Feelin’ Groovy is a classic that I’m pretty sure every one of my listeners has heard. I can’t remember the first time I heard it because it probably pre-dates my first memory. I grew up with the track as many people have, and over the past couple of weeks I’ve gone back to Simon & Garfunkels music and let their beautiful melodies and harmonies wash over me.
Listening to them in more detail, many of their songs come from a darker place than I remember. Stories from characters on the fringes of society, and feelings of loss and loneliness are prevalent in many of their tracks.
But even in more positive tracks, there’s always something sinister in them. It’s an overarching feeling, permeating a lot of pop music in the 60’s. The origins of this could be tied to the drug culture of the time period, or even the Vietnam war. Whatever the case, even the most uplifting tracks can have a sinister side and The 59th Street Bridge Song is a good example.
In its conclusion, the track seems to tilt to something manic as the harmonies and whistling fade out, leaving it in a different place than the opening. It leaves the track with a twist; an unsolvable riddle that keeps me listening to it to this day:
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