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.
Oh How Happy
Art Garfunkel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh how happy (you have made me)
Oh how happy (you have made me)
I have kissed your lips
A thousand times
And more times than i can count
I have called you mine
In my darkest hours
Sing
Oh how happy (you have made me)
Oh how happy (you have made me)
Oh how happy (you have made me)
Oh how happy (you have made me)
In our years together
We've got stormy weathers
But our love has been so strong
For some how we carry on
Sing
Oh how happy (you have made me)
Oh how happy (you have made me), ooh, ooh
You brought joy
To my empty life, yeah
And all that was wrong
You made it right
Our love (our love)
Our love (our love)
Our love, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...
Oh how happy (you have made me)
Oh how happy (you have made me)
Oh how happy (oh how happy)
Oh how happy (oh how happy)
Oh how happy, ooh... You...
You have made me (you have made me)
You have made me (you have made me)
You have made me (you have made me)
The song "Oh How Happy" is an ode to a lover who has brought happiness to the singer's life. The lyrics describe the deep love and gratitude the singer has for their partner. The repetition of "Oh how happy you have made me" emphasizes the strength and depth of their feelings. The imagery of kissing lips and calling someone "mine" adds to the sense of intimacy and connection.
The song acknowledges the challenges that the couple has faced together but also celebrates the resilience of their love. The line "In our years together, we've got stormy weathers, but our love has been so strong" suggests that despite difficulties, their bond has persevered. The refrain "Our love, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah..." highlights the enduring nature of their relationship and the happiness it brings.
Overall, the lyrics of "Oh How Happy" paint a picture of a loving and committed partnership that has brought immense joy to the singer's life. The song celebrates the power of love to transform and uplift.
Line by Line Meaning
Do roo, do roo, do roo, do roo do...
Instrumental intro of the song
Oh how happy (you have made me)
Expressing immense joy and gratitude towards the person.
I have kissed your lips
Being romantically involved and sharing intimate moments with the person.
A thousand times
Frequent display of affection through physical touch.
And more times than I can count
Feeling overwhelmed by the amount of love and affection received from the person.
I have called you mine
Claiming the person as one's own and expressing possessiveness.
You have stood by me
The person has been a constant support and stood by through tough times.
In my darkest hours
Refers to a difficult phase or time of life when the person needed support the most.
Sing
An invitation to join in and sing along with the happy feelings.
Oh how happy (you have made me)
Repeating the same line to emphasize the happiness received from the person.
In our years together
Highlighting the longevity of the relationship and the years spent together.
We've got stormy weathers
Refers to rough times faced in the relationship.
But our love has been so strong
Despite the difficulties faced, the love shared has remained resilient and strong.
For somehow we carry on
Even though it might have been difficult, both have kept the relationship going.
You brought joy
Acknowledging the positive impact the person has had on one's life.
To my empty life, yeah
Referring to the void or emptiness that was present before the person came along.
And all that was wrong
The person has helped fix any problems or negativity in one's life.
You made it right
The person has the ability to make things better and right again.
Our love (our love)
Emphasizing the strong and unbreakable bond shared between the two.
Our love (our love)
Repeating the previous line.
Our love, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...
Celebrating the love and expressing it through the repeated phrase.
Oh how happy (you have made me)
Repeating the opening line to end the song on a positive note.
You have made me (you have made me)
Acknowledging the role the person has played in making one happy and content.
You have made me (you have made me)
Repeating the line for emphasis.
You have made me (you have made me)
Repeating the line for the final time to close the song.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Edwin Starr
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Thomas
Really like this version by Art.
Robert Velez
Not to be forgotten but Oh How Happy was written by Edwin Starr whose Motown hits 25 miles and War are legendary!
Simon Wardell
Art.... voice of an angel
Thea Pots
I don't know the version of the Jackson 5. I've always loved this one :)
awoosoul
It was made famous by The Shades Of Blue, the Jackson Five covered it but it was NOT as big a hit as the Shades of Blue.
Rob Banks
Never heard this version...still like shades of blue best.
affectivity
This was a radio hit for the Shades of Blue, not the Jackson 5.
DaveConleyPortfolio
Ugh. Art Garfunkel's natural voice would have done justice to this song. This kind of production should be reserved for the untalented.
metalhead relic
Very sissified sounding vocal track. Either it's very overproduced or Art was feeling especially girlish in the studio that day.
Robert Gibson
he does sound like a bit of a girly man this track..