Song Spotlight: “59th Street Bridge Song/Feelin’ Groovy”

• Mood: Cheerful
• Themes: Happiness, Famous Duos, Simon and Garfunkel
• Tempo: Moderate
• Genre/Style: Folk Rock

Simon and Garfunkel were a musical duo that rose to fame in an unusual way in the 1960s.  

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel initially went to grade school together, where they learned to harmonize and write songs together. Their first attempt at a band was under the moniker Tom and Jerry, but they only found moderate success emulating the songwriting of The Everly Brothers in 1957.

Under the names Simon and Garfunkel, the pair were signed to Columbia Records, and after a failed release for Wednesday Morning 3 A.M in October of 1964, the group disbanded. Without their knowledge an overdubbed electric guitar and drum track was added to the acoustic “The Sound of Silence” and released in 1965. The disbanded duo found out their song was a number one hit on the A.M. radio, and quickly got back together as a band and began recording again.

They released “59th Street Song/Feeling Groovy” in 1966 on their Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme album. It’s one of the lighter songs written by Paul Simon, and over time it has become a well loved, light hearted song that is easy to sing along with. Still, despite it being one of their most well-known songs, it never was officially at the top of the music charts.

Fun Fact: This song was one of the first songs to use the word “groovy” in a popular song.

Here are some of the lyrics:

Slow down, you move too fast

You’ve got to make the morning last

Just kicking down the cobblestones

Looking for fun and feelin’ groovy

Ba da da da da da da, feelin’ groovy

This is a great song to use in a 1:1 setting or group, and it would go well with a collection of songs about happiness, famous duos, or other tunes from Simon and Garfunkel. It can be used as a transition into group discussion, an opportunity for musical engagement, movement and more. 

Try This:

Theme – This song would fit well into a collection of songs about happiness, famous duos, or other songs sung by Simon and Garfunkel. Other complementary songs may include “Happiness Runs,” “Sound of Silence,” and “Happy.”

Encourage the group to discuss what “groovy” means and what makes them feel groovy. 

Discuss what your favorite Simon and Garfunkel song is. If they are not your favorite duo, who is?

Watch a video of one of their televised performances here.

Movement: Try out seated dance moves or rhythmic movements along with the song. 

Sing along with the phrase “Ba da-da da-da da-da, feeling groovy.”

For more song spotlights, visit our Song Spotlights page.