Eytan Mirsky

Last updated

Eytan Mirsky (born December 18, 1961) is a New York City-based American singer-songwriter.

Contents

Career

He is known mainly for his original contributions to film soundtracks, including the title songs for the critically acclaimed films Happiness (sung by R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe) and American Splendor (in which he himself appeared singing the theme). He also contributed three songs to the film The Tao of Steve , including the title song and “(I Just Wanna Be) Your Steve McQueen.” He also contributed music to the films Palindromes , The Company and Desert Blue .

Mirsky’s 1996 debut album, Songs About Girls (& Other Painful Subjects), garnered praise from critics, as did six subsequent albums.[ citation needed ] Mirsky also contributed a cover of George Harrison's "Don't Bother Me" to a 2002 tribute album, He Was Fab, as well as a cover of Rupert Holmes' "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" to 2013's Drink a Toast to Innocence: A Tribute to Lite Rock. Among the musicians who have played on Mirsky's recordings are Jon Gordon, best known for his guitar work for Suzanne Vega, [1] and Larry Saltzman, guitarist on a number of Simon & Garfunkel tours. [2]

Formerly a student of New York University’s Graduate Institute of Film and Television, Mirsky worked as an assistant sound editor on the films What's Eating Gilbert Grape , Carlito's Way and The Bonfire of the Vanities , and as a sound effects editor on the films Chicago and A Beautiful Mind , both of which won Academy Awards for Best Picture. Mirsky also appeared as a contestant on Jeopardy! in January 1988, finishing in second place. [3]

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon & Garfunkel</span> American folk music duo

Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They rank as one of the best-selling music acts of the 1960s. Their most famous recordings include three US number ones: "The Sound of Silence" (1965) and the two Grammy Record of the Year winners "Mrs. Robinson" (1968) and "Bridge over Troubled Water" (1970). Other successful songs include "The Boxer" (1969), "Cecilia" (1970) and the four 1966 releases "Homeward Bound", "I Am a Rock", "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" and "A Hazy Shade of Winter", as well as the 1968 album track "America".

<i>Bookends</i> (album) 1968 studio album by Simon & Garfunkel

Bookends is the fourth studio album by American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Produced by Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel and Roy Halee, the album was released on April 3, 1968, in the United States by Columbia Records. The duo had risen to fame two years prior with the albums Sounds of Silence and Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme and the soundtrack album for the 1967 film The Graduate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Simon</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter. He is one of the most celebrated artists of the twentieth century, with a career spanning six decades. He is among the most acclaimed musicians in popular music and one of the world's best-selling music artists, noted both for his solo work and work with Art Garfunkel. He and his schoolfriend Garfunkel, whom he met 1956, came to prominence in the 1960s as Simon & Garfunkel. Their blend of folk and rock, in hits such as "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", "America" and "The Boxer", served as a soundtrack to the counterculture movement. Their final album before disbanding, Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970), is among the bestselling of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Garfunkel</span> American singer (born 1941)

Arthur Ira Garfunkel is an American singer, actor and poet who is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, Garfunkel became acquainted with Simon through an elementary school play of Alice in Wonderland and sought a partnership. Their combined presence in music began in the 1950s, and throughout the 1960s, the duo of Simon & Garfunkel achieved great chart success with tracks such as "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", "Scarborough Fair", "The Boxer" and "Bridge over Troubled Water", whose title also served as the name of Simon & Garfunkel's final album in 1970. Simon & Garfunkel split for personal reasons, but the pair have occasionally reunited in the years since. Both men experienced success in solo careers in the years following the duo's breakup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridge over Troubled Water (song)</span> 1970 song by Simon & Garfunkel

"Bridge over Troubled Water" is a song by the American folk duo Simon & Garfunkel, released in January 1970 as the second single from their fifth studio album, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970). It was composed by Paul Simon and produced by Simon & Garfunkel and Roy Halee.

"Richard Cory" is a song written by Paul Simon in early 1965, and recorded by Simon and Garfunkel for their second studio album, Sounds of Silence. The song was based on Edwin Arlington Robinson's 1897 poem of the same title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Gadd</span> American drummer

Stephen Kendall Gadd is an American drummer, percussionist, and session musician. Gadd is one of the best-known and highly regarded session and studio drummers in the industry, recognized by his induction into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1984. Gadd's performances on Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" and "Late in the Evening" and Steely Dan's "Aja" are examples of his style. He has worked with other popular musicians from many genres including Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, Chick Corea, Chuck Mangione, Eric Clapton and Michel Petrucciani.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Am a Rock</span> 1965 song written by Paul Simon

"I Am a Rock" is a song written by Paul Simon. It was first performed by Simon alone as the opening track on his album The Paul Simon Songbook which he originally recorded and released in August 1965, only in the United Kingdom. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, as the American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, re-recorded it on December 14, 1965, and included as the final track on their album Sounds of Silence, which they released on January 17, 1966. It was released as a single in 1966, and subsequently included as the B-side of the 1971 A-side reissue of "The 59th Street Bridge Song ".

<i>The Tao of Steve</i> 2000 American romantic comedy film

The Tao of Steve is a 2000 romantic comedy film written by Duncan North, Greer Goodman, and Jenniphr Goodman, directed by Jenniphr Goodman, and starring Donal Logue and Greer Goodman.

Roy Decker Halee is an American record producer and engineer, best known for working with Simon & Garfunkel, both as a group and for their solo projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wonderful World (Sam Cooke song)</span> 1960 single by Sam Cooke

"Wonderful World" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke. Released on April 14, 1960, by Keen Records, it had been recorded during an impromptu session the previous year in March 1959, at Sam Cooke's last recording session at Keen. He signed with RCA Victor in 1960 and "Wonderful World", then unreleased, was issued as a single in competition. The song was mainly composed by songwriting team Lou Adler and Herb Alpert, but Cooke revised the lyrics to mention the subject of education more.

Happiness is an emotional state characterized by feelings of enjoyment, pleasure, and satisfaction.

<i>American Splendor</i> (film) 2003 American biographical film about Harvey Pekar

American Splendor is a 2003 American biographical comedy-drama film about Harvey Pekar, the author of the American Splendor comic book series. The film, which is a hybrid production featuring live actors, documentary, and animation, is in part an adaptation of the comics, which dramatize Pekar's life. American Splendor was written and directed by documentarians Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini.

"The Only Living Boy in New York" is a song written by Paul Simon and performed by Simon & Garfunkel. It is the eighth track from the duo's fifth and final studio album, Bridge over Troubled Water. The song was also issued as the B-side to the duo's "Cecilia" single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mrs. Robinson</span> 1968 single by Simon & Garfunkel

"Mrs. Robinson" is a song by American music duo Simon & Garfunkel from their fourth studio album, Bookends (1968). The writing of the song was begun before the 1967 film The Graduate, which contained only fragments of it. The full song was released as a single on April 5, 1968, by Columbia Records. Produced by the duo and Roy Halee, the song was written by Paul Simon, who offered parts of it to movie director Mike Nichols alongside Art Garfunkel after Nichols rejected two other songs intended for the film. The Graduate's soundtrack album uses two short versions of "Mrs. Robinson"; The full song was published on the album Bookends. The song was additionally released on the Mrs. Robinson EP in 1968, which also included three other songs from the film: "April Come She Will", "Scarborough Fair/Canticle", and "The Sound of Silence".

The Beatles were originally a quartet, but only Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr remain.

<i>Was It Something I Said?</i> (album) 2001 studio album by Eytan Mirsky

Was It Something I Said? is the third album recorded by singer-songwriter Eytan Mirsky, released in 2001.

<i>Bridge over Troubled Water</i> 1970 studio album by Simon & Garfunkel

Bridge over Troubled Water is the fifth and final studio album by American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, released on January 26, 1970 on Columbia Records. Following the duo's soundtrack for The Graduate, Art Garfunkel took an acting role in the film Catch-22, while Paul Simon worked on the songs, writing all tracks except Felice and Boudleaux Bryant's "Bye Bye Love".

<i>The Concert in Central Park</i> 1982 live album by Simon & Garfunkel

The Concert in Central Park is the first live album by American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, released on February 16, 1982, by Warner Bros. Records. It was recorded on September 19, 1981, at a free benefit concert on the Great Lawn in Central Park, New York City, where the pair performed in front of 500,000 people. A film of the event was shown on TV and released on video. Proceeds went toward the redevelopment and maintenance of the park, which had deteriorated due to lack of municipal funding. The concert and album marked the start of a three-year reunion of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.

References

  1. Sweet, Brian. Steely Dan: Reelin' in the Years (Omnibus Press, 2018).
  2. Mervis, Scott. "Simon & Garfunkel still fresh after all these years," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (June 17, 2004).
  3. J! Archive.