Introduction
American folk duo Simon and Garfunkel were one of the most popular music artists of the 1960's. Their five studio albums captured the feelings of a generation, articulating the contemporary zeitgeist in a powerful and compelling way. They are famous for both their moody and sounds expressed in beautiful vocal harmonies as well as poetic lyrics.
Paul Simon was the main composer, and he wrote on guitar. Drawing from folk influences, he has a heavy finger picking style. Many of his songs would be considered intermediate level. They are harder than simply strumming chords. For some guitarists Simon and Garfunkel's songs will represent a healthy learning challenge. At their soul, Paul Simon was a poet holding a guitar, rather than a musician who added lyrics. Standing in the folk tradition, this band existed to say something, and lyrics of this band are a penetrating cultural critique of their day. As a result, Paul Simon was a capo lover. Many of his songs are guitar driven and feature a capo. We have collected six capo songs by Simon and Garfunkel. Each song has a curated tab and/or chord chart with it.
1. Bleecker Street - Wednesday Morning, 3 AM
Capo 9
Simon and Garfunkel's first studio album, Wednesday Morning 3 AM, was a flop, at least initially. Released in 1964, Simon and Garfunkel disbanded after the album was released as there was little public reception. Later, they had a breakthrough later from their track, "Sound of Silence." "Bleecker Street" was track number three on Wednesday Morning 3 AM and they included it on their Greatest Hits release. The title is an early testament to Simon's compositional and lyrical ability. The title, "Bleecker Street" refers to a street in New York City that became a counter-cultural hub in the 1950's; a place where poets like Alan Ginsburg would hang out. Using imagery from the bible the song describes a lonely and depressed place, that is a bleak place. Bleecker Street, "Hides the shepherd from the sheep." "It's a long road to Canaan On Bleecker Street." Canaan refers to the promised land. Simon is saying the people on this street are a long way from God, and not in a good way.
Though this song is from their first album, it displays Simon and Garfunkel's distinctive musical style. Haunting sung harmonies that capture the sorrow of the words. The driving force is the finger picking style guitar. There is a capo, way way up there on the 9th fret, giving the guitar a high twangy sound. The song immediately begins with the moving guitar line, based on a G chord progression. The guitar playing involves a moving baseline as well and some hammer-on flourish over the finger picking, so good luck!
We have also included the chord chart for those who want the easier task of strumming along on the ninth fret. There are a lot of different chord charts out there, and we have taken the time to find the most correct ones, including the ones with the correct capo positioning.
2. The Sound of Silence - Sounds of Silence
Capo 1
Simon and Garfunkel recorded an acoustic version "The Sound of Silence" as part of the their first album. The story goes that their producer, Tom Wilson, remixed an electric version of the the track which skyrocketed to #1 on the charts. This success was the stimulus Simon and Garfunkel needed, and they quickly reunited and recorded their second album, cleverly named, Sounds of Silence. The new version of "The Sound of Silence" was included on this second album.
The song is a lament for the ignorance of the world. Paul and Art sing in the first person, of a vision, "planted in my brain." At first the vision is lonely filled with the "sound of silence." Then at once there is a flash of light and there are people all around. But these people are fools, "talking without speaking" and "hearing without listening." Paul and Art plead with the crowds to seek wisdom, but in the end are filled with despair.
The song begins with an electric guitar picking three note chord shapes with an etherial tone. The second verse moves into a more confident acoustic guitar strumming chords. This is one of the easier songs by Simon and Garfunkel to play, and it is great.
3. Scarborough Fair - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
Capo 7
"Scarborough Fair" is (sort of ) the title track to their third album, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. This song is a modern take on a Medieval English ballad. The song speaks about a series of love tasks that are impossible to do, like making a "Cambric shirt," which is a shirt of the finest material. Scarborough is a town in North-Eastern England, but probably Scarborough Fair is a metaphor for love and romance. The Medievals believed that plants and flowers had the power to influence moods, what they called humours, so the four spices are not a recipe but speaking of four powers involved in love. For example, Parsley was believed to remove bitterness from a person as it can remove bitterness from a dish.
The guitar for "Scarborough Fair" somewhat follows medieval music. There is a harpsichord on the album track to emphasize the traditional sound. There is another high capo, on the seventh fret, and Paul Simon is picking some interesting chord formations. We have again included a chord version for those who want to strum along.
4. The 59Th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
Capo 3
The 59Th Street Bridge is the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge in New York City. In this song Simon and Garfunkel move away from their dour existentialism to celebrate the simple happiness that can be found in the the quiet moments of a city at night. There are moments when you just, well, feel groovy, especially in the 60's. It is a lovely ditty that expresses a joy de vivre missing from much of their music. They even have a tin whistle on the track!
This is another song where getting the right tab is critical. The finger work is quite sophisticated and you need to start with the capo on the correct fret. The music is brisk, but if you can nail it, your guitar will sing. The album version has a capo on the third fret, but some of the live versions have it at a different position, often the 6th fret.
5. Mrs. Robinson - The Graduate
Capo 2
The Graduate is a movie, often considered a cult classic. Released in 1967, it was the highest grossing film of the year. Based on a (purportedly true) novel of the same name, the movie tells the story of Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), a young man who is lost. Lost without purpose, lost in relationships, lost in the the glamour of Southern Californian high-culture. He embarks on affair with Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) and then purses romance with her daughter Elaine (Katherine Ross). The movie is awkward and anticlimactic, seeking to capture the mood of the book.
Simon and Garfunkel were hired to write three songs for the movie. They only completed one, "Mrs. Robinson," which became the anthem of the song. The movie did use some of their other music to fill out the sound track. The theme of the movie include loneliness, seduction and lostness, the cultural zeitgeist of ennui, which makes their music an appropriate soundtrack.
The title track, "Mrs. Robinson" begins with a great little lick and moves into a strumming guitar that is almost triumphant. The verse and chords are in different keys (one with G one with E) which makes for a kind of motion between throughout the song, which fits with the pacing of the scene in the movie where Benjamin is pursing Elaine. The lyrics speak to Mrs. Robinson, and depict her more as a victim where the movie depicts her as controlling and manipulative. The song contributed to Simon and Garfunkel's popularity and fame.
6. Cecelia - Bridge over Troubled Water
Capo 4
"Cecelia" is the third track from the final studio album, Bridge over Troubled Water. The story is that Art and Paul were sitting on a bench at a party and got to beating the bench with a fun rhythm. Paul recorded a version of this rhythm which capture the vibrant mood of the party. He later added the guitar, birthing this fun and bright song, "Cecelia." Apparently, the song is named after St. Cecelia, the patron saint of music, who would sometimes "visit" Paul and then leave him. The song reached number four on the charts.
The song is jangly, rambunctious and fun. The driving force of the song is the beat and rhythm which is composed of clapping, kicks and some kind of drums. There are clanking sounds filling the background, maybe more tin whistles. The guitar is also jangly. A simple three chord progression, easily the easiest song on this list. We had a hard time imitating Paul's strum pattern until we threw away our pick; finger strumming is the name of this one, with a certain flick and flourish of the fingers capturing the "Jubilation" of this song.
Conclusion
Simon and Garfunkel disbanded after their fifth studio release, due to personal tension. They have toured several times. Their music has stood the test of time with their beautiful sounds and searching poetry. We commend their music as some of the great capo guitar music of the 1960's
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