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The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)
| cover = BridgeSong.jpg
| alt =
| caption = 1971 release, where "The 59th Street Bridge Song" was given the A-side
| type = single
| artist = Simon and Garfunkel
| album = Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
| released =
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Folk rock
| length = 1:43/1:53 (later fade out)
| label = Columbia
| writer = Paul Simon
| producer = Bob Johnston
| chronology = Simon and Garfunkel
| prev_title = El Condor Pasa (If I Could)
| prev_year = 1970
| year = 1967
| next_title = For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her (Live)
| next_year = 1972
}}
"'The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)'" is a song by folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, written by Paul Simon and included on their 1966 album 'Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme'. Its name is based on the 59th Street Bridge (formally known then as the Queensboro Bridge, later renamed the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge), which is a bridge of New York City that was completed in 1909. 'Cash Box' called it a "sparkling, spirited lid."
The studio version features Dave Brubeck Quartet members Joe Morello (drums) and Eugene Wright (double bass). Footage of Simon and Garfunkel performing the song at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival is featured in the film 'Monterey Pop'. On his farewell tour, Simon "penalized" himself for wrongly performing the lyrics to another song by singing this song, which he confesses to hating.
The song's original length is 1:43, but its subsequent remasters for compilations 'Tales from New York: The Very Best of Simon & Garfunkel' and 'The Essential Simon and Garfunkel' have a later fade out at 1:53.
The theme song to the American children's television programme 'H.R. Pufnstuf', originally composed by Sid and Marty Krofft, was found to closely mimic "The 59th Street Bridge Song" after Simon sued; his writing credit was subsequently added to the theme for 'H.R. Pufnstuf'.[http://www.kiddiematinee.com/p-pufnstuf.html PUFNSTUF (1970, U.S.)] [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063907/trivia "H.R. Pufnstuf (19691970): Trivia"], IMDB.com. Accessed Sept. 16, 2017.
, seen from Manhattan, in 2010
Covers and performances
* A popular cover version from 1967 was recorded by Californian group Harpers Bizarre, reaching No. 13 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Easy Listening chart. Their version was arranged by Leon Russell, who played piano on the track. Other musicians included Glen Campbell, Carole Kaye and drummer Jim Gordon; it also featured a harmonic choral a cappella section and a woodwind quartet with a flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon.
* Simon's former song-writing partner Bruce Woodley recorded a cover with his band The Seekers on their 1967 album 'Seekers Seen in Green'.
* The song was covered by The Free Design on their 1967 debut album 'Kites Are Fun'.
* The song was covered by Italian vocal band Quartetto Cetra on their 1967 single "La Ballata degli Innamorati / Tre Minuti", with Italian lyrics written by Tata Giacobetti.
* The melody was used by Nana Mouskouri in 1967 for her song "C'est Bon la Vie".
* A version by Brenda Lee appeared on her 1968 album 'For the First Time' (Decca DL 4955).
* Mabel Mercer and Bobby Short performed this song at their 1968 Town Hall performance, documented on the live album 'At Town Hall'.
* The song appears on the album 'The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper'; during the track's mixing, Simon added harmony vocals to the final chorus.
* Jazz vocalist Johnny Hartman recorded it on his 1973 album 'I've Been There'.
* The song was covered by Berni Flint and Lena Zavaroni on her television series 'Lena Zavaroni and Music' (1979).
*The Coolies covered it on their 1986 album 'dig..?', along with eight other tongue-in-cheek covers of Simon & Garfunkel classics.
* Pizzicato Five made a Japanese-language version of the song, included on both the single 'The Audrey Hepburn Complex' and the album 'Pizzicatomania!'.
* The song was covered by the Boston band Jim's Big Ego for their album 'Don't Get Smart'.
* Jazz saxophonist Paul Desmond recorded the song on his album 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', consisting of all Simon and Garfunkel compositions.
* The Grateful Dead were known to have quoted portions of the song in their music; the most notable instance was within the performance of "Dark Star" on 13 February 1970 at the Fillmore East in New York, NY on the 'Dick's Picks Volume 4' album.
* O.A.R. have been covering this song in concert since 2002; they play their own arrangement which always serves as an intro to fan favorites "That Was a Crazy Game of Poker" or "City on Down".
* The song was parodied by Bob Rivers as "Feelin' Boobies".
* Tori Amos performed the original song at several of her concerts in 2005.[http://www.toriset.org/s.php?c=968&t=0 Tori Amos Song Summary]
* The song was covered by Rachael MacFarlane on her 2012 debut album 'Hayley Sings'.
* During live performances, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page would often include snippets of "The 59th Street Bridge Song" in the guitar solo of the song "Heartbreaker". While usually edited out of official live releases, the snippet can be heard on numerous Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings.
In popular culture
* The cover version of the 1969 album 'Switched-On Rock' by the Electronic group "The Moog Machine" was used as the theme for Dr. Chapatn, a character created by Chespirito.
* In 1991, Harpers Bizarre's cover of the song was featured in an episode of 'The Wonder Years' (season 5, episode 10), "Pfeiffer's Choice".
* The song was used in a 2003 series of Gap commercials featuring R&B/soul singers Angie Stone and Ma.
* The song was used in the first season of US TV series 'Desperate Housewives', during a scene where Lynette Scavo hallucinates her own suicide.
* In an episode of 'The Simpsons' (season 6, episode 25) titled "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)". Mr. Burns alludes to the song, saying, "Hello lamppost, whatcha knowin'? I've come to watch your power flowin'."
* The song was used in the trailer for Hal Ashby's 1975 comedy-drama 'Shampoo' for which Paul Simon composed the original score.
* The song was used in the season 3 premiere of 'The Leftovers' (season 3, episode 1) called "The Book of Kevin". Protagonist Kevin Garvey asphyxiates himself with plastic wrap and duct tape in his room as the song plays.
* A variant of the song was performed by Paul Simon and Stephen Colbert as the opening segment for 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' on May 25, 2017.
*In a season 1 episode of Animaniacs entitled "The Warners' 65th Anniversary Special", during an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show the song is parodied as "Make A Gookie" in which Wakko encourages the general public to be humorous and make silly faces.
References
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