"Bookends", also known as "Bookends Theme", is a song by American music duo

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo comprising the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music acts of the 1960s. Their most famous recordings include three US number-one sing ...

from their fourth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

, ''

Bookends A bookend is an object tall, sturdy, and heavy enough that is placed at either end of a row of upright books to support or buttress them. Heavy bookends—made of wood, bronze, marble, and even large geodes—have been used in libraries, sto ...

'' (1968). It appears twice on the track listing, as the first (shortened version) and last (known as the

Reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any re ...

) songs on side one of the original

vinyl LP The LP (from long playing or long play) is an analog sound storage medium, specifically a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specificati ...

. " Old Friends" and “Bookends” were placed on the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of the "

Mrs. Robinson "Mrs. Robinson" is a song by American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel from their fourth Album, studio album, ''Bookends (album), Bookends'' (1968). The writing of the song was begun before the 1967 film ''The Graduate'', which contained only f ...

" single, issued on April 5, 1968 by Columbia Records. A "clean" version of "Bookends" (without the segued string from " Old Friends") was featured on

Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits ''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. The album is currently available on CD under Legacy's Playlis ...

Composition

The "Bookends Theme" that opens and closes side one is played on the

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

, with no additional instruments. The song is a brief acoustic piece (once compared to English rock band the

Moody Blues Moody may refer to: Places * Moody, Alabama, U.S. * Moody, Missouri, U.S. * Moody, Texas, U.S. * Moody County, South Dakota, U.S. * Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada * Hundred of Moody, a cadastral division in South Australia ** Moody, Sout ...

) that evokes "a time of innocence." The “Bookends Theme (

)” is preceded by " Old Friends", which segues into the song with a single high, sustained note on the

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

. The “Bookends Theme (

)” contains vocal accompaniment from the duo. "The text refers to the passage of time, and to memories of a loved one, and thus fittingly concludes the series of intervening songs, which address interpersonal relationships at times of life that progress from song to song," wrote James Bennighof, author of ''The Words and Music of Paul Simon''. The piece closes the entire suite with the "resigned admonition" to "Preserve your memories / They're all that's left you."

In popular culture

The song was used in the 2009 film ''

(500) Days of Summer ''(500) Days of Summer'' is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Marc Webb, written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, and produced by Mark Waters. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel as Tom and Summer r ...

''.

Notes

References

Sources

* * * {{authority control 1968 songs Simon & Garfunkel songs Song recordings produced by Art Garfunkel Song recordings produced by Paul Simon Song recordings produced by Roy Halee Songs about nostalgia Songs written by Paul Simon