Bridge Over Troubled Water (Listen/Vote)
Bridge Over Troubled Water, written by Paul Simon in 1969, stands as a monument to deep friendship despite being recorded by two men who couldn’t stand each other. Among the three covers: a beautiful solo performance by an artist whose discography doesn’t get enough exposure, Roberta Flack; a lovely Reggae by Jimmy London; and a stirring Gospel by Aretha Franklin, which is probably the last overtly Gospel song to reach the Top Ten on the Pop charts.
Simon wrote the song while Garfunkel was occupying more of his time with his film career in Italy. Upon his return, Simon presented a two-verse song played on the piano with different lyrics. Garfunkel like Simon’s demo, sung in falsetto, and suggested Simon sing solo. Simon insisted the song would be better served with his partner’s choir-boy voice, an insistence he would later regret; so the two began recording. In the studio, producer Roy Halee suggested a third verse and a climatic finish. Simon reluctantly agreed and wrote the last verse about his wife Peggy, who had noticed her first gray hair, “Sail on, silver girl.”
This song hit an immediate chord as you can see all three covers were released within a year or two of Simon & Garfunkel’s original recording. It’s not surprising because the song encourages performers and audiences to reach beatific states.
Roberta Flack’s version is quieter but no less beautiful than the Grammy-winning original version. What do you think?
Roberta Flack (1971)
A traditional Reggae approach for this untraditional song. It became his biggest hit in Jamaica and the UK. What do you think?
Jimmy London (1971)
I’m certain transforming Pop into Gospel is second nature to The Queen of Soul, steeped as she was in this tradition. She might have been subconsciously drawn to the song as its title alludes to The Swan Silvertones Gospel hit, Mary, Don’t You Weep, “I’ll be your bridge over deep water…” What do you think?
Aretha Franklin (1972)
