The Only Living Boy in New York

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"The Only Living Boy in New York"
Single by Simon and Garfunkel
from the album Bridge over Troubled Water
A-side "Cecilia"
ReleasedJanuary 26, 1970
RecordedNovember 1969
Genre Folk rock
Length3:59
Label Columbia Records
Songwriter(s) Paul Simon
Producer(s)

"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.

Contents

Background

Simon wrote the song as a thinly veiled message to Art Garfunkel, referencing in the first stanza a specific incident where Garfunkel went to Mexico to act in the film Catch-22. Simon was left alone in New York writing songs for Bridge over Troubled Water, hence the very lonely feelings of "The Only Living Boy in New York." Simon refers to Garfunkel in the song as "Tom", alluding to their early days when they were called Tom and Jerry, and encourages him to "let your honesty shine . . . like it shines on me". [1] The background vocals feature both Garfunkel and Simon recorded together in an echo chamber, multi-tracked around eight times. [2]

Personnel

Covers

Use in film

Use in other media

Charts

Chart (1970)Peak
position
Indonesia (Aktuil) [6] 4

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [7] Silver200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. "The Words and Music of Paul Simon", James Bennighof, p. 48, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007, ISBN   0-275-99163-6
  2. Swenson, John. Simon and Garfunkel – A Musical Biography. (1984)
  3. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . April 10, 1993. p. 21.
  4. "Official Singles Chart Top 75". Official Charts Company. May 8, 1993. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  5. Charlesworth, C. (1997). The Complete Guide to the Music of Paul Simon and Simon & Garfunkel. Omnibus Press. p. 52. ISBN   0-7119-5597-2.
  6. Aktuil Magazine 59. 1970.
  7. "British single certifications – Simon & Garfunkel – The Only Living Boy in New York". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved July 7, 2023.