The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)

"The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" is a song by folk music duo Simon & Garfunkel, appearing on their 1966 album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. It was on the B-side of the 1967 single "At the Zoo", and was subsequently re-issued in 1971 as an A-side single.

"The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)"
1971 release, where "The 59th Street Bridge Song" was given the A-side
Single by Simon and Garfunkel
from the album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
B-side"I Am a Rock"
Released1971
(1967 as B-side to "At the Zoo")
Recorded16 August 1966 (1966-08-16)
GenreFolk rock
Length1:56
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Paul Simon
Producer(s)Bob Johnston
Simon and Garfunkel singles chronology
"El Condor Pasa (If I Could)"
(1970)		 "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)"
(1971)		 "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her (Live)"
(1972)
59th Street Bridge, seen from Manhattan, in 2010

"59th Street Bridge" is the colloquial name of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge in New York City. The song's message is immediately delivered in its opening verse: "Slow down, you move too fast".

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.[1]

The theme song to the American children's TV show 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 H.R. Pufnstuf theme.[2][3]

Covers and performances
  • The song was used in a 2003 series of Gap commercials featuring R&B/soul singers Angie Stone and Mýa.[6]
  • 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 1991, Harpers Bizarre's cover of the song was featured in The Wonder Years Season 5 Episode 10, "Pfeiffer's Choice".[7]
  • The song was used in an episode of The Simpsons (season 6, episode 25) called "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.[8]
  • 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.[9]
  • The Switched-On Rock version is Dr. Chapatín's theme on the Mexican comedy series Chespirito.

References
  1. "Paul Simon wraps up farewell tour back home". CBC News. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  2. PUFNSTUF (1970, U.S.) Archived January 17, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  3. "H.R. Pufnstuf (1969–1970): Trivia", IMDB.com. Accessed Sept. 16, 2017.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 111.
  5. Tori Amos Song Summary
  6. Mack, Ann M. (28 February 2003). "Laird's Gap Is 'Groovy' for Spring". AllBusiness.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  7. "S5E10: Pfeiffer's Choice - The Wonder Years Soundtrack". Tunefind. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  8. Cook-Wilson, Winston (17 April 2017). "In season 3 of the Leftovers, everyone is waiting around to die". Spin. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  9. "Paul Simon And Stephen Colbert Are 'Feelin' Groovy'". YouTube. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
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