How Frank Zappa reunited Simon and Garfunkel
The iconic folk duo Simon and Garfunkel, comprised of primary songwriter Paul Simon and harmonising vocalist Art Garfunkel, endured a turbulent relationship that caused a series of breakups and reconciliations during the 1960s and beyond. Despite their immense success with timeless hits like ‘The Sound of Silence’ and ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, the pair struggled with artistic differences amid more personal tensions.
One significant factor contributing to their feud was creative dissonance. Simon, known for his intricate songwriting and desire to explore diverse, pop-conscious musical styles, clashed with Art Garfunkel’s preference for a more harmonious traditional folk sound.
The hostility was intensified by the emerging success of Simon’s concurrent solo endeavours and his demands for total control within the partnership. Fundamentally, there was a battle between two ardent egos, personalities that had grown steadily apart since the joyous years of childhood friendship in Queens, New York.
Simon and Garfunkel’s most definitive breakup occurred in 1971, following the release of their fifth and final studio album, Bridge over Troubled Water. This was just the beginning of a three-decade stint fraught with defamation, bitterness and isolated live reunions. “We are indescribable,” Garfunkel told Rolling Stone while reflecting on his relationship with Simon in 2014. “You’ll never capture it. It’s an ingrown, deep friendship. Yes, there is deep love in there. But there’s also shit.”
Although Simon and Garfunkel officially disbanded in 1971, the 1960s had been marked by several brief hiatuses, many of which were cooling-off periods. In 1967, following the foundational success of Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., Sounds of Silence and Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, the pair entered one such break, primarily due to a writing block on Simon’s part.
During this quiet spell, Simon met the avant-garde rock guitarist Frank Zappa at Manny’s Music Store in New York. After hitting it off, the former invited the latter to his home for dinner. Simon also welcomed Garfunkel, and when the evening came, the pair revealed that they missed performing together. Zappa fortunately came up with a plan for their safe reintroduction to the road under their earlier alias, Tom and Jerry.
“Well, I can understand your desire to experience the joys of touring once again, and so I’ll make you this offer. . . we’re playing in Buffalo tomorrow night. Why don’t you guys come up there and open for us as Tom and Jerry? I won’t tell anybody. Just get your stuff and go out there and sing ‘Hey, Schoolgirl in the Second Row’ — just play only your old stuff, no Simon & Garfunkel tunes,” Zappa recalled telling the duo during dinner in The Real Frank Zappa. “They loved the idea and said they would do it,” he added.
Later, in 1967, following their return to the stage, Simon began to write new material to round out his and Garfunkel’s fourth studio album, Bookends. Alongside the soundtrack to Mike Nichols’ 1968 movie The Graduate, the album saw Simon and Garfunkel venture unprecedented climes of fame.
Listen to ‘Hey Schoolgirl’, the 1957 hit as Tom and Jerry, below.