Published on Feb 1, 2006
Surprise was my reaction when I found out there was
no review of Bridge Over Troubled Water on the Vault.
Apparently, it was one of the biggest-selling albums of its time,
and a few of the tracks have become standards over the years. So
really, it was up to me to find out whether the disc lives up to
the hype.
Folk music really isn’t my cup of tea. It’s not
terrible, and while I’m warming up to it, there aren’t very many
folk artists on the iPod. That is probably why up to this point I
did not own a Simon & Garfunkel album. My mistake. If the best
of folk music sounds anything like Bridge Over Troubled
Water, I’ve been missing out.
Lord knows how many music critics out there have
analyzed and studied “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” but here we go.
I rarely use the word “beautiful” to describe a song, but it fits
perfectly here. Art Garfunkel’s soaring tenor ranks up there with
some of the best vocals I have ever heard. His voice is calm and
soothing, but as the song progresses it gains in intensity as the
music fills itself with an orchestral wall of sound, climaxing in
the crashing, loud final moments. Paul Simon, being the gifted
lyricist that he is, put down on paper some of my favorite lyrics.
A bridge over troubled water in the context of the song can mean
anything to anyone; God, friend, spouse, sibling. The best lyrics
have multiple interpretations and provoke strong feelings. This
track is the complete package, and for my money ranks up there with
the absolute classics.
The other two big hits off the album, “Cecilia,” and
“The Boxer,” are classics in their own right as well. While neither
approaches the complexity and emotional foundation of the title
track, they should not be dismissed. “Cecilia” foreshadows Simon’s
future experimentation with unique sounds, utilizing a South
American beat to great effect. It is one of those pure pop singles
that never gets old. “The Boxer” sports a killer chorus; I would
wager that people who don’t know the song or the artist too well
will recognize the refrain.
Where Bridge Over Troubled Water really
impressed me was in the quality of the album tracks. The best of
them have just as strong melodies as the hits. The sound was
different than I expected as well; I heard bits of Dylan, the
Beatles, Brian Wilson, Phil Spector and Springsteen scattered
throughout. While I’m not sure the album goes so far as to be
classified as rock, it certainly was more up-tempo and produced
than what in my experience folk music generally has been.
“The Only Living Boy In New York” has experienced a
resurgence lately thanks to its inclusion in the Garden
State soundtrack, and while I haven’t seen the movie, it sounds
like the perfect song to be listening to while driving down the
road, not particularly going anywhere. Take special note of the
stunning background vocals. The rollicking “Keep The Customer
Satisfied” takes things up another notch, with the inclusion of a
driving horn section. “Why Don’t You Write” literally steals huge
portions of “Pet Sounds.” It’s these small production touches that
make Bridge Over Troubled Water derivative of the sounds
floating around the 60’s, but they are put together in a very
unique style.
To be perfectly frank, the only “dud” I found on the
album was a sedated cover of “Bye Bye Love.” Given the fact that
it’s a live track, you’d think it would have been more upbeat. Give
me the Central Park version of “Wake Up Little Susie” for a
50’s cover from the boys. I do, however, love the closing, “Song
For The Asking” It’s short and sweet, reminding me of Elton John’s
“Goodbye,” which closed out Madman Across The Water. Both
sum up their individual albums perfectly, and I wish both went on
longer.
Despite all the hype surrounding this album, I did
not have that many high expectations for it. It merely would have
to be good for me to enjoy it. Luckily, as albums occasionally do,
Bridge Over Troubled Water went above and beyond the call of
duty. You could probably make the case for this record to be one of
the top ten to come out of the 70s. Despite not having heard much
of Simon & Garfunkel’s catalog, I imagine it didn’t get any
better than here.