Second appointment dedicated to Simon & Garfunkel: today we talk about "Bookends".

 

If for "Sounds of Silence" (1966) the design and production work was rather hasty due to market demands, in the subsequent "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme" (1966) Simon and Garfunkel decided to take greater creative control. Several successful singles were drawn from the album, including a reinterpretation of the famous traditional English ballad "Scarborough Fair". However, during the recording sessions, Simon already showed the first signs of writer's block that would prevent the duo from releasing until the following year. The artist's low productivity did not go unnoticed by Columbia executives, who, in line with the standards of the time, aimed to release two/three albums a year. Fortunately, the solution was not long in coming: director Mike Nichols, working on his latest film, "The Graduate" (1967), proposed to the duo to compose the soundtrack. Simon, although skeptical at first, later accepted the offer, struck by Nichols' irreverent spirit. Thus "Bookends" (1968) was born, a concept album that traverses the various stages of life, metaphorically bounded by bookends and explored in their fundamental themes, from human relationships to the sense of alienation, from the hopes of youth to the disenchantment of adulthood. It is a short and concise album, where every detail reveals an almost maniacal perfectionist care: just think that the recording of "Punky's Dilemma" alone required the team 50 hours of work. The vocal parts were sometimes re-recorded note by note, making the duo's distinctive harmonies give way to predominantly solo parts. The guitar arpeggio of "Bookends Theme" opens the album, and returns at the end of side A, urging us to preserve our memories ("Preserve your memories / They're all that's left you"). The atmosphere becomes noisy and disorienting in the subsequent "Save The Life of My Child", which tells the desperate attempt of a mother to prevent her son's suicide. Towards the end of the song, among distorted electronic sounds and lashing guitars, the opening of "The Sound of Silence" appears, almost foreshadowing the young man's fatal destiny. Next is "America", a protest song about the search for values and ideals of an America that seems to have disappeared, as well as the trust placed in love in "Overs", a melancholic jazz-folk sung by Simon. The tenderness of "Voices of Old People" then moves, a collage of recordings in which the guests of two nursing homes think out loud about old photos found and their state of health. The crescendo of strings and winds of the nostalgic "Old Friends" closes, along with the reprise of "Bookends Theme", the first part of the album. From here, a collection of pieces generally disconnected from each other but characterized by a more rock sound begins, such as "Fakin' It" and "Punky Dilemma". The highlight of the album is the famous "Mrs. Robinson": introduced by a memorable guitar riff and characterized by a catchy chorus, it was supposed to be titled "Mrs. Roosevelt", in homage to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt for her commitment to defending the rights of women and the African American community. This second series of songs is closed by "A Hazy Shade of Winter" and "At the Zoo", also chosen among the launch singles. Critics generally show positive reactions to "Bookends", praising the songwriting and compositional talent of the New York duo, as well as the attention given to production and sound choice. Sales quickly bring the album to the top of the English and American charts, elevating Simon & Garfunkel to the status of artists like the Beatles and Bob Dylan on the international scene.

We leave you today with the listening of "Mrs. Robinson", the first rock 'n roll song in the history of the Grammy Awards to win the Record of the Year award in 1969.