"The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" is a song by

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

duo

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...

, written by

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

and included on their 1966 album '' Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme''. Its name is based on the

59th Street Bridge The Queensboro Bridge, officially named the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City. Completed in 1909, it connects the neighborhood of Long Island City in the borough of Queens with the Upper East ...

(formally known then as the Queensboro Bridge, later renamed the

Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge The Queensboro Bridge, officially named the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City. Completed in 1909, it connects the neighborhood of Long Island City in the borough of Queens with the Upper East ...

), which is a bridge of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

that was completed in 1909. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' called it a "sparkling, spirited lid." The studio version features

Dave Brubeck Quartet David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

members Joe Morello (drums) and Eugene Wright (double bass). Footage of Simon and Garfunkel performing the song at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival is featured in the film ''

Monterey Pop ''Monterey Pop'' is a 1968 American concert film by D. A. Pennebaker that documents the Monterey International Pop Festival of 1967. Among Pennebaker's several camera operators were fellow documentarians Richard Leacock and Albert Maysles. The pa ...

''. On his farewell tour, Simon "penalized" himself for wrongly performing the lyrics to another song by singing this song, which he confesses to hating. The song's original length is 1:43, but its subsequent remasters for compilations '' Tales from New York: The Very Best of Simon & Garfunkel'' and '' The Essential Simon and Garfunkel'' have a later fade out at 1:53. The theme song to the American children's television programme ''

H.R. Pufnstuf ''H.R. Pufnstuf'' is a children's television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in the United States. It was the first Krofft live-action, life-sized-puppet program (not including their previous work with the Hanna-Barbera program ''The Ba ...

'', originally composed by Sid and Marty Krofft, was found to closely mimic "The 59th Street Bridge Song" after Simon sued; his writing credit was subsequently added to the theme for ''H.R. Pufnstuf''. Queensboro Bridge from Manhattan side

Covers and performances

* A popular cover version from 1967 was recorded by

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

n group Harpers Bizarre, reaching No. 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 4 on the

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

chart. Their version was arranged by

Leon Russell Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock and ...

, who played piano on the track. Other musicians included Glen Campbell,

Carol Kaye Carol Kaye (née Smith, born March 24, 1935) is an American musician. She is one of the most prolific recorded bass guitarists in rock and pop music, playing on an estimated 10,000 recordings in a career spanning over 50 years. Kaye began play ...

and drummer Jim Gordon; it also featured a harmonic choral a cappella section and a

woodwind quartet A woodwind quartet (or wind quartet) is a musical ensemble for four woodwind instruments. Alternatively the term refers to music composed for this ensemble. The most common scoring is flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon. The ensemble is also oft ...

with a flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. * Simon's former song-writing partner

Bruce Woodley Bruce William Woodley (born 25 July 1942) is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. He was a founding member of the successful folk-pop group The Seekers, and co-composer of the songs "I Am Australian," "Red Rubber Ball," and Simon & Gar ...

recorded a cover with his band

The Seekers The Seekers were an Australian folk-influenced pop quartet, originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States. They were ...

on their 1967 album ''

Seekers Seen in Green ''Seekers Seen in Green'' is the sixth studio album by the Australian group The Seekers. It was released in the UK and Europe in 1967 by Columbia Records and EMI Records. It was released in Canada in 1967 and in the US in 1968 by Capitol Records ...

''. * The song was covered by The Free Design on their 1967 debut album '' Kites Are Fun''. * The song was covered by Italian vocal band

Quartetto Cetra Quartetto Cetra (; ) was an Italian jazz vocal quartet established during the early 1940s and active until 1988. Career The band was based on the Mills Brothers and started performing under the name Quartetto Egie from the initials of the singers ...

on their 1967 single "La Ballata degli Innamorati / Tre Minuti", with Italian lyrics written by

Tata Giacobetti Giovanni "Tata" Giacobetti (24 June 1922 – 2 December 1988) was an Italian singer and jazz musician. He is mostly known for being a member of the vocal quartet Quartetto Cetra. Biography Giacobetti was a self-taught musician. He learned to pl ...

. * The melody was used by Nana Mouskouri in 1967 for her song "C'est Bon la Vie". * A version by Brenda Lee appeared on her 1968 album ''For the First Time'' (Decca DL 4955). * Mabel Mercer and Bobby Short performed this song at their 1968

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

performance, documented on the live album ''At Town Hall''. * The song appears on the album '' The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper''; during the track's mixing, Simon added harmony vocals to the final chorus. * Jazz vocalist Johnny Hartman recorded it on his 1973 album ''

I've Been There ''I've Been There'' is a studio album by American singer Johnny Hartman, released in 1973 by Perception Records. It was produced by Boo Frazier, and arranged and conducted by Tony Monte. Similar to his previous album – ''Today'' (1972) – Ha ...

''. * The song was covered by

Berni Flint Bernard Flint (born 26 May 1952, in Southport, Lancashire, England)IMDb.com – accessed July 2009

and

Lena Zavaroni Lena Hilda Zavaroni (4 November 1963 – 1 October 1999) was a Scottish singer and a television show host. At ten years of age, with her album ''Ma! (He's Making Eyes at Me)'', she was the youngest person in history to have an album in the top ...

on her television series ''

Lena Zavaroni and Music ''Lena Zavaroni and Music'' (originally known as, pre-broadcast, as ''Lena Zavaroni and Guests'') was a variety TV programme featuring singer Lena Zavaroni and her guests. Six episodes were aired by the BBC in the spring of 1979. The BBC also r ...

'' (1979). *

The Coolies The Coolies were an American alternative rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, active from 1986 to 1989. They derived the name from a dictionary definition of coolie, which defines the derogatory word as "one who does heavy work for little pay". ''di ...

covered it on their 1986 album ''dig..?'', along with eight other tongue-in-cheek covers of Simon & Garfunkel classics. *

Pizzicato Five Pizzicato Five (formerly typeset as Pizzicato V and sometimes abbreviated to P5)Yang Jeff, Dina Can, Terry Hong, (1997) ''Eastern Standard Time'' pg 277 New York: Mariner Books was a Japanese pop band formed in Tokyo in 1979 by multi-instrume ...

made a Japanese-language version of the song, included on both the single ''The Audrey Hepburn Complex'' and the album ''Pizzicatomania!''. * The song was covered by the Boston band

Jim's Big Ego Jim's Big Ego is a Boston, Massachusetts-based band formed in 1995 under the leadership of singer/songwriter Jim Infantino, who was named as the best new artist of 1995 by the National Academy of Songwriters.'' Eugene Register-Guard''"Jim's Big ...

for their album ''Don't Get Smart''. * Jazz saxophonist Paul Desmond recorded the song on his album '' Bridge Over Troubled Water'', consisting of all Simon and Garfunkel compositions. * The Grateful Dead were known to have quoted portions of the song in their music; the most notable instance was within the performance of "Dark Star" on 13 February 1970 at the Fillmore East in New York, NY on the '' Dick's Picks Volume 4'' album. *

O.A.R. O.A.R. (short for Of A Revolution) is an American rock band, founded in 1996 in Rockville, Maryland. The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Marc Roberge, drummer Chris Culos, guitarist Richard On, bassist Benj Gershman, saxophonist/guitar ...

have been covering this song in concert since 2002; they play their own arrangement which always serves as an intro to fan favorites "That Was a Crazy Game of Poker" or "City on Down". * The song was parodied by

Bob Rivers Robert Rivers (born July 7, 1956 in Branford, Connecticut) is a retired American rock and roll radio on-air personality in the Pacific Northwest, as well as a prolific producer and songwriter of parody songs, most famous for his Christmas son ...

as "Feelin' Boobies". *

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

performed the original song at several of her concerts in 2005. * The song was covered by Rachael MacFarlane on her 2012 debut album '' Hayley Sings''. * During live performances,

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

guitarist

Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...

would often include snippets of "The 59th Street Bridge Song" in the guitar solo of the song "

Heartbreaker Heartbreaker(s) or The Heart Breaker(s) may refer to: Film and television *''The Heart Breakers'', a 1916 film starring Andrew Arbuckle *''The Heart Breaker'', a 1925 film directed by Benjamin Stoloff * ''Heartbreaker'' (1983 film), an American f ...

". While usually edited out of official live releases, the snippet can be heard on numerous

Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings The Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings are a collection of audio and video recordings of musical performances by the English rock band Led Zeppelin which were never officially released by the band, or under other legal authority. The recordings consis ...

In popular culture

* The cover version of the 1969 album '' Switched-On Rock'' by the Electronic group "The Moog Machine" was used as the theme for Dr. Chapatín, a character created by

Chespirito Roberto Gómez Bolaños (21 February 1929 – 28 November 2014), more commonly known by his stage name Chespirito, or "Little William Shakespeare, Shakespeare", was a Mexican actor, comedian, screenwriter, humorist, director, producer, and au ...

. * In 1991, Harpers Bizarre's cover of the song was featured in an episode of '' The Wonder Years'' (season 5, episode 10), "Pfeiffer's Choice". * The song was used in a 2003 series of Gap commercials featuring R&B/soul singers Angie Stone and

Mýa Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), (stylized as Mýa), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Born into a musical family, she studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Initially, Mýa began her career as a VJ ...

. * The song was used in the first season of US TV series ''

Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama soap opera television series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Marc Cherry, Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from Octobe ...

'', during a scene where Lynette Scavo hallucinates her own suicide. * In an episode of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'' (season 6, episode 25) titled " Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)", Mr. Burns alludes to the song, saying, "Hello lamppost, whatcha knowin'? I've come to watch your power flowin'." * The song was used in the trailer for Hal Ashby's 1975 comedy-drama ''

Shampoo Shampoo () is a hair care product, typically in the form of a viscous liquid, that is used for cleaning hair. Less commonly, shampoo is available in solid bar format. Shampoo is used by applying it to wet hair, massaging the product into the ...

'' for which Paul Simon composed the original score. * The song was used in the season 3 premiere of '' The Leftovers'' (season 3, episode 1) called "

The Book of Kevin "The Book of Kevin" is the first episode of the third season of the American supernatural drama television series '' The Leftovers'', based on the novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta. It is the 21st overall episode of the series and was writte ...

". Protagonist Kevin Garvey asphyxiates himself with plastic wrap and duct tape in his room as the song plays. * A variant of the song was performed by Paul Simon and Stephen Colbert as the opening segment for ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second it ...

'' on May 25, 2017. *In a season 1 episode of Animaniacs entitled "The Warners' 65th Anniversary Special", during an appearance on

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

the song is parodied as "Make A Gookie" in which Wakko encourages the general public to be humorous and make silly faces.

References

External links

"The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" Lyrics from Paul Simon's official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:59th Street Bridge Song 1966 songs 1967 singles Columbia Records singles Simon & Garfunkel songs Song recordings produced by Bob Johnston Songs about roads Songs about New York City Songs written by Paul Simon