Iconic in an instant: The song Paul Simon knew was “very special” straight away
The sound of the 1960s is more often attributed to the all-singing-all-dancing swagger of the British invasion bands. The swinging scene in London provided enough social collateral that it is only when looking back from the vantage point of the 21st century that we can see every facet of what made the decade such a foundational cultural behemoth. One major player in that story was Paul Simon.
While London is often considered the epicentre of Britain’s dominance over the 1960s, Paul Simon made a special effort to break out and find himself among the flowing green hills of the British countryside. The expeditions, though long, tiresome and perhaps even a little boring, though they were, the trips would provide him with some of his most beloved work with Simon and Garfunkel. While ‘Homeward Bound’ a song written while sitting on the blustery train station of Widnes, is perhaps the most famous, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ was, for a time, also considered to have its roots in England.
The two men were frequent flyers over the Atlantic and made sure their footsteps could be found all across the country, including Devon. The duo visited the site of Bickleigh Bridge, a picturesque spot in East Devon, who had claimed the spot from which Simon had penned the track. However, on a promotional tour in 2003, Art Garfunkel confirmed the song was inspired by sources closer to their home: “No – I’m sorry about that! ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ is a gospel phrase which Paul took from a gospel group. It was in a Baptist church hymn. He liked the phrase, and he used it.”
Simon has had his hand in some of the most delicately poised folk-pop songs of the 20th century and it feels fitting that this tune may have arrived, to some degree at list, from on high. Simon was a composer who relied on gut feeling a lot of the time, and while he certainly can’t always attest to knowing what will and won’t be a successfully-selling song, for ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ he had an instant feeling of its iconic presence.
Speaking as part of a 1984 interview with Playboy, Simon was asked whether the track’s forthcoming hit status was apparent as soon as he put pen to paper, replying: “No. I did say, ‘This is very special’. I didn’t think it was a hit, because I didn’t think they’d play a five-minute song on the radio.” At that time, the radio was key to ensuring your song became popular and with most stations preferring a three-minute-or-less pop track, Simon wasn’t sure it would get sufficient airplay to reach the heights it did.
Simon’s composition usually started out as small permutations of his thoughts, and ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ was the same, beginning life as a two-verse ditty. However, Simon and Garfunkel co-producer Roy Halee “wanted to add a third verse and drums to make it huge. Their tendency was to make things bigger and lusher and sweet. Mine was to keep things more raw,” Simon shared.
The songwriter mused that the combination of these two ideals is what led to many of the group’s successes. While he was sure his own two-verse version would have been successful, he credits the third verse introduction for the song’s longstanding success, claiming “it wouldn’t have been the monster hit it became,” if not for the extended lyrics.
Even in 1984, ‘Bridge over Troubled Water’ was regarded with an anthemic status. For Simon, the original intent behind the song was now lost to the public, claiming he now felt “totally detached. I don’t feel that ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ even belongs to me.”
While that may feel like a statement tinged with sadness, it is important to realise just how impressive such a feat is. The song is now no longer a part of the inner-sanctum of Simon and Garfunkel fans but a tune shared, celebrated and beloved across generations, borders and everything in between.