An article looks back at the friendship between Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, tracing how their early bond shaped one of folk-rock's most influential partnerships, and how tensions during the making of their final album eventually contributed to their split. Simon has said Garfunkel was central to his decision to become a singer in the first place, underscoring how formative their childhood connection was despite the acrimony that later crept into their working relationship.

The rift deepened during the making of 1970's Bridge Over Troubled Water, when Garfunkel took time out to film Catch-22, leaving Simon to shoulder much of the songwriting and studio work alone; the film's delays and the imbalance Simon felt in decision-making, compounded by Garfunkel's vocal on the title track drawing the acclaim, strained their partnership further. Garfunkel later acknowledged shared responsibility for the breakdown, saying "it takes two people to be jerks." Simon has credited Garfunkel's performance in a fourth-grade talent show as the moment that "prompted" him to try singing, recalling him as "the most famous singer in the neighbourhood."