Paul Simon & Grafunkel: "He Was My Brother" (1964)

Simon & Garfunkel is an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, backed by the hit single "The Sound of Silence". Their music was featured in the landmark film The Graduate, propelling them further into the public consciousness.

They are well known for their close vocal harmonies and were among the most popular recording artists of the 1960s. Their biggest hits including "The Sound of Silence", "Bridge over Troubled Water", "I Am a Rock", "Homeward Bound", "A Hazy Shade of Winter", "Mrs. Robinson", "The Boxer", "Cecilia", and "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" peaked at number one in several charts. They have received several Grammys and were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007.[1]

Their sometimes rocky relationship led to their last album, Bridge Over Troubled Water, being delayed several times due to artistic disagreements and as a result the duo broke up in 1970. It was their most-successful album worldwide to date, peaking at number one in several countries, including in the United States, and receiving 8× Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, making it their highest-selling studio album in the US and second-highest album overall. Simon and Garfunkel have reunited to perform and sometimes tour together in every decade since the 1970 breakup, most famously for 1981's "The Concert in Central Park," which attracted about 500,000 people, making it the 7th most attended concert in the history of music. In 2004, they were ranked #40 of the 100 greatest artists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. (Source: Wikipedia)

This song was written in memory of Andrew Goodman, a fellow college student and civil rights activist, who was slain in 1964 by the Ku Klux Klan along with two other people. (Source: Songfacts.Com)


- Lyrics:

He was my brother

Five years older than I

He was my brother

Twenty-three Years old the day he died

Freedom writer

They cursed my brother to his face

Go home outsider

This town's gonna be your buryin' place

He was singin' on his knees

An angry mob trailed along

They shot my brother dead

Because he hated what was wrong

He was my brother

Tears can't bnng him back to me

He was my brother

And he died so his brothers could be free

He died so his brothers could be free