SIMON & GARFUNKEL - I AM A ROCK

Released: May 1966

Charted:  US: #3   UK: #17 

"I Am a Rock" is a song written by Paul Simon. Initially performed by Simon alone as the opening track on his album "The Paul Simon Songbook" released in August 1965 exclusively in the United Kingdom, it gained further recognition when Simon and Art Garfunkel, as the duo Simon & Garfunkel, re-recorded it on December 14, 1965. The duo included it as the final track on their album "Sounds of Silence," released on January 17, 1966. While it was released as a single in 1966, it gained additional prominence when included as the B-side of the 1971 reissue of "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)."

The song "I Am a Rock" has a complex history of recordings and releases. Written by Paul Simon before his rise to fame as a musician, the song was first offered to the duo Chad and Jeremy, who declined it. Simon then recorded it for his UK solo album "The Paul Simon Songbook”. Despite a single release in September and a performance by Simon on the show "Ready, Steady, Go!", the song failed to chart.

Simon pursued a solo career as the duo Simon & Garfunkel had split after their debut album "Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M." flopped. However, after the producer Tom Wilson overdubbed and remixed their track "The Sound Of Silence," it became a massive hit. The success of "The Sound of Silence" prompted Paul Simon to return to the United States from Denmark, where he was touring as a solo folk singer. Upon his return, Simon and Art Garfunkel hastily recorded new versions of several songs, including "I Am a Rock," to match the electric sound created by Wilson. These recording sessions took place in December 1965, with Bob Johnston producing at Columbia Recording Studios in New York. The result was the album "Sounds of Silence," released in January of the following year, with "I Am a Rock" serving as the fifth and closing track on Side 2, becoming a hit for the duo released as a single in may 1966.

In the UK, "I Am a Rock" had a peculiar release history, appearing three times within a year. Initially released as a single by Paul Simon in 1965, it was reissued in the summer of 1966 as part of an EP and again as a single. While the song garnered popularity in 1966, its chart position was impacted by the diluted sales resulting from multiple releases.