Old Friends

Old Friends may refer to:

Music

Albums

Songs

Film and television

Old Friends (song)

"Old Friends" is a song by American music duo Simon & Garfunkel from their fourth studio album, Bookends (1968).

Background

"Old Friends" was recorded after production assistant John Simon's departure from Columbia, and was among the last tracks recorded for Bookends, completed alongside the final "Bookends Theme" on March 8, 1968.

Composition

"Old Friends" paints a portrait of two old men reminiscing on the years of their youth. The two men "sit on a park bench like bookends," and ponder how strange it feels to be nearing their lifetime. In "Old Friends," the title generally conveys the introduction or ending of sections, and the song builds upon a "rather loose formal structure" that at first includes an acoustic guitar and soft mood. An additional element is introduced midway through the track: an orchestral arrangement conducted by Jimmie Haskell, dominated by strings and glockenspiel notes. Horns and other instruments are added when the duo cease singing, creating a turbulence that builds to a single high, sustained note on the strings. The song then segues into the final song of side one, the reprise of the "Bookends Theme."

Old Friends (Guy Clark album)

Old Friends is an album by American singer-songwriter Guy Clark, released in 1988.

Track listing

Personnel

Production notes

References