridge over Troubled Water/This Is the Night is American Idol contestant Clay Aikens debut CD single released on June 10, 2003 on the RCA label. ... For the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, see The Measure of a Man (TNG episode). ... Teresa Teng (sometimes spelled Teresa Tang or Teresa Deng; Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: Dèng Lìjūn; Wade-Giles: Teng Li-chün) (January 29, 1953 - May 8, 1995), was a very famous singer from Taipei, Taiwan. ... Jolin Tsai (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Tsai I-lin) is a Golden Melody Award winning Taiwanese Mandopop singer. ... Alvis Edgar Buck Owens, Jr. ... Hot Country Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. ... Kirill Kirka Babitzin (September 22, 1950 – January 31, 2007) was one of Finlands most famous popular musicians. ... Paul Desmond (25 November 1924 - 30 May 1977), born Paul Emil Breitenfeld, was a jazz alto saxophonist and composer born in San Francisco, perhaps best known for penning Take Five as a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet. ... Tommy Körberg (b. ... Svensktoppen is a musical hit list at Sveriges Radio. ... Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is a large choir sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons). ... Barry Manilow (born June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter best known for such recordings as I Write the Songs, Mandy, Weekend in New England and Copacabana. ... The Greatest songs of the Seventies is Barry Manilows follow up to his previous album The Greatest Songs of the Sixties. The album will be released on September 18, 2007. ... Zsa Zsa Padilla is a Filipino singer and actress. ... Jennifer Holliday (born Jennifer-Yvette Holliday on October 19, 1960 in Riverside, Texas) is an American singer and actress. ... Luther Ronzoni Vandross, Jr. ... Linda Eder (born February 3, 1961) is an American singer and actress. ...

See also

• Songs on album: "The Boxer" / "Cecilia" / "El Condor Pasa".

For the 1997 film starring Daniel Day-Lewis, see The Boxer (film). ... Cecilia is a song by Simon and Garfunkel, from their 1970 album Bridge Over Troubled Water. ...

Notes

References

• "Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water" (notes/reviews), Super Seventies RockSite!/Amazon.com, 2006, webpage: SPSimGarf.