Cover version of the month #104
Artetha Franklin covers Simon and Garfunkel
One day in December I was driving through the rain when Craig Charles stopped me in my tracks by playing Aretha Franklin's version of Simon & Garfunkel's classic Bridge Over Troubled Water.
I was spellbound! There are covers, and then there are Aretha Franklin covers! See my May 2017 blog on her rip roaring version of Respect by Otis Redding.
Her 1971 take on Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water is a masterclass in reinterpretation—transforming an already iconic song into something deeply personal, profoundly soulful, and utterly transcendent. WOW!
The original version by Simon & Garfunkel, released in 1970, is a shimmering melancholic folk-pop ballad. Paul Simon’s lyrics, inspired by gospel music, offer comfort and solace, while Art Garfunkel’s angelic voice delivers them with a serene purity. It’s a song that builds delicately, layering piano, strings, and harmonies until it swells into a grand crescendo.
Listening to the song on headphone, it feels intimate, like Garfunkel is talking to you, like he empathises and cares.
Then comes Aretha!
Recorded just a year after the original, Aretha’s rendition brings the gospel roots of the song front and centre, making it feel less like a folk-pop hymn and more like a sermon from the pulpit - the full embrace of the gospel choir, a heart-on-sleeve declaration of love and support.
Aretha’s version begins with a soulful organ, immediately setting a richer tone. Then there’s her voice—raw, powerful, and infused with deep emotional, backed by a heavenly gospel choir. There is no rush, there is a lengthy instrumental passage from 26 seconds through to 1-minute 30 seconds, with a slow, soulful, slightly jazzy feel.
Then, just before 2-minutes, Aretha sings;
When you're down and out
When you're on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you
Listen to the way she sings so hard - Goosebumps!
Aretha sings with the conviction of someone who has lived every word, every heartbreak, and every triumph that the song embodies. This is spine tingling, life affirming stuff - listen to Franklin's voice rise with ease. Listen to the section where Aretha and her choir sing see how they shine in tandem. OOOFFFTT!
And the arrangement! The backing vocals! And that voice! Aretha isn’t afraid to go big! The choir backing her feels like a congregation lifting her up, and the rhythm section injects a subtle groove that wasn’t there in the original. By the time she hits the climactic Like a bridge over troubled water, it’s no longer just a lyric—it’s a declaration, a promise shouted from the mountaintop.
While the groove is slow and chilled and the backing vocals are arranged beautifully arranged, Aretha is on fire - wild, radiant and impossible to contain! And it is A M A Z I N G to hear. What a sound! What a voice! The closing 90-seconds are utterly sublime.
Interestingly, Paul Simon himself praised Aretha’s version, once calling it the definitive recording of the song.
So, which version is the best? That depends on what you’re looking for. Need a quiet moment of reflection, or a need to appreciate the art of songwriting in one of its finest moments? Go with Simon & Garfunkel. Need to feel uplifted, empowered, and ready to take on the world? Turn to Aretha. Both are exceptional performances of a truly magnificent song.
When I look back at the list of 100+ cover versions that I have blogged on, this is one of the very, very best.
I do love cover versions. One of the many beautiful things about music is how songs can be reimagined, reshaped, and reborn in ways that make us fall in love with them all over again.
Bridge Over Troubled Water won 5 Grammy's in 1971. Aretha performed her version as Simon & Garfunkel collected their awards.
Both versions are added to my Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist on Spotify which also features all of the songs listed below. Search for the title or CLICK HERE
Previous covers of the month blogs
40. Jumpin' Jack Flash
44. Witchi Tai To
45. Our Lips Are Sealed
46. Sunshine Of Your Love
47. Here Comes The Sun
48. I Think We're Alone Now
49. Don't Let Me Down
50. It's Oh So Quiet
51. Alcoholiday
52. Summer Holiday
53. Who Do You Think You Are?
54. Head On
55. Nothing Compares 2 U
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