Soft Rock Music
The song was written by Paul Simon and released in 1970 as a single as well as on the fifth and final album of the duo Simon & Garfunkel titled Bridge Over Troubled Water. After this, they split up. Simon continued as a singer and songwriter, while Garfunkel pursued an acting career. Anyway, the story is that Simon was inspired by “Old Man River” by The Righteous Brothers. In 1970-71 the song went to #1 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, U.S. Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles, U.S. Billboard Easy Listening, Canada, France, the U.K., and New Zealand. It was #2 in Australia, Ireland, and Spain. It was in the top five in eight other countries. So far as accolades go, the song won five Grammy Awards in 1971 and is on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” There have been numerous covers, including those by Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, and Linda Clifford, among many others.
Simon and Garfunkel were one of the most popular folk groups in the 1960s. Although they parted in 1970, there have been many reunions since then.