"At the Zoo" is one of

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 " ...

's single releases in

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

. It is one of

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 ...

's many tributes to his hometown 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 ...

, and was written for the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

of ''

The Graduate ''The Graduate'' is a 1967 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Wil ...

'', specifically the scene which takes place at the

San Francisco Zoo The San Francisco Zoo is a zoo located in the southwestern corner of San Francisco, California, between Lake Merced and the Pacific Ocean along the Great Highway. The SF Zoo is a public institution, managed by the non-profit San Francisco Zoologi ...

. However, the song was not used in the film. It begins with Simon's short lyrical introduction in the key of A Major, but soon transitions to the key of G Major, being a whole step down from the beginning. The narrative tells the story of a trip to the

Central Park Zoo The Central Park Zoo is a zoo located at the southeast corner of Central Park in New York City. It is part of an integrated system of four zoos and one aquarium managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). In conjunction with the Central ...

; when the singer reaches the zoo, he anthropomorphizes the animals in various amusing ways. The song was licensed in advertisements for the

Bronx Zoo The Bronx Zoo (also historically the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and is the largest metropolitan zoo in ...

, the

and the

Oregon Zoo The Oregon Zoo, originally the Portland Zoo and later the Washington Park Zoo, is a zoo located in Washington Park, Portland, Oregon, approximately southwest of downtown Portland. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi Ri ...

in the late 1970s.

Reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' described the song as a "winner" with a "clever lyric and rhythm arrangement." ''

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 the single a "bright and lively mover that’s bound to be a smash."

Releases

"At the Zoo" was first released as a single in 1967, reaching #16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. After that, it was released on the following albums: *'' Bookends'' (1968) *'' The Simon and Garfunkel Collection: 17 of Their All-Time Greatest Recordings'' (1981) *''

The Best of Simon and Garfunkel ''The Best of Simon and Garfunkel'' is the fifth compilation album of greatest hits by Simon & Garfunkel, released by Columbia Records in 1999, containing 20 tracks. Shortly after its release, this album was revised and re-issued as an expanded ...

'' (1999) *''Tales from New York: The Very Best of Simon & Garfunkel'' (2000) The song was also performed live by Simon and Garfunkel in the '' Old Friends: Live on Stage'' album in 2004, as part of a medley with "Baby Driver". An alternate version with almost completely different lyrics is available on the

bootleg Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to: * Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially * Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence: ** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...

The Alternate Bookends."Simon & Garfunkel : The Alternate Bookends"
The Big O, accessed April 7, 2009 These lyrics have nothing to do with a zoo, but rather speak of a musician's girlfriend having changed while he was on the road. The song begins, "Something tells me things have changed since I've been gone"; "Something tells me" is one of the few phrases that is still present in the released version.

The book

In 1991, Paul Simon released a children's book titled ''At the Zoo'' () which combines the lyrics of the song with detailed illustrations by Valerie Michaut. To make this book "age-appropriate" for children, Simon made changes and additions, including identifying Rum as a beaver (because the original lyric states that "the zookeeper is very fond of

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Phili ...

") and giving the hamsters headlights (because they " turn on frequently").

Chart performance

References

Simon & Garfunkel songs 1967 songs 1967 singles Songs written by Paul Simon Song recordings produced by Bob Johnston Song recordings produced by Paul Simon Song recordings produced by Art Garfunkel Columbia Records singles Songs about animals American picture books 1991 children's books {{1960s-single-stub