51 Years Ago Today, Art Garfunkel Took a 41-Year-Old Love Song to No. 1 Without Paul Simon
Art Garfunkel reached number one on the UK singles chart on 25 October 1975 with “I Only Have Eyes For You”, a song written four decades earlier. The success came after he and Paul Simon had split, marking a solo achievement for a singer best known as one half of their celebrated duo.
The track was the lead single from Garfunkel’s 1975 album Breakaway and spent two weeks at the top in Britain, while reaching the US pop top 20. Harry Warren and Al Dubin wrote the song for the 1934 film musical Dames; the Flamingos’ 1959 doo-wop version nearly made the US pop top 10 and reached number three on the R&B chart. Garfunkel later described his rendition as seductive and named it among his five strongest vocal performances.
In short
- Garfunkel’s solo version topped the UK chart for two weeks in 1975.
- The song was written for a 1934 musical.
- The Flamingos recorded a notable doo-wop version in 1959.
Explained simply
Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon became famous as the folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, whose close harmonies featured on songs such as “The Sound of Silence” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. They went their separate ways in 1970, and Garfunkel continued recording as a solo singer.
“I Only Have Eyes for You” was written by Harry Warren and Al Dubin for the 1934 film Dames. The song was recorded by several artists, including the Flamingos, whose 1959 doo-wop version became a hit. Garfunkel’s recording appeared on his album Breakaway.
The song’s long history connects different eras of popular music, from Hollywood musicals to doo-wop and 1970s pop. Its success also showed that Garfunkel could score a major hit on his own after years of working with Simon.
Art Culture Entertainment Music TV UK World