The “cliché” 1970 song Paul Simon fell out of love with: “No feeling for it whatsoever”
Paul Simon says he has lost his emotional connection to “Bridge Over Troubled Water” after hearing it performed so often, though he remembers its creation as overwhelming. His comments highlight how a song can take on a life of its own, becoming meaningful to listeners even as its writer’s feelings change.
Simon described the lyric “Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down” arriving in a rush alongside the melody. The article places the song within Simon and Garfunkel’s later years, when tensions shaped their music, and notes that its open meaning has helped it become a source of comfort for fans; Johnny Cash also recorded a version.
- Simon says repeated performances dulled his feelings for the song.
- He remembers writing its famous line as overwhelming.
- Its ambiguity has made it a source of comfort for listeners.
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Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were an American singing duo whose close harmonies and Simon’s songwriting made them one of the most successful musical partnerships of the 1960s. “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, written by Simon and released in 1970, was one of their best-known songs, arriving as their partnership was under strain.
The song’s words offer support to someone going through difficulty, without specifying what that difficulty is. That openness has allowed listeners to find their own meaning in it, and other artists, including Johnny Cash, have recorded it. The story explores how a song can remain important to listeners even as its writer’s relationship with it changes.