“Bookends Theme” by Simon and Garfunkel

Paul Simon's "Bookends Theme" does exactly what its title promises on Simon and Garfunkel's 1968 album Bookends: it opens side one of the original LP and returns to shut it, propping the whole side upright between two slivers of melody. The first pass is a short sketch for acoustic guitar alone, hushed and wistful, the sound of somebody reaching back toward a more innocent time; it has even drawn a comparison to the Moody Blues.

The reprise drifts in out of "Old Friends", which hands it over on one high, held string note, and this time the duo lend their voices. Simon, Art Garfunkel and Roy Halee produced, with Bob Johnston assisting, and Columbia paired it with "Old Friends" on the flip of "Mrs. Robinson". Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits later carried a clean take, minus the strings.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.