Review Summary: A comforting shoulder and a timeless classic.
“When you’re weary/feeling small/When tears are in your eyes/I’ll dry them all.”
So go the opening words of Simon and Garfunkel’s last collaborative hoorah. Much has been written about this album acting as a comforting response to the gloomy turn of the decade, where the flowery idealism of the 60s began to seem more and more like a pipe dream. If the Rolling Stone’s “Let it Bleed” surmised the feeling of dread that suffocated its era, then “Bridge Over Troubled Water” surmised the desire to move past the fog and to get back to appreciating life. This record helped soothe the anxiety of its listeners so that they could push through the foreboding storm clouds of the uncertain 1970s.
Even without the context, it’s easy to see the truth in this history, as the album still feels as welcoming as a warm cottage to this day. Lyrically the record isn’t all butterflies and sunshine, as is to be expected from it being recorded during a time of great tension, (both from the outside world and from within the duo itself). Yet despite recurring themes of longing and day-to-day toil, there is enough warmth to this album that these feelings and circumstances feel only like temporary obstacles, and that outside of all of the dread there is a lot of life to be thankful for and to enjoy.
Ultimately though, what has given this album so much staying power for over forty years is the quality of the songwriting and the variance of styles that were utilized. The category of “folk-rock” is the best way to generalize the music on “Bridge”, but the tunes are far more orchestral and textured then that terminology implies. The duo pulls influences from all across the musical landscape, yet despite all of the eclecticism and calculated arrangements on display, both the individual songs and the album as a whole feel simple, coherent, and inexplicably infectious. Almost every song here is a gem, whether they are the more fun and upbeat tracks like the tribal dance of “Cecilia” and surf-rock of “Baby Driver”, or slower tracks like “El Condor Pasa (If I Could)” and “So Long Frank Lloyd Wright”, both of which are textured with South American instruments. And then there is the heartbreaking lament of “The Only Living Boy In New York”, written by Simon in regards to his increasing separation with Garfunkel, as the latter spent as much time on film sets as in the studio during production. This left Simon on his own during much of the album’s creation, and his pained voice clearly shows how much he yearned for the lifelong friend that was slipping from his grasp. Wistful and melancholy, it could well be the highlight of an ordinary album.
However, despite the consistently good songwriting on display here, two tracks stand out as some of the best songs ever written by anyone. The title track is a hymn of friendship and devotion in the face of a crushingly bleak world. It is the sound of Garfunkel standing alone in a nighttime cathedral, rays of moonlight streaming from the stained glass windows on either side, accompanied only by the placid melody of a church piano. And from his soaring, reassuring vocals that echo off of the cathedral walls, the song begins to blossom. More instruments are summoned to life as the song build momentum, gaining strength until its epic final minute, which features a transcendental vocal effort by Garfunkel and a crescendo of blinding white sunlight that fills the entire chamber, as if God himself had just come down to earth.
As great as the title track is, “The Boxer” is every bit its equal. It is a ballad told from the perspective of a survivor, driven by a plodding rhythm that sounds like the endless footsteps of a broken drifter. With lyrics detailing a life that has been filled with poverty and desperation, it serves as an ode to those who persevere against all odds, blow after blow, staying afoot with the determination of a professional fighter. The repeated chorus of “Lie-la-lie” drives home both the struggle of those who are barely hanging on, and the triumph of those who will on in the face of such cyclic toil, more powerfully than any number of more elaborate choruses ever could.
Yet as great as those two songs are, it is the wealth of other great material surrounding these two pillars that makes this album such a timeless classic. Having long outlived the era which it helped to sedate, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” remains an impeccably crafted record that has held up well for over four decades since it was released. Whether one seeks out a comforting shoulder to lean on, or a simple collection of enjoyable tunes to sing along to, this album will remain a listening staple for a long time to come.
Recommended Tracks: “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, “The Boxer”, “The Only Living Boy In New York”
