Bookends (album)

This article is about the 1968 Simon and Garfunkel album. For other uses, see Bookend (disambiguation).

Untitled

Bookends is the name of an album and its title track, both recorded by Simon & Garfunkel, released April 3, 1968. It was produced by Paul Simon, Roy Halee and Art Garfunkel.

Bookends was Simon & Garfunkel's concept album, with the first side following the views of age, while the second side contained "Throw Away" songs from The Graduate soundtrack.

Bookends was a #1 hit on Billboard's (North America) Pop Albums chart, as well as in the UK. Four singles charted: "A Hazy Shade of Winter," "At the Zoo," "Fakin' It" and "Mrs. Robinson," which peaked at #13, #16 and #23 and #1, respectively.

In 2003, the TV network VH1 named Bookends the 93rd greatest album of all time. In 2003, the album was ranked number 233 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Releases

• LP: Columbia KCL-2729 (mono)/KCS 9529 (stereo) - This was the last Simon and Garfunkel album to be released in both mono and stereo. The mono version was pressed in a limited quantity and is considered a rare item amongst record collectors. The mono release also has many sonic differences, most noticeably Paul Simon's trailing echo on "Fakin' It." The song has been released on the 1999 CD compilation The Best of Simon and Garfunkel.
• CD: Columbia CK 09529; Remastered CD: Columbia 66003

The songs

The album begins softly, but takes a heavier turn with the second track, "Save the Life of My Child," which uses the sounds of a distorted synthesizer and is a noted departure from the softer sound that was the signature of the duo. "Save the Life of My Child" also features a sample from their single "The Sounds of Silence" ... which starts with a bass sound personally set up by Bob Moog himself.. The album also features the single "Mrs. Robinson," which was famous for its inclusion in the film The Graduate.

"Overs," "Punky's Dilemma," and "A Hazy Shade of Winter" were also written by Simon for The Graduate soundtrack, but the film's producers rejected them.

A 2001 CD reissue of the album includes two bonus tracks: "You Don't Know Where Your Interest Lies" (originally issued as a B-side to the "Fakin' It" single) and a demo version of "Old Friends."

The "Bookends Theme" was featured during the opening scene of the film Girl, Interrupted, and in the denouement of the film 500 Days of Summer.

Track listing

All songs were written by Paul Simon, except where noted.

1. "Bookends Theme" (Instrumental) – 0:32
   ^{Recorded: 1968}
2. "Save the Life of My Child" – 2:49
   ^{Recorded: December 14, 1967}
3. "America" – 3:34
   ^{Recorded: February 1, 1968}
4. "Overs" – 2:14
   ^{Recorded: October 16, 1968}
5. "Voices of Old People" (Art Garfunkel) – 2:09
   ^{Recorded: February 6, 1968}
   • An audio collage recorded by Art Garfunkel in various locations in New York and Los Angeles. The original liner notes credit the United Home for Aged Hebrews and the California Home for the Aged at Reseda, where they were likely recorded.
6. "Old Friends" – 2:36
   ^{Recorded: 1968}
7. "Bookends" – 1:16
   ^{Recorded: 1968}
8. "Fakin' It" – 3:14
   ^{Recorded: June, 1967}
9. "Punky's Dilemma" – 2:10
   ^{Recorded: October 5, 1967}
10. "Mrs. Robinson" – 4:02
    ^{Recorded: February 2, 1968}
11. "A Hazy Shade of Winter" – 2:17
    ^{Recorded: September 7, 1966}
12. "At the Zoo" – 2:21
    ^{Recorded: January 8, 1967}

Bonus tracks (2001 CD reissue)

1. "You Don't Know Where Your Interest Lies" – 2:19
   ^{Recorded: June 14, 1967}
2. "Old Friends" (Demo) – 2:11
   ^{Recorded: 1968}

Chart positions

Year	Chart	Position
1968	Billboard Pop Albums (Billboard 200)	1

Personnel

• Paul Simon - Vocals,Guitar, Producer
• Art Garfunkel - Vocals, Producer
• Hal Blaine - Drums, Percussion
• Joe Osborn - Bass
• Larry Knechtel - Piano, Keyboards
• John Simon - Production Assistant
• Roy Halee - Producer, Engineer
• Jimmie Haskell - Arranger, Arrangement Preparation
• Bob Johnston - Production Assistant
• Richard Avedon - Cover Photography

External links

• Play this album in Spotify