In a surprising turn of events, music legends Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel have taken steps to reconcile their famously contentious relationship. According to a recent interview with Garfunkel in The Sunday Times, the former partners in the iconic duo Simon & Garfunkel shared an emotional lunch together just a few weeks ago—their first meeting in many years.
“I actually had lunch with Paul a couple of weeks back, the first time we’d been together in many years,” Garfunkel revealed. “I looked at Paul and said, ‘What happened? Why haven’t we seen each other?'”
It was during this meeting that the two men finally addressed the long-simmering tensions that had driven them apart over the decades. Garfunkel revealed that Simon had brought up an old interview in which Garfunkel had made some deeply hurtful remarks.
“I cried when he told me how much I had hurt him,” the 83-year-old singer admitted. “Looking back, I guess I wanted to shake up the nice-guy image of Simon & Garfunkel. You know what? I was a fool.”
The duo’s partnership has been famously rocky since the height of their fame in the 1960s. Simon and Garfunkel strained their creative relationship from the beginning, despite producing some of the most beloved folk-rock songs of all time, including “The Sound of Silence,” “Mrs. Robinson,” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
“We had an uneven partnership because I was writing all of the songs and basically running the sessions,” Simon revealed in a recent documentary. “Artie’d be in the control room…he’d say, ‘Yeah, that’s good,’ but it was an uneven balance of power.”
This imbalance ultimately led to the duo’s acrimonious split in 1970, just as they were reaching the pinnacle of their success. Although they reunited for a concert in Central Park in 1981 and a tour in the early 90s, the same fundamental issues that had driven them apart persisted, and they went their separate ways again.
Now, it seems the two former friends have finally made peace. Garfunkel said the recent lunch left him feeling that “we were back in a wonderful place.” He added, “For me, it was about wanting to make amends before it’s too late. It felt like we were back in a wonderful place. As I think about it now, tears are rolling down my cheeks. I can still feel his hug.“
Garfunkel’s son, Art Garfunkel Jr., who is working with his father on a new album, believes this reconciliation could even lead to the duo performing together again in the future. “I do think there is a possibility of them getting together musically. I’m speculating here, but perhaps they could collaborate on a significant TV show or charity event. And with a bit of encouragement from their peers in the music industry, that could lead to some new material—a new generation discovering the beautiful music they make together.“
Although neither Simon nor his representatives have publicly commented on the reunion, the mere fact that the longtime rivals have reconciled is a remarkable development. After years of hurt feelings and acrimony, it seems Simon and Garfunkel have finally found their way back to the “wonderful place” they once shared as young artists chasing their dreams.
We will have to wait and see if this results in a true musical reunion. But for now, fans of the legendary duo can take heart in the knowledge that the surviving members have, at the very least, made peace with each other—a bittersweet ending to one of music’s most famous feuds.