Quicklet on The Best Simon and Garfunkel Songs: Lyrics and Analysis

Before they emerged as Simon and Garfunkel, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel performed and recorded as Tom and Jerry, after the cat and mouse duo of animated comedy. The pair met at school in Queens, New York, in 1953 and shared an interest in folk revival music as it entered the popular consciousness. Inspired by the Everly Brothers, who merged country with rock and roll, young Paul and Art endeavored to write songs and arrange vocal harmonies. In 1957, they covered Everly Brothers’ “Hey, Schoolgirl” for Big Records when they were only 15 years old. “Hey, Schoolgirl in the second row / The teacher’s lookin’ over / So I got to whisper way down low,” the song goes. Tom and Jerry reached number 49 on the pop chart with that song.

Another seven years went by before the pair recorded again. When Simon was working for a publisher to sell songs for recording, he introduced some of his own songs for consideration. He and Garfunkel auditioned, and, beyond expectation, Columbia Records offered them a recording deal. In 1964 they released Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.