The Essential Simon and Garfunkel

The Essential Simon & Garfunkel is the second 2-CD “double album” compilation album of greatest hits by Simon & Garfunkel, released by Columbia Records on October 14, 2003.

The Essential Simon & Garfunkel
Greatest hits album by Simon & Garfunkel
Released	October 14, 2003
Recorded	1964–1975
Genre	Folk rock
Length	97:37
Label	Columbia Legacy
Producer	Tom Wilson Bob Johnston Paul Simon Arthur Garfunkel Roy Halee John Simon Phil Ramone
Simon & Garfunkel chronology
Tom & Jerry (2002) The Essential Simon & Garfunkel (2003) Old Friends: Live on Stage (2004)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

This two-disc anthology was released to coincide with Simon & Garfunkel’s 2003 reunion tour. It contains all of the duo’s 16 singles originally released between 1964 and 1975 to reach the Hot 100 (including the 1975 reunion hit, "My Little Town"). The remaining 17 songs include beloved non-hits like “Richard Cory”, and eight live performances from 1967 to 1969.

Track listing

All songs composed by Paul Simon, except where noted.

US version

Disc one

No.	Title	Place of Origin	Length
1.	"Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M." (Live at Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City, New York, January 22, 1967)	Live from New York City, 1967, 2002; originally from Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., 1964	2:44
2.	"Bleecker Street"	Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.	2:44
3.	"The Sound of Silence" (Acoustic version with electric overdubs)	Sounds of Silence, 1965; original acoustic version from Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.	3:06
4.	"Leaves That Are Green" (Live at Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City, New York, January 22, 1967)	Live from New York, 1967; originally from Sounds of Silence	2:30
5.	"A Most Peculiar Man" (Live at the Memorial Auditorium, Burlington, Vermont, October 13, 1968)	Old Friends, 1997; originally from Sounds of Silence	2:33
6.	"I Am a Rock"	Sounds of Silence	2:51
7.	"Richard Cory"	Sounds of Silence	2:56
8.	"Kathy's Song" (Live in St. Louis, Missouri, November 1969)	Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits, 1972, and later released on Live 1969, 2008 (through Starbucks)/2009 (Worldwide); originally from Sounds of Silence	3:22
9.	"Scarborough Fair/Canticle" (Traditional, arr. by Art Garfunkel, Simon)	Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, 1966	3:10
10.	"Homeward Bound"	Sounds of Silence (in the UK)/Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (Worldwide)	2:29
11.	"Sparrow" (Live at Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City, New York, January 22, 1967)	Live from New York, 1967; originally from Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.	3:03
12.	"The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)"	Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme	1:55
13.	"The Dangling Conversation"	Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme	2:38
14.	"A Poem on the Underground Wall" (Live at Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City, New York, January 22, 1967)	First appeared on Old Friends, and later released on Live from New York, 1967; originally from Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme	2:06
15.	"A Hazy Shade of Winter"	Non-album single, 1966; later released on Bookends, 1968	2:17
16.	"At the Zoo"	Non-album single, 1967; later released on Bookends	2:23

Disc two

No.	Title	Place of Origin	Length
1.	"Mrs. Robinson"	The Graduate soundtrack, 1968; later released on Bookends that same year	4:03
2.	"Fakin' It"	Non-album single, 1967; later released on Bookends	3:18
3.	"Old Friends"	Bookends	2:35
4.	"Bookends Theme (Reprise)"	Bookends	1:21
5.	"America"	Bookends	3:37
6.	"Overs" (Live at the Memorial Auditorium, Burlington, Vermont, October 13, 1968)	Old Friends; originally from Bookends	2:25
7.	"El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" (Daniel Alomía Robles, English lyrics by Simon, arranged by Jorge Milchberg)	Bridge over Troubled Water, 1970	3:07
8.	"Bridge over Troubled Water"	Bridge over Troubled Water	4:53
9.	"Cecilia"	Bridge over Troubled Water	2:54
10.	"Keep the Customer Satisfied"	Bridge over Troubled Water	2:34
11.	"So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright"	Bridge over Troubled Water	3:42
12.	"The Boxer"	Non-album single, 1969; later released on Bridge over Troubled Water	5:09
13.	"Baby Driver"	Bridge over Troubled Water	3:16
14.	"The Only Living Boy in New York"	Bridge over Troubled Water	3:58
15.	"Song for the Asking"	Bridge over Troubled Water	1:50
16.	"For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" (Live in St. Louis, Missouri, November 27, 1969)	Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits, and later released on Live 1969; originally from Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme	2:26
17.	"My Little Town"	Still Crazy After All These Years (Simon) Breakaway (Garfunkel), 1975 (both solo albums)	3:51

European version

Disc one

No.	Title	Place of Origin	Length
1.	"The Sound of Silence" (Acoustic version with electric overdubs)	Sounds of Silence; original acoustic version from Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.	3:06
2.	"Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M." (Live at Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City, New York, January 22, 1967)	Live from New York City, 1967; originally from Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.	2:44
3.	"Bye Bye Love" (Live recording from Ames, Iowa) (Felice and Boudleaux Bryant)	Bridge over Troubled Water	2:48
4.	"Bleecker Street"	Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.	2:44
5.	"I Am a Rock"	Sounds of Silence	2:50
6.	"A Most Peculiar Man" (Live at the Memorial Auditorium, Burlington, Vermont, October 13, 1968)	Old Friends; originally from Sounds of Silence	2:33
7.	"Richard Cory"	Sounds of Silence	2:55
8.	"Kathy's Song" (Live in St. Louis, Missouri, November 1969)	Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits, and later released on Live 1969; originally from Sounds of Silence	3:22
9.	"Scarborough Fair/Canticle" (Traditional, arr. by Simon & Garfunkel)	Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme	3:09
10.	"Homeward Bound"	Sounds of Silence (in the UK)/Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (Worldwide)	2:28
11.	"Sparrow" (Live at Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City, New York, January 22, 1967)	Live from New York City, 1967; originally from Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.	3:02
12.	"Leaves That Are Green" (Live at Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City, New York, January 22, 1967)	Live from New York City, 1967; originally from Sounds of Silence	2:30
13.	"He Was My Brother"	Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.	2:49
14.	"The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)"	Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme	1:55
15.	"The Dangling Conversation"	Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme	2:37
16.	"A Poem on the Underground Wall" (Live at Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City, New York, January 22, 1967)	First appeared on Old Friends, and later released on Live from New York, 1967; originally from Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme	2:05
17.	"Blessed" (Live at Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City, New York, January 22, 1967)	First appeared on Old Friends, and later released on Live from New York, 1967; originally from Sounds of Silence	3:42
18.	"Cloudy"	Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme	2:22
19.	"Blues Run the Game" (Jackson C. Frank)	First appeared on Old Friends, and later as a bonus track on Sounds of Silence	2:52
20.	"A Hazy Shade of Winter"	Non-album single; later released on Bookends	2:17

Disc two

No.	Title	Place of Origin	Length
1.	"Mrs. Robinson"	The Graduate soundtrack; later released on Bookends that same year	4:02
2.	"Bridge over Troubled Water"	Bridge over Troubled Water	4:52
3.	"At the Zoo"	Non-album single; later released on Bookends	2:23
4.	"Fakin' It"	Non-album single; later released on Bookends	3:17
5.	"Old Friends"	Bookends	2:35
6.	"Bookends Theme"	Bookends	1:20
7.	"Punky's Dilemma"	Bookends	2:13
8.	"Overs" (Live at the Memorial Auditorium, Burlington, Vermont, October 13, 1968)	Old Friends; originally from Bookends	2:25
9.	"A Church Is Burning" (Live at Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City, New York, January 22, 1967)	Old Friends, and later released on Live from New York, 1967; originally from The Paul Simon Songbook, 1965 (Paul Simon's solo debut album)	3:22
10.	"America"	Bookends	3:37
11.	"El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" (Daniel Alomía Robles, English lyrics by Simon, arranged by Jorge Milchberg)	Bridge over Troubled Water	3:07
12.	"Cecilia"	Bridge over Troubled Water	2:54
13.	"Keep the Customer Satisfied"	Bridge over Troubled Water	2:34
14.	"So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright"	Bridge over Troubled Water	3:42
15.	"The Boxer"	Non-album single; later released on Bridge over Troubled Water	5:08
16.	"Baby Driver"	Bridge over Troubled Water	3:16
17.	"The Only Living Boy in New York"	Bridge over Troubled Water	3:58
18.	"Song for the Asking"	Bridge over Troubled Water	1:50
19.	"For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" (Live in St. Louis, Missouri, November 27, 1969)	Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits, and later released on Live 1969; originally from Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme	2:26
20.	"My Little Town"	Still Crazy After All These Years (Simon) Breakaway (Garfunkel) (both solo albums)	3:51

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[2] 20 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[3] 23 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[4] 3 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[5] 64 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[6] 1 French Albums (SNEP)[7] 143 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] 24 Greek Albums (IFPI)[9] 50 Italian Albums (FIMI)[10] 28 Japanese Albums (Oricon)[11] 104 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[12] 38 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[13] 1 Portuguese Albums (AFP)[14] 26 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[15] 4 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 34 UK Albums (OCC)[17] 25 US Billboard 200[18] 27

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[19]	2× Platinum	140,000^^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[20]	Gold	17,330[20]
Norway (IFPI Norway)[21]	Platinum	40,000^*
Sweden (GLF)[22]	Platinum	60,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[23]	Platinum	300,000^^
United States (RIAA)[24]	Platinum	500,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. Unterberger, Richie. Review: The Essential Simon & Garfunkel (UK). AllMusic. Retrieved on 2010-04-14.
2. "Australiancharts.com – Simon & Garfunkel – The Essential". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
3. "Austriancharts.at – Simon & Garfunkel – The Essential" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
4. "Danishcharts.dk – Simon & Garfunkel – The Essential". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
5. "Dutchcharts.nl – Simon & Garfunkel – The Essential" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
6. "Simon & Garfunkel: The Essential" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
7. "Lescharts.com – Simon & Garfunkel – The Essential". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
8. "Offiziellecharts.de – Simon & Garfunkel – The Essential" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
9. "Greekcharts.com – Simon & Garfunkel – The Essential". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
10. "Italiancharts.com – Simon & Garfunkel – The Essential". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
11. "O‐ ZONE、18年ぶりの快挙！ (O－ZONE)". oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. August 23, 2005. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
12. "Charts.nz – Simon & Garfunkel – The Essential". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
13. "Norwegiancharts.com – Simon & Garfunkel – The Essential". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
14. "Portuguesecharts.com – Simon & Garfunkel – The Essential". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
15. "Swedishcharts.com – Simon & Garfunkel – The Essential". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
16. "Swisscharts.com – Simon & Garfunkel – The Essential". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
17. "Simon & Garfunkel | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
18. "Simon & Garfunkel | Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
19. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2010 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
20. "Simon & Garfunkel" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
21. "Gold & Platinum Certifications" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
22. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2004" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
23. "British album certifications – Simon & Garfunkel – The Essential". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 14, 2013. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type The Essential in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
24. "American album certifications – Simon & Garfunkel – The Essential Simon". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 14, 2013. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.