Simon & Garfunkel Albums Ranked

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When they were in the sixth grade together in Forest Hills, Queens, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel discovered they could harmonize. What they may not have realized at the time was just how far their angelic voices would carry them. Throughout the latter half of the 1960s and early 1970s the duo's literary lyrics, sculpted melodies, and, above all, exquisite harmonies combined for a folk-pop sound that propelled them to the top of the charts and left a mark on thousands of future singer-songwriters.In this list, we ranked the five Simon & Garfunkel's studio albums from worst to best.

5. 'Bookends' (1968)


Bookends is a concept album that explores a life journey from childhood to old age. Side one of the album marks successive stages in life, the theme serving as bookends to the life cycle. Side two largely consists of unused material for The Graduate soundtrack. Simon's lyrics concern youth, disillusionment, relationships, old age, and mortality. Much of the material was crafted alongside producer John Simon, who joined the recording when Paul Simon suffered from writer's block. The album was recorded gradually over the period of a year, with production speeding up around the later months of 1967.

Ranking the songs:

  1. 'America'
  2. 'Mrs. Robinson'
  3. 'A Hazy Shade Of Winter'
  4. 'Fakin' It'
  5. 'Old Friends'
  6. 'Punky's Dilemma'
  7. 'At The Zoo'
  8. 'Save the Life of My Child'
  9. 'Overs'
  10. 'Bookends Theme'
  11. 'Bookends Theme' (Instrumental)
  12. 'Voices of Old Poeple'
Final rating: 8.1

4. 'Sounds Of Silence' (1966)


Following the success of “The Sound Of Silence,” which was transformed into a folk-rock hit, Simon & Garfunkel returned to the studio in 1965 to record their second album. “Sounds Of Silence” includes the title track as well as other songs that have stood the test of time. The set was reissued in 2001 with the bonus track “The Blues Run The Game” plus three unreleased 1970 demos — “Barbriallen,” “Rose Of Aberdeen,” and “Roving Gambler.”

Ranking the songs:

  1. 'The Sound of Silence'
  2. 'Blessed'
  3. 'Leaves That Are Green'
  4. 'Somewhere They Can't Find Me'
  5. 'I Am a Rock'
  6. 'Anji'
  7. 'We've Got a Groovy Thing Goin''
  8. 'Kathy's Song'
  9. 'April Come She Will'
  10. 'A Most Peculiar Man'
  11. 'Richard Cory'
Final rating: 8.4

3. 'Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme' (1966)


 After the release of “Sounds Of Silence,” Simon & Garfunkel spent more time developing their next album. The result was “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme,” a music masterpiece. On “Scarborough Fair/Canticle,” the duo used vocal overdubs and instrumentation to weave together a traditional song and anti-war protest to stunning effect. The album also includes classics like “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy),” “Cloudy,” “Homeward Bound,” and “For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her.” It was reissued in 2001 with additional demo versions of “Patterns” and “A Poem On The Underground Wall.”

Ranking the songs:

  1. 'Scarborough Fair / Canticle'
  2. 'Homeward Bound'
  3. 'The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine'
  4. '7 O'Clock News / Silent Night'
  5. 'Flowers Never Bend With the Rainfall'
  6. 'The Dangling Conversation'
  7. 'Cloudy'
  8. 'A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission)'
  9. 'For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her'
  10. 'A Poem On The Underground Wall'
  11. 'The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)'
  12. 'Patterns'
Final rating: 8.6

2. 'Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.'


The duo recorded their first album as Simon & Garfunkel in 1964, producing a record that sounds different from the music they released in later years. Between the release of “Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.” and their second album, Simon & Garfunkel would score a major folk-rock hit with “The Sound Of Silence.” This album includes the original acoustic version of that song, along with early signs of Paul Simon’s growing songwriting ability on favorites like “Sparrow.” The set was reissued in 2001 with additional demo and alternate takes of “Bleecker Street,” “He Was My Brother,” and “The Sun Is Burning.”

Ranking the songs:


  1. 'The Sounds Of Silence'
  2. 'He Was My Brother'
  3. 'Sparrow'
  4. 'Go Tell It On The Mountain'
  5. 'The Sun Is Burning'
  6. 'The Times They Are A-Changin''
  7. 'Peggy-O'
  8. 'Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.'
  9. 'Bleecker Street'
  10. 'Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream'
  11. 'You Can Tell The World'
  12. 'Benedictus'
Final rating: 8.7

1. 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' (1970)


“Bridge Over Troubled Water,” released in 1970, was Simon & Garfunkel’s final studio album and their greatest success. The title track won an unprecedented five Grammy Awards, while the complete record won Album of the Year. The album stayed at #1 for 10 weeks, remained on the chart for a total of 85 weeks, and has been certified 8X platinum. Even as the duo was coming apart, their partnership produced a transcendent work of art that appeals to a diverse audience to this day. In addition to the title track, the album includes the hits “The Boxer,” “Cecilia,” “El Condor Pasa (If I Could),” and favorites like “The Only Living Boy In New York.” The album was reissued in 2001 with the additional demo “Feuilles-O,” and an early version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

Ranking the songs:

  1. 'The Boxer'
  2. 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'
  3. 'The Only Living Boy in New York'
  4. 'Baby Driver'
  5. 'So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright'
  6. 'El condor pasa'
  7. 'Keep The Customer Satisfied'
  8. 'Cecilia'
  9. 'Why Don't You Write Me'
  10. 'Bye Bye Love'
  11. 'Song For The Asking'

Final rating: 9.0

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