How did a relatively obscure movie lead to the breakup of what may be the most successful
folk music duo of all time?
Keep watching for what really broke up Simon & Garfunkel.
"Do we have to go through the history?"
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, known for such folk-rock hits as "Bridge over Troubled Water"
and "The Sound of Silence," were one of music's most famous duos before their partnership
came crashing down in 1970.
"Maybe we should go through the history."
They had known each other since childhood, meeting in fourth grade.
According to Inside Hook, the boys wrote their first song together, "The Girl for Me," at
just 13 years old.
Soon after they were performing as Tom and Jerry, and they scored their first minor hit
with the song "Hey Schoolgirl" in 1957.
But even then, the pair had their ups and downs.
Garfunkel told The Hollywood Reporter,
"We stopped having hits, and then we stopped being friends for a few years."
The two eventually reconnected and found success as Simon & Garfunkel.
In 1966, they reached the top of the charts with "Sounds of Silence."
Their song "Mrs. Robinson," which was just one of their tunes featured on the soundtrack
of the hit film "The Graduate," became a huge smash for the pair in 1968.
Despite enjoying enormous popularity, personal tensions and differing ambitions between the
duo soon pulled them apart.
Manager Mort Lewis noticed tensions between the two performers pretty early.
He told the Daily Mail that Simon resented Garfunkel because he was often the featured
singer, so he was viewed as the star.
Meanwhile, Garfunkel resented Simon because he wrote the songs, which meant he controlled
the duo's future.
Famous for how their voices worked together in harmony, Simon and Garfunkel didn't always
communicate well.
Garfunkel started pursuing acting in addition to his music career, and both he and Simon
landed parts in director Mike Nichols' 1970 film "Catch-22", based on the Joseph Heller
novel of the same name.
Simon's character was cut from the film, but Garfunkel went on to star in another film
by Nichols — 1971's "Carnal Knowledge" with Jack Nicholson and Candice Bergen.
He also didn't let Simon know he was working on the movie, which proved to be the breaking
point.
Simon later shared his reaction to the whole "Carnal Knowledge" incident on a CNN podcast.
He said Garfunkel told him he was afraid Simon would end their music collaboration if he
mentioned anything about the movie.
"So uh, that really pissed me off.
Ya know and, I just decided that's the end of that."
But Simon had done something similar to Garfunkel in 1957, according to the Daily Mail.
A record label boss suggested Simon record some songs on his own following the minor
success of "Hey Schoolgirl."
Simon agreed and recorded two songs on his own without telling his musical partner.
When Garfunkel found out, he felt hurt and slighted.
Simon eventually realized that he could just become a solo act.
Simon and Garfunkel performed their last concert in July 1970, then called it quits.
Garfunkel couldn't believe that Simon gave up on such a good thing, directing a comment
to him in a 2015 interview with The Telegraph.
He said,
"How can you walk away from this lucky place on top of the world, Paul?"
Garfunkel went on to take a few parting shots at Simon's short stature, telling the newspaper
that Simon suffered from a Napoleon complex, becoming a monster in the name of compensating.
And yet, Garfunkel still left the door for a possible reunion, saying,
"Why not, while we're still alive?"
The pair did reunite a few times after the 1970 split, but their relationship remained
strained.
In 1981, Simon & Garfunkel performed a free concert in New York City's Central Park, and
they later teamed up to play "The Sound of Silence" at the 2003 Grammy Awards.
The popularity of this appearance led to a concert tour that ran from 2003 to 2004.
The duo was set to tour again in 2010, but, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Garfunkel
started having trouble with his vocal cords.
The singer explained,
"My ability to finesse the notes — which is my stock in trade — went south on me."
He eventually recovered and began to perform again, but not with Simon.
When Simon launched his farewell tour in 2018, many thought that Garfunkel would make an
appearance at one or some of the shows.
Despite fans' wishes for a final reunion, Simon didn't bring on Garfunkel for any of
the concerts.
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