He met his future singing partner, Paul Simon, in the sixth grade. Between 1956 and 1962, the two had performed together as Tom & Jerry. Garfunkel ("Tom Graph") chose his nickname because he liked to track, or "graph" hits, on the pop charts. Garfunkel attended Columbia University in the early sixties, where he sang with the Kingsmen, an all-male a cappella group. While at Columbia, he was also a Brother of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity. In 1962 Garfunkel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in art history, followed eventually by a Master's degree in mathematics.
In 1963 he and Simon reformed the duo under their own names as Simon and Garfunkel and released their first album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. on Columbia Records in October 1964. It was not a critical success, and the duo effectively split again after recording. The next year their producer Tom Wilson lifted the song "The Sound of Silence" from the record, redubbed an electric backing onto it, and released it as a single, which eventually went to #1 on the Billboard pop charts. They reunited and went on to become two of the most popular artists of the 1960s, releasing a total of five studio albums. However, citing personal differences and divergence in career interests, they split following the release of their most critically acclaimed album, Bridge Over Troubled Water, in 1970.
Solo career
In the 1970s, Garfunkel released a few solo albums, and although he did not reach the heights that Simon and Garfunkel had reached, he still scored hits with "I Only Have Eyes For You" (a 1934 song originally written by Harry Warren [1]) and "Bright Eyes" (both British #1 hit singles), and "All I Know" (#9 in the United States). A version of "Bright Eyes" also appeared in the movie Watership Down. He briefly reunited with Paul Simon in the 1975 hit "My Little Town".
Art Garfunkel (centre) with his band after the show at Liseberg fairground on June 4 1998
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Art Garfunkel (centre) with his band after the show at Liseberg fairground on June 4 1998
In between, he also acted in a few movies, including Catch-22 and Carnal Knowledge (1971) with Jack Nicholson, Candice Bergen, and Ann-Margret.
Following disappointing sales of his 1981 album Scissors Cut, Garfunkel reunited with Paul Simon for the famous concert in Central Park. The subsequent world tour went well musically, but they had disagreements during the tour, with the disappointment for Art Garfunkel that Paul Simon excluded Art's voice from the new album that was announced as a S&G album and came out as a new Paul Simon solo album Hearts and Bones. The reason for that was that Paul Simon's songs were very personal. After this, Garfunkel left the music scene for several years, but returned in 1988 with the album Lefty. None of these projects garnered much critical success, and Garfunkel did not release another album until 1993's Up 'til Now. Perhaps his most noteworthy recent release is his live 1996 concert Across America, recorded live at the registry hall on Ellis Island. The concert features several musical guests, including James Taylor, Garfunkel's wife, Kim, and his son James Arthur.
Garfunkel also performed the theme song for the 1991 television series, "Brooklyn Bridge", and in 1998 Garfunkel sang "The Ballad of Buster Baxter" for an episode of the PBS Kids cartoon Arthur.
Recent events
In 2003, Garfunkel made his debut as a songwriter on his well-received Everything Waits to Be Noticed album. Teaming up with singer-songwriters Maia Sharp and Buddy Mondlock, the album represented some of Garfunkel's strongest solo performances to date, and contained several songs whose origins were poems penned by Garfunkel. Everything Waits to Be Noticed is recognized as his first true effort at songwriting, save his teenage years with Paul Simon in Tom and Jerry.
In 2003, Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon reunited one more time and buried their disagreements once and for all. The world tour in 2003 and 2004 that followed was this time very joyful and was a big success. After the tour, they went their own ways.
Garfunkel made news in early 2004 when he was arrested for possession of cannabis.
The only new recording on the collection The Art Garfunkel Album (1984), the song "Sometimes When I'm Dreaming" (written by Mike Batt), was re-recorded in 2005 by ex ABBA singer Agnetha Fältskog on her comeback album My Colouring Book.
In August 2005, Garfunkel received his second cannabis possession charge after a state police trooper found a joint in the ashtray of his car while in New York State. [2]
In 2006, Garfunkel signed with Rhino Records (revived Atco Records,) and his first Rhino/Atco album Some Enchanted Evening was released in America on January 30, 2007. [3] In late February 2007 during a German television interview to promote his new album Some Enchanted Evening, Garfunkel expressed interest in reuniting with Paul Simon on a new album.
Always Look On the Bright Side of Life
Art Garfunkel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Always look on the bright side of life
Some things in life are bad, they can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you're chewing on life's gristle, don't grumble give a whistle
This will help things turn out for the best
Always look on the right side of life
If life seems jolly rotten, there's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing
When you're feeling in the dumps, don't be silly, chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle, that's the thing
So, always look on the bright side of death
Just before you draw your terminal breath
Life's a counterfeit and when you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's the joke, it's true
You see, it's all a show, keep them laughing as you go
Just remember the last laugh is on you
Always look on the bright side of life
And always look on the right side of life
Always look on the bright side of life
And always look on the right side of life
The song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" by Art Garfunkel is an inspiring reminder that even when things are tough or seem bleak, it's important to maintain a positive attitude and see the good in life. The lyrics suggest that even when we're facing difficult situations or feeling down, we should try to find reasons to smile and be optimistic.
In the first verse, Garfunkel acknowledges that some things in life can be frustrating and make us angry or swear. However, he encourages us not to wallow in these negative emotions, but instead to whistle and look for ways to turn the situation around. In the second verse, he reminds us that even when life seems overwhelmingly negative or depressing, there are always things to be grateful for, such as the ability to laugh, smile, dance, and sing.
The final verse takes a slightly darker turn, addressing death as the ultimate end to all of our struggles in life. However, even in this moment, Garfunkel suggests that we can find something to smile about and remain positive. He suggests that life is a "counterfeit" and that we should "keep them laughing as you go", meaning that we should maintain a sense of humor and perspective even when facing the end of our lives.
Overall, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" is a uplifting and inspiring song that encourages us to see the good in life, even during difficult times. It's a reminder that even when we face challenges, we can always find a reason to smile and be grateful for what we have.
Line by Line Meaning
Always look on the bright side of life
Stay positive and optimistic about life, no matter what challenges come your way.
Some things in life are bad, they can really make you mad
Life can be difficult and frustrating, and it's normal to feel upset sometimes.
Other things just make you swear and curse
Some things can be so frustrating that you feel like cursing and swearing.
When you're chewing on life's gristle, don't grumble give a whistle
When life gets tough, try to find ways to stay positive and hopeful by focusing on the good things.
This will help things turn out for the best
Having a positive outlook can help improve the outcome of a difficult situation.
If life seems jolly rotten, there's something you've forgotten
When you feel like everything is going wrong, it's easy to forget that there are still good things in life.
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing
Find joy in simple things like laughter, smiling, dancing, and singing as a way to improve your mood.
When you're feeling in the dumps, don't be silly, chumps
Don't let negative feelings bring you down and make you feel foolish.
Just purse your lips and whistle, that's the thing
Try to stay positive and whistle a happy tune to improve your mood.
So, always look on the bright side of death
Even in the face of death, try to stay positive and find the good things in life.
Just before you draw your terminal breath
Right before you die, try to find joy and happiness in your life.
Life's a counterfeit and when you look at it
Life can seem fake and meaningless when you really examine it closely.
Life's a laugh and death's the joke, it's true
Life is full of humor, and even death can be seen as a joke.
You see, it's all a show, keep them laughing as you go
Life is a performance, so try to make people laugh and feel happy as you go about your life.
Just remember the last laugh is on you
Don't take life too seriously, and remember that sometimes the joke is on you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Eric Idle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind