Bookends

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

Bookends · After the successful albums Sounds of Silence and Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, Paul Simon suffered from writer's block. Columbia therefore had the young producer John Simon, no relation, help get the recording sessions going. The album came about in fits and starts over more than a year. The two asked for strings, brass players and percussionists, and worked for hours on a single song.

Bookends is a concept album about a human life, from childhood to old age. The first side follows the stages of life, with Save the Life of My Child, America, Old Friends and the two parts of Bookends Theme as a frame. The second side mainly contains previously released singles and songs that were intended for the film The Graduate, including Mrs. Robinson. That became a number 1 in the United States. In the United Kingdom the album reached number one, and it is regarded as a breakthrough for the duo.

Listening

Track list

1. 1Bookends Theme0:33Apple Music ↗
2. 2Save the Life of My Child2:49Apple Music ↗
3. 3America3:35Apple Music ↗
4. 4Overs2:20Apple Music ↗
5. 5Voices of Old People2:07Apple Music ↗
6. 6Old Friends2:35Apple Music ↗
7. 7Bookends Theme1:23Apple Music ↗
8. 8Fakin' It3:21Apple Music ↗
9. 9Punky's Dilemma2:17Apple Music ↗
10. 10Mrs. Robinson4:07Apple Music ↗
11. 11A Hazy Shade of Winter2:17Apple Music ↗
12. 12At the Zoo2:22Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗

See also

• Simon & Garfunkel