History Music / SimonAndGarfunkel

* PuttingTheBandBackTogether: More than once. The duo first reunited at a benefit concert for Democratic presidential candidate UsefulNotes/GeorgeMcGovern in 1982. They got together to record the single "My Little Town" in 1975, as well as for a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' appearance later that year. They teamed up with Music/JamesTaylor in 1978 for a cover of Music/SamCooke's "(What a) Wonderful World". In 1981 they came together for a free concert in New York's Central Park, which drew a crowd of over 500,000 people and was televised on Creator/{{HBO}}. This led to a world tour and their first new album in over a decade--until Simon mixed Garfunkel's vocals out of the album completely and released it as a solo album titled ''Hearts and Bones''. In the 1990s the duo toured together briefly, and in the 2000s they reunited again and toured extensively.

* PuttingTheBandBackTogether: More than once. The duo first reunited at a benefit concert for Democratic presidential candidate UsefulNotes/GeorgeMcGovern in 1982. They got together to record the single "My Little Town" in 1975, as well as for a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' appearance later that year. In 1981 they came together for a free concert in New York's Central Park, which drew a crowd of over 500,000 people and was televised on Creator/{{HBO}}. This led to a world tour and their first new album in over a decade--until Simon mixed Garfunkel's vocals out of the album completely and released it as a solo album titled ''Hearts and Bones''. In the 1990s the duo toured together briefly, and in the 2000s they reunited again and toured extensively.

* PuttingTheBandBackTogether: More than once. The duo reunited for a single song, "My Little Town", in 1975, as well as for a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' appearance later that year. In 1981 they came together for a free concert in New York's Central Park, which drew a crowd of over 500,000 people and was televised on Creator/{{HBO}}. This led to a world tour and their first new album in over a decade--until Simon mixed Garfunkel's vocals out of the album completely and released it as a solo album titled ''Hearts and Bones''. In the 1990s the duo toured together briefly, and in the 2000s they reunited again and toured extensively.

* PuttingTheBandBackTogether: More than once. The duo reunited for a single song, "My Little Town", in 1975. In 1981 they came together for a free concert in Central Park, New York City, which drew a crowd of over 500,000 people. This led to a world tour and their first new album in over a decade--until Simon mixed Garfunkel's vocals out of the album completely and released it as a Paul Simon solo album titled ''Hearts and Bones''. In the 1990s the duo toured together briefly, and in the 2000s they reunited again and toured extensively.

* HatedHometown: "My Little Town" finds its narrator reminiscing about the small blue-collar town he grew up in. The usual childhood memories -- going to school, riding his bike past the factories, his mother hanging laundry outside, etc. -- soon give way to a different, and more bitter, series of recollections: the small-mindedness of the residents ("It's just imagination they lack"), his own lack of independence and social standing there ("I never meant nothin', I was just my father's son"), and his restless desire to leave for the bright lights of bigger towns, and an implication that many other young people have also left for greener pastures ("Nothing but the dead and dying back in my little town").

* HatedHometown: "My Little Town" finds its narrator reminiscing about the small blue-collar town he grew up in. The usual memories of school -- riding his bike past the factories, his mother hanging laundry outside, etc. -- soon give way to a different, and more bitter, series of recollections: the small-mindedness of the residents ("It's just imagination they lack"), his own lack of independence and social standing there ("I never meant nothin', I was just my father's son"), and his restless desire to leave for the bright lights of bigger towns, and an implication that many other young people have also left for greener pastures ("Nothing but the dead and dying back in my little town").

* HatedHometown: "My Little Town" finds its narrator reminiscing about the small blue-collar town he grew up in. The usual memories of school, riding his bike past the factories, his mother hanging laundry outside, etc. soon give way to a different recollection: his restless desire to leave for the bright lights of bigger towns, and an implication that many other young people have also left for greener pastures ("Nothing but the dead and dying back in my little town").

* ChildhoodHomeRediscovery: 1975's "My Little Town" is a bittersweet reflection of their hometown as a young man visits for the first time in several years. After the usual memories of school, riding his bike past the old factory, mother hanging sheets in the wind and so forth, the return home recalls a different kind of memory: A restless desire to leave for the bright lights of bigger towns, and an implication that many younger people have also left for greener pastures ("Nothin' but the dead and dyin' back in my little town").

* DeadSparks: "Overs"

** "The Sounds of Silence" was originally released as a folk tune with the duo singing and Simon playing acoustic guitar. It went nowhere, and the duo broke up. Then the record company dubbed a whole new electric arrangement (guitar, bass, drums) onto the song and released the single again. It was a hit, and Simon and Garfunkel's career took off.

* '''Music/PaulSimon''' - lead vocals, guitar (1957–70, 1975, 1981–83, 1993, 2003–2004, 2009–2010)

* SocietyMarchesOn: "Seven O'Clock News/Silent Night" in particular. Gee, Creator/LennyBruce died this year?

They were inducted into the UsefulNotes/RockAndRollHallOfFame in 1990 ([[Music/PaulSimon Simon]] was enshrined separately as a solo act in 2001) and have won several [[UsefulNotes/GrammyAward Grammy Awards]].

* PopularityRedo: Simon, who'd gained a bit of a following as a folksinger in England, recorded and released the UK-only album ''The Paul Simon Songbook'' in 1965. It contained two new versions of songs from ''Wednesday Morning, 3 AM'' ("The Sound of Silence", "He Was My Brother"), but the rest were new songs. However, all but two of them were eventually re-recorded with Simon & Garfunkel. Even the two that weren't still got used: "A Church is Burning" was performed live, and "The Side of a Hill" was altered into the "Canticle" counterpoint of "Scarborough Fair".

** In 1967 they recorded two carols ("The Star Carol" and "Comfort and Joy") for a planned Christmas single. It was never released, though the A-side turned up on a couple of multi-artist Christmas compilations and both songs were eventually included in the ''Old Friends'' box set.

* LyricalDissonance: "I Am A Rock", "The Sun Is Burning".

** "The Boxer" was also interpreted as a TakeThat to Dylan, but Simon has {{Jossed}} that interpretation, explaining that it was actually about himself in a period he felt like he was constantly criticised. Dylan's own CoverVersion of it was seen as a TakeThat in return.

--> I'm on your side/When times get rough/And friends just can't be found
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** In "A Simple Desultory Philippic":
--->I been Creator/{{Ayn Rand}}ed, nearly branded\\
A [[RedScare Communist]], 'cause I'm left-handed\\
That's the hand I use... [[ADateWithRosiePalms well, never mind]].
** Some interpret the TravelingSalesman of "Keep the Customer Satisfied" as being a drug dealer.

[[caption-width-right:350:Art Garfunkel (left) and Music/PaulSimon (right).]]

[[caption-width-right:300:Art Garfunkel (left) and Music/PaulSimon (right).]]

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/simon_and_garfunkel.jpeg]]

** "A Simple Desultory Philippic (or How I Was Robert [=McNamara=]'d Into Submission" name-drops people like Creator/NormanMailer, Creator/AynRand, Music/PhilSpector, Creator/LennyBruce, [[Music/BobDylan Dylan]] ([[Creator/DylanThomas Thomas]]), Music/MickJagger, and Creator/AndyWarhol, turning each into a PersonAsVerb as well.