21 March, 1969.

I think we all know where this has come from, and where it’s trying to go. I mean, the inner jukebox is seriously reaching here but I get it. It’s Boxing Day, innit.

Written by Paul Simon, this was the lead single from the 1970 album Bridge Over Troubled Water. Dealing with the themes of poverty and loneliness, it was written at a time when the duo first received criticism from the press, as up until then they had gained nothing but praise.

Simon himself stated that “It took two or three years for people to realise that we weren’t strange creatures that emerged from England but just two guys from Queens who used to sing rock ‘n’ roll.” He also admitted that parts of the song were inspired by the bible, which he used to read in hotel rooms, whilst the ‘lie-la-lie’ chorus was actually only there as a placeholder as he couldn’t think of any lyrics. Eventually though it became part of the song and was never replaced.

This was the most heavily produced record the duo released, taking over one hundred hours to record in several different locations, including St Paul’s Chapel in New York. With so much material to work with, producer Roy Halee soon realised that an 8-track recorder just wasn’t enough and had to petition Columbia boss Clive Davis for a new 16-track recorder – which he got in the end.