Old friends was recorded after production assistant john simons departure from columbia, and was among the last tracks recorded for bookends, completed alongside the final bookends theme on march 8, 1968. Feb 22, 2012 old friends old friends sat on their park bench like bookends newspaper blowin through the grass falls on the round toes of the high shoes of the old friends old friends winter companions the old. Old friends, old friends, sat on their parkbench like bookends a newspaper blown through the grass falls on the round toes of the high shoes of the old friends old friends, winter companions, the old men lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sun the sounds of the city sifting through trees settles like dust on the shoulders of the old. Old friends simon and garfunkel capo 4 intro fmaj7 cmaj7 fmaj7 cmaj7 fmaj7 cmaj7 fmaj7 cmaj7 dm7 g7 c am old friends.
A newspaper blown through the grass falls on the round toes on the high shoes of the old friends. An elegant and ornate classical string section dominates the. Old friends winter companions the old men lost in their overcoats waiting for the sun the sounds of the city sifting through trees settles like dust on the shoulders of the old friends. Simon and garfunkelold friends, bookends theme full. Old friends, sat on their park bench like bookends. About bookends theme reprise this song was featured on the 1968 album by the duo named bookends.
The bookends theme that opens and closes side one is played on the acoustic guitar, with no additional instruments. Original key c i believe tuning gcea works even better in low g. Simons image of two old men sitting on a park bench sharing memories and their fears of the changes surrounding them is indelible. Simon, 1968 old friends old friends sat on their park bench like bookends a newspaper blown through the grass falls on the round toes of the high shoes of the old friends old friends winter companions the old men lost in their overcoats waiting for the sunset the sounds of the city sifting through the trees settle like dust. Perfectly seguing out of voices of old people, old friends which makes references to bookends theme is a unifying link on the bookends album. Old friends, winter companions, the old men lost in their overcoats, waiting. Peppers, while, on the west coast, the summer of love and the monterey pop festival signaled an opening up of young society to new sounds and the altered state of consciousness. The song then segues into the final song of side one, the reprise of the bookends theme. Old friends, old friends, sat on their park bench like bookends. It erupts into the musical dissonance that introduces save the life of my child. My old friends are relationships we date back over 50 years. Simons lyrics concern youth, disillusionment, relationships, old age, and mortality. Apr 23, 2019 old friends simon and garfunkel capo 4 intro fmaj7 cmaj7 fmaj7 cmaj7 fmaj7 cmaj7 fmaj7 cmaj7 dm7 g7 c am old friends. The second side of the album also contained a number of songs that were unused material from the soundtrack for the movie the graduate.
Simon and garfunkel bookends vinyl lp shop music direct. Released in 1968, it was an ambitious work that gave rise to classic tracks including america, old friends, fakin it, a hazy shade of winter, and at the zoo. Now i have become one of those old men siting on a park. A newspaper blown through the grass falls on the round toes on the high shoe. The reprise is preceded by old friends, which segues into the song with a single high, sustained note on the strings. Simon and garfunkels classic albums parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme and bookends, released in 1966 and 1968 respectively, marked the duos emergence as both a brilliant creative force and one of their eras biggestselling recording acts. Old friends, old friends, sat on their park bench like bookends newspaper blowin through the grass blows on the round toes, of the high shoes, of the old friends old friends, winter companions the old men lost in thier overcoats, waiting for the sunset the sounds of the city sifting through trees settle like dust, on the shoulders of the old. Old friends flows into the second version of bookends theme, with reflective lyrics about an old relationship now accompanying the acoustic guitar melody.
Old friends is a third person perspective on the beautiful connection between two old friends sitting on a park bench, and a wish for that kind of friendship and peace later in life. Simon and garfunkel bookends bookends theme time it was, and what a time it was, it was a time of innocence, a time of confidences long ago, it must be, i have a photograph preserve your memories. Now that i am closing in on 70 years old it bookends for me has become a different meaning. The song is a brief acoustic piece once compared to english rock band the moody blues that evokes a time of innocence.
There are a few melancholy songs reflected in old friends. Simon and garfunkel old friends, bookends theme full version. Bookends, also known as bookends theme, is a song by american music duo simon. The original first side of the record ends with the sad longing and fears of old friends, who sit on a park bench and reminisce together.
Old friends winter companions the old men lost in their overcoats waiting for the sunset the sounds of the city sifting through trees settle like. I hope you enjoy the video that ive made to go with the. Old friends, bookends remembering young adult and childrens books of yesteryear. All songs considered hear how intern jenna strucko discovered an old friend of her own in the classic folk album. By using our website and our services, you agree to our use of cookies as described. It appears twice on the track listing, as the first and last song on side one of the original vinyl lp. Bookends is a literary album that contains the most minimal of openings with the theme, an acoustic guitar stating itself slowly and plaintively before erupting into the wash of synthesizers and dissonance that is save the life of my child. Mar 03, 2011 my all time favourite simon and garfunkel track. Side one of the album marks successive stages in life, the theme serving as bookends to the life cycle. Stream adfree with amazon music unlimited on mobile, desktop, and tablet. Old friends old friends sat on their park bench like bookends a newspaper blown through the grass.
Shop our best selection of bookends to reflect your style and inspire your home. They are equal collaborators with producerengineer roy halee in a multivalently layered song cycle observing the confusion of those seeking an elusive american dream, wistfully reflecting on innocence lost forever to the cold winds of change. Bookends is a concept album that explores a life journey from childhood to old age. Dm7 g am a newspaper blown through the grass falls on the round toes of the cmaj f c6 high shoes of the old friends. Lyrics to old friendsbookends by simon and garfunkel. Bookends is an aptlytitled literary album covering themes of loss, the american dream, youthful innocence and old age.
Bookends, which arrived on the heels of simon and garfunkels highprofile role on the soundtrack of the film the. Simon and garfunkelold friends, bookends theme full version. Old friends paints a portrait of two old men reminiscing on the years of their youth. An elegant and ornate classical string section dominates the melody along with paul simons acoustic guitar. Old friends old friends sat on their park bench like bookends a newspaper blowin through the grass falls on the round toes of the high shoes of the old friends old friends winter companions, the old men lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sunset the sounds of the city sifting through trees settle like dust on the shoulders of the old. Side two largely consists of unused material for the graduate soundtrack. Composition old friends paints a portrait of two old men reminiscing on the years of their youth.
Old friends old friends sat on their park bench like bookends a newspaper blown through the grass falls on the round toes on the high shoes of the old friends. Old friends old friends sat on their park bench like bookends newspaper blowin through the grass falls on the round toes of the high shoes of the old friends old friends winter companions the old. Winter companions, the old men lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sunset. The year and a half between the release of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, and march 1968, when bookends saw the light of day, had seen the beatles complete their transformation from pop stars to prophets with sgt. Old friends old friends sat on their park bench like bookends a newspaper blown through the grass falls on the round toes of the high shoes of the old friends. Old friends and the bookends reprise were placed on the bside of the mrs. In arguably the most culturally evolving and politicallyactive decades in modern history, albums like bookends serves as a refreshing take on the everevolving musical scene, with great inventiveness from sound to sound and political commentarythemes that show a lot of human decency. Bookends time it was and what a time it was, it was a time of innocence a time of confidences long ago it must be i have a photograph. Voices of old people old friends bookends theme side two. The moods of bookends reflect so well the troubled times of the late 60s, with its antiwar sentiments punkys dilemma, and its tales of love and love lost america, overs.
Fakin it on copies that are big and clear but not quite as rich and tubey magical as one might wish the vocals here will be a bit dry and gritty. It is a continuation of the previous song, old friends and similarly reflective in. A horn section threatens to interrupt their reverie, reflecting the chaos they perceive, but is warded off as the gentle melody returns and fades into the albums opening. Old friends sit on a park bench like bookends from paul simons old friends, preceding the bookends song. The two men sit on a park bench like bookends, and ponder how strange it feels to be nearing the end. And like acoustic bookends, this brief little guitar theme is opening and closing side one of simon and garfunkels album of the same name. Robinson, a hazy shade of winter, save the life of my child, fakin it, at the zoo least fav. The lyrics look into old age and the changes that may come to be. Musically this side is one of the strongest in the entire simon and garfunkel oeuvre if youll pardon my french. The good times cant last, however, and sarahs mother is rushed back to the hospital. Old friends old friends sat on their park bench like bookends a newspaper blowin through the grass falls on the round toes of the high shoes of the old friends old friends winter companions, the old men lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sunset the sounds of the city sifting through trees settle like dust on the shoulders of the old friends can you imagine us years from today sharing a. Bookends opens with an acoustic guitar stating a theme, slowly and plaintively. Old friends, old friends sat on their park bench like bookends. I hope you enjoy the video that ive made to go with the song.