Simon was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 as a solo artist. It was during the time his friendship with Garfunkel was at a low point following an acrimonious decade.
Yet, Simon had kind words during his speech at the Hall: “I regret the ending of our friendship. I hope that someday before we die we will make peace with each other.” He paused for a moment. And then: “No rush.”
An Evolving Musical Style
Over their long career, the duo played with plenty of different musical styles, moving from a basic folk-rock sound to add elements of Latin music, gospel music, rock, and even R&B. According to "Rolling Stone", this diverse music struck a chord among lonely, alienated young adults near the end of the decade.
Their clean sound and muted lyricism lost them cool-points during the psychedelic music periods of the sixties and seventies. Still, their music has lasted much longer. They were also much more conservative musically, which made them the perfect gateway act to the weirder aspects of the genre.
Into the Hall
The legendary duo got into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. During the induction, Garfunkel thanked Simon, calling him “the person who most enriched my life by putting those songs through me.” Simon responded with: “Arthur and I agree about almost nothing. But it's true, I have enriched his life quite a bit.”
The duo performed three songs at the Hall and then left without speaking to each other. Thankfully, not long after this, their relationship thawed before a long, sold-out tour including a 21-date sold-out run.
Songs That Can Wound
Simon and Garfunkel used their stage to jab at a number of deserving people. “A Simple Desultory Philippic” takes a shot at Robert McNamara, the Secretary of Defense under JFK and LBJ, who increased America's involvement in the Vietnam War. “Blessed” attacks Christians who pay lip-service to dogma without understanding it.
“The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine” is a parody of advertising, and even “The Boxer” was thought to be an attack on Bob Dylan, though Simon has said it isn't true (which didn't stop Dylan from covering the song and returning the salvo to the duo).
Woodstock if they Couldstock
It should come as no surprise that the duo was invited to play at Woodstock, the legendary outdoor festival held in the summer of 1969. The folk-rock duo – the kind of music that flourished at Woodstock – was one of the most popular acts in America, or maybe even the world, but they turned the offer down.
Art Garfunkel was in the middle of filming "Catch-22". After Garfunkel finished with his acting, the duo wanted to sit down and pound out the songs that would become the album "Bridge Over Troubled Water".