Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits
Greatest hits album by
Simon & Garfunkel
ReleasedJune 14, 1972 (1972-06-14)
RecordedMarch 1964–November 1969
GenreFolk rock
Length43:25
LabelColumbia
Producer
Simon & Garfunkel chronology
Bridge over Troubled Water
(1970)		 Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits
(1972)		 Collected Works
(1981)

Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits is the first compilation album from Simon & Garfunkel, which was released on June 14, 1972, two years after Simon & Garfunkel had parted ways.[1]

The album is currently available on CD under Legacy's Playlist banner.

Overview

The album was a mix of original studio recordings and four previously unreleased live recordings. The album's minimalist packaging does not specifically date the latter; however, the live versions of "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" and "Kathy's Song" included on Greatest Hits were also included on the 2008 album Live 1969. The liner notes to Live 1969 state that these two songs were both recorded at a November 1969 concert in St. Louis, Missouri. According to the liner notes from Collected Works, however, the version of "Kathy's Song" was taken from a 1968 concert in Vermont.

In a 1975 BBC Radio 1 interview, Roy Halee identified this version of "The 59th Street Bridge Song" as being from Simon & Garfunkel's 1970 performance at Carnegie Hall, "the last concert they did together" (prior to their disbanding later in 1970). A live version of "Homeward Bound" was also included on the album.

The remaining ten studio songs comprise nine singles released between 1965 and 1972, "America" being issued as a single several years after its appearance as a track on the Bookends album, and one album track, "Bookends" (without its parent song "Old Friends").

All the singles included, except "America," "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)," and "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" made the Top Ten, with the last peaking at No. 11. "Mrs. Robinson" topped the chart aided by its appearance in Mike Nichols' hit movie The Graduate. "The Sound of Silence" and "Bridge over Troubled Water" also peaked at No. 1 as singles in their studio versions, and "The Boxer" peaked as a single at No. 7.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [2]
Rolling Stone(favorable) [3]

Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits peaked on the U.S. albums chart at No. 5. On the UK Album Chart, it was a No. 2 hit. The album has proven a long and durable seller, currently being certified for 14 million units sold in the U.S. alone. It is easily their best-selling album in the U.S., and holds the record in the U.S. for the best-selling album by a duo.

In 2003, the album was ranked No. 293 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Track listing

All songs composed by Paul Simon unless otherwise noted.

Side one

  1. "Mrs. Robinson" (some pressings use the single mix with an early fade-out at 3:51; later pressings revert to the Bookends album version at 4:02) – 3:51 or 4:02
  2. "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" (Live) – 2:25
  3. "The Boxer" – 5:11
  4. "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" (Live with applause cross-fade into the studio version of "The Sound of Silence") – 1:50
  5. "The Sound of Silence" (Acoustic version with electric overdubs) – 3:11
  6. "I Am a Rock" – 2:53
  7. "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" (Traditional; arranged by Simon, Art Garfunkel) – 3:09

Side two

  1. "Homeward Bound" (Live with applause cross-fade into the studio version of "Bridge over Troubled Water") – 2:42
  2. "Bridge over Troubled Water" – 4:53
  3. "America" – 3:33
  4. "Kathy's Song" (Live) – 3:23
  5. "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" (Daniel Alomía Robles; English lyrics by Simon, arranged by Jorge Milchberg) – 3:08
  6. "Bookends" (same track as "Bookends Theme" from the Bookends LP; although cross-faded from "Old Friends" on Bookends, on this album it is a stand-alone track) – 1:21
  7. "Cecilia" (some pressings use the single mix from 1970; reissues use a hybrid of the single and the album version from Bridge over Troubled Water) – 2:53

Charts

Peak positions

Chart Position
Australian Kent Music Report[4] 10
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[5] 5
Canadian RPM Albums Chart[6] 2
Dutch Albums Chart[7] 1
German Media Control Albums Chart[8] 6
Japanese Oricon Albums Chart[9] 3
New Zealand Albums Chart[10] 12
Norwegian Albums Chart[11] 7
Spanish Albums Chart[12] 2
Swedish Kvällstoppen Chart[13] 2
UK Albums Chart[14] 2
US Billboard 200[15] 5

Year-end charts

Chart (1972) Position
Dutch Albums Chart[16] 3
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] 3
UK Albums Chart[18] 3
US Top Pop Albums 72
Chart (1977) Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19] 13
Chart (1978) Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 29
Chart (1979) Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] 16
Chart (1980) Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] 48

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[23] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[24] 5× Platinum 500,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[25] Gold 33,092[25]
France (SNEP)[26] Diamond 1,000,000*
Germany (BVMI)[27] 2× Platinum 1,500,000[28]
Greece (IFPI Greece)[29] Gold 50,000^
Ireland — 25,000[30]
Italy (FIMI)[31]
sale since 2009 		Gold 25,000*
Japan — 123,000[9]
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[32] Platinum 20,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[33]
Columbia/Sony 		4× Platinum 200,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[33]
Columbia/Sony Music 		2× Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[34]
1972-2006 sales 		Platinum 1,840,454[35]
United Kingdom (BPI)[36]
reissue, 2011-2019 sales 		2× Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[37] 14× Platinum 14,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Art Garfunkel Official Website - 1970-1974 Chronology". Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  2. ↑ Allmusic Review
  3. ↑ Stephen Holden (August 3, 1972). "Simon & Garfunkel: Greatest Hits". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 23, 2009.
  4. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. ↑ "ultratop.be Simon & Garfunkel - Greatest Hits". Hung Medien (in Dutch). Ultratop. Archived from the original (ASP) on November 6, 2012. Retrieved 2014-01-10.
  6. ↑ "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 18, No. 4, September 09 1972". RPM. Retrieved 2014-01-10.
  7. ↑ "dutchcharts.nl Simon & Garfunkel - Greatest Hits" (ASP). Hung Medien. MegaCharts. Retrieved 2014-01-10.
  8. ↑ "Album Search: Simon & Garfunkel - Greatest Hits" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 2014-01-10.
  9. 1 2 Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  10. ↑ "charts.nz Simon & Garfunkel - Greatest Hits" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2014-01-10.
  11. ↑ "norwegiancharts.com Simon & Garfunkel - Greatest Hits" (ASP). Retrieved 2014-01-10.
  12. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  13. ↑ "Swedish Charts 1969–1972 / Kvällstoppen – Listresultaten vecka för vecka > Augusti 1972 > 15 Augusti" (PDF) (in Swedish). hitsallertijden.nl. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2011-05-23. Retrieved 2014-04-29. Note: Kvällstoppen combined sales for albums and singles in the one chart. Greatest Hits peaked at the number-four on the hit parade, next to two singles — "Sister Jane" by New World and "Beautiful Sunday" by Daniel Boone.
  14. ↑ "Simon & Garfunkel > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2014-01-10.
  15. ↑ "Billboard ((( Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". billboard.com. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  16. ↑ "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1972" (ASP) (in Dutch). Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1976. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  18. ↑ "The Official UK Charts Company : ALBUM CHART HISTORY". 2007-12-17. Archived from the original on 2007-12-17. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  19. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1977. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  20. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1978. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  21. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1979. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  22. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1980. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  23. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2007". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Simon and Garfunkel – Greatest Hits". Music Canada.
  25. 1 2 "Simon & Garfunkel" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
  26. ↑ "French album certifications – Simon & Garfunkel – Greatest Hits" (in French). InfoDisc. Select SIMON & GARFUNKEL and click OK. 
  27. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Simon & Garfunkel; 'Greatest Hits')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  28. ↑ "West Germany - Domestic Product Makes Chart Inroads". Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 2. January 16, 1982. p. 48. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Google Books.
  29. ↑ "Grecian Gold" (PDF). Billboard. August 28, 1982. p. 40. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  30. ↑ Stewart, Ken (October 27, 1973). "From the Music Capitols of the World - Dublin" (PDF). Billboard. p. 58. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Italian album certifications – Simon & Garfunkel – Greatest Hits" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "2014" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Greatest Hits" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  32. ↑ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1979". IFPI Hong Kong.
  33. 1 2 "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Greatest Hits')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  34. ↑ "British album certifications – Simon & Garfunkel – Greatest Hits". British Phonographic Industry.
  35. ↑ Harris, Bill (November 17, 2006). "Queen rules – in album sales". Jam!. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  36. ↑ "British album certifications – Simon & Garfunkel – Greatest Hits". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  37. ↑ "American album certifications – Simon & Garfunkel – Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of America.
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