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.
I Wonder Why
Art Garfunkel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's not a cloud in sight,
Just burning stars.
It seems strange to me, the way the waves obey
The moon that shines above
And draws them to eternity.
I Wonder Why it is that you are here with me,
I Wonder Why it is the sea's so calm tonight,
The sands are ghostly white
Beneath the moon.
It seems strange to me to stand in endless space,
And know that in this place
I'm held within its timeless sway.
I Wonder Why it is that you are here with me.
I Wonder Why.
The wisdom of the world with all its mystery
Is strangely haunting me on this great shore.
I know no book can teach, but I can feel tonight,
The sky above, the sea below,
And you my love.
Tonight the world is mine, we're on the edge of time.
I Wonder Why.
I Wonder Why it is the sky's so quiet tonight,
There's not a cloud in sight,
Just burning stars.
It seems strange to me, that breeze in holy light,
We soar in wingless flight,
Amidst this vast eternity.
Tonight this world of mine is on the edge of time,
I Wonder Why.
I Wonder Why.
I Wonder Why.
I Wonder Why.
The lyrics of Art Garfunkel's "I Wonder Why" describe the singer's awe at the stillness and beauty of the natural world around them. The quietness of the sky and the calmness of the sea lead the singer to contemplate the vastness and timelessness of the universe, and to question why their lover, who is also present, is there with them. The singer acknowledges that the world's mysteries cannot be fully understood through books and education, but rather through the emotional connections we make to the world around us.
The repetitiveness of the phrase "I Wonder Why" throughout the song reflects the singer's inability to fully comprehend the beauty and mystery of the world around them, and the questioning of their lover's presence adds a sense of uncertainty and vulnerability to the lyrics. Garfunkel's use of poetic language, such as "burning stars" and "timeless sway," creates a dreamlike and romantic atmosphere, emphasizing the singer's contemplation of the world's beauty in a way that feels personal and intimate.
Line by Line Meaning
I Wonder Why it is the sky's so quiet tonight,
Art Garfunkel is curious why the sky is so silent and peaceful tonight without any clouds and with only bright stars.
There's not a cloud in sight,
There are no clouds visible in the sky tonight.
Just burning stars.
The stars shining bright in the sky are the only objects visible tonight.
It seems strange to me, the way the waves obey
Art Garfunkel is amazed at the way the waves in the sea follow the orders of the moon which is glowing above them.
The moon that shines above
The glowing moon visible in the sky is responsible for controlling the movements of the waves in the sea.
And draws them to eternity.
The moon's presence in the sky is compelling the waves to move indefinitely in the sea.
I Wonder Why it is that you are here with me,
Art Garfunkel reflects on the fact that he has the company of someone special with him and wonders why it is so.
I Wonder Why.
Art Garfunkel is curious and ponders about the reasons and motives behind some mysterious occurrences and events in his life.
I Wonder Why it is the sea's so calm tonight,
Art Garfunkel is curious why the sea is so serene and peaceful tonight with no waves.
The sands are ghostly white
The sand at the seashore seems milky and pale with the moon's light shining on it.
Beneath the moon.
The shining moon is responsible for lighting up the sand and creating a ghostly appearance.
It seems strange to me to stand in endless space,
Art Garfunkel feels odd while standing in a place that feels infinite and endless.
And know that in this place
Despite being surrounded by vastness, he is still present in this specific location.
I'm held within its timeless sway.
He feels controlled by the limitless space surrounding him and is entranced by its eternal nature.
The wisdom of the world with all its mystery
Art Garfunkel refers to the knowledge of the world which is replete with puzzles and enigmas.
Is strangely haunting me on this great shore.
He is deeply engrossed in thinking about the inexplicable and vexing elements of the world while standing on this massive shore.
I know no book can teach, but I can feel tonight,
Art Garfunkel accepts that books are not enough to inform him about some mysteries, he needs to experience them.
The sky above, the sea below,
He feels surrounded and embraced by the sky and the sea.
And you my love.
He feels the presence and love of his special someone with him and is grateful for that.
Tonight the world is mine, we're on the edge of time.
He feels that the world is under his command tonight, somewhat like everything is in order just for him, and it is a moment seemingly on the brink of transcending time.
I Wonder Why.
Art Garfunkel is once again thinking about the mysterious and unexplainable.
I Wonder Why it is the sky's so quiet tonight,
Art Garfunkel is curious why the sky is so silent and peaceful tonight without any clouds and with only bright stars.
There's not a cloud in sight,
There are no clouds visible in the sky tonight.
Just burning stars.
The stars shining bright in the sky are the only objects visible tonight.
It seems strange to me, that breeze in holy light,
Art Garfunkel is strangely captivated by the feeling of tranquility in holy light that the breeze is bringing.
We soar in wingless flight,
Art Garfunkel is flying freely in the sky, without wings.
Amidst this vast eternity.
He is suspended in the middle of the endless vastness of the sky and feeling incredibly serene.
Tonight this world of mine is on the edge of time,
Art Garfunkel feels that the time he is in exists on the brink of something great and significant.
I Wonder Why.
Art Garfunkel, again, is curious about something unexplainable.
I Wonder Why.
Art Garfunkel reiterates his curiosity and fascination with the mysteries of life.
I Wonder Why.
Art Garfunkel repeats his puzzlement and wonderment once more.
I Wonder Why.
Art Garfunkel voices his persistent inquisitiveness and amazement.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HENRY GLOVER, IVERSON MINTER, MORRIS LEVY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind