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.
Rag Doll
Art Garfunkel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And picks all the flowers that brighten up a day.
And the blue velvet cape that she wore around her neck,
And the red in her cheeks gave a Rag Doll effect.
The wind in the trees sings a sad, sad, sad song,
I lie in my bed listenin' all night long.
A wind in the trees sing a song just for me,
Oh, how I long to have her back here by my side.
The happiness of yesterday, it damn near cost my pride.
There ain't nothin' worse than losin' when you've everything to gain.
I've just got to get that woman back or nothing will be the same.
The wind in the trees sings a sad, sad, sad, sad song,
I lie in my bed listenin' all night long.
A wind in the trees sing a song just for me,
And bring back the Rag Doll to me.
And bring back the Rag Doll to me.
The song "Rag Doll" is a beautifully poignant ballad that speaks to heartbreak and longing for love. The lyrics describe a woman who picks flowers in the field while wearing a blue velvet cape and red cheeks that give her a rag doll appearance. The singer is clearly enamored with her and longs for her to return to his side, even though the happiness they shared almost destroyed his pride.
The wind in the trees serves as a metaphor for the sadness and loneliness the singer feels without his love. He lays in bed listening to the wind and its mournful song, hoping that it will bring his Rag Doll back to him. The last line of the song is repeated twice, emphasizing the desperation and longing the singer feels for his lost love.
Overall, the song is a beautiful testament to the power of love and the pain that comes with losing it. The metaphor of the Rag Doll, someone who is fragile and easily broken, adds to the bittersweet tone of the song and highlights the vulnerability of the singer's emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
She walks in the field that's just across the way
She goes to the nearby field to pick flowers.
And picks all the flowers that brighten up a day.
She collects all the bright flowers to make the day beautiful.
And the blue velvet cape that she wore around her neck,
She wears a blue cape around her neck.
And the red in her cheeks gave a Rag Doll effect.
Her rosy cheeks made her look like a Rag Doll.
The wind in the trees sings a sad, sad, sad song,
The sound of wind passing through trees creates a melancholic tune.
I lie in my bed listenin' all night long.
The singer listens to the sad melody all night long while lying in bed.
A wind in the trees sing a song just for me,
The sad melody seems like it is sung especially for the singer.
And bring back the Rag Doll to me.
The tune reminds the artist of the Rag Doll and he yearns to have her back.
Oh, how I long to have her back here by my side.
The artist misses the Rag Doll and wants her company back again.
The happiness of yesterday, it damn near cost my pride.
The artist realizes that his pride almost cost him the happiness he had with the Rag Doll in the past.
There ain't nothin' worse than losin' when you've everything to gain.
The singer thinks that losing the Rag Doll is the worst thing that could happen when he had everything to gain from being with her.
I've just got to get that woman back or nothing will be the same.
The artist believes that his life will not be the same if he doesn't get the Rag Doll back.
And bring back the Rag Doll to me.
The singer pleads for the Rag Doll to return to him.
And bring back the Rag Doll to me.
The singer repeats his plea to get the Rag Doll back.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEVEN PAUL EATON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maria Diaz
She walks in the field that's just across the way
And picks all the flowers that brighten up a day.
And the blue velvet cape that she wore around her neck,
And the red in her cheeks gave a Rag Doll effect.
The wind in the trees sings a sad, sad, sad song,
I lie in my bed listenin' all night long.
A wind in the trees sing a song just for me,
And bring back the Rag Doll to me.
Oh, how I long to have her back here by my side.
The happiness of yesterday, it damn near cost my pride.
There ain't nothin' worse than losin' when you've everything to gain.
I've just got to get that woman back or nothing will be the same.
The wind in the trees sings a sad, sad, sad, sad song,
I lie in my bed listenin' all night long.
A wind in the trees sing a song just for me,
And bring back the Rag Doll to me.
And bring back the Rag Doll to me.
Maria Diaz
She walks in the field that's just across the way
And picks all the flowers that brighten up a day.
And the blue velvet cape that she wore around her neck,
And the red in her cheeks gave a Rag Doll effect.
The wind in the trees sings a sad, sad, sad song,
I lie in my bed listenin' all night long.
A wind in the trees sing a song just for me,
And bring back the Rag Doll to me.
Oh, how I long to have her back here by my side.
The happiness of yesterday, it damn near cost my pride.
There ain't nothin' worse than losin' when you've everything to gain.
I've just got to get that woman back or nothing will be the same.
The wind in the trees sings a sad, sad, sad, sad song,
I lie in my bed listenin' all night long.
A wind in the trees sing a song just for me,
And bring back the Rag Doll to me.
And bring back the Rag Doll to me.
Beth Putnam
Art Garfunkel had such a beautiful voice. I loved Simon and Garfunkel, Joan Baez, Carly Simon and all of the rest from that era.
azguitar
This is one of Steve Eaton's greatest songs. I'm lucky enough to perform it with Steve, and sing the beautiful harmony. Thank you for posting this!
Allen Browning
This song is a classic, the gem of Art Garfunkel's first solo album and a masterpiece by Steve Eaton. Kudos all around. I loved this one the first time I heard it.
Pierre Jumeau
Second solo album in fact. His first album was Angel Clare (1973). But I agree with you on everything else.
Mikol
I absolutely love this song too on the "Scissors Cut" album. For me, this is one of the finest songs, together with "Can't turn my heart away", "Heart in New York", "Bright Eyes", and others. Thanks for uploading this one! I never thought I'd hear this song again after my "Scissor's Cut" tape got old and moldy. Much much thanks to you Kyle! Wish you could also upload the song "That's All I Got to Say"
Filthy McNasty
This song did not appear on Scissors Cut
mark ru2
been so long since i heard this beautiful song and the whole album was and is great
Cynthia Lyman
Love me some Art. This man was instrumental in getting me through adolescence and l have carried his inspiration lovingly ever since. l was nicknamed Art in highschool due to my creative side, and being a girl, hated it. In retr
bendysan
The Four Seasons had a song about a worse nickname: "Rag Doll"