On this day in 1970, Simon and Garfunkel’s fifth and final album hits number one on the US Charts

Forming in 1963, the pair received poor sales on their first album, but huge success with their following three albums. Their fifth album, Bridge Over Troubled Water, was planned to be their most ambitious project yet, incorporating elements from a variety of genres, such as R&B, rock, gospel, jazz and pop.

Bridge Over Troubled Water was primarily written by Paul Simon, while Art Garfunkel was busy pursuing his film career, and as such the album was recorded in sections, with Simon writing several songs, then recording with Garfunkel, then stopping to write the next batch of songs. The pair also experimented with various objects recorded on a reel-to-reel recorder with added reverb to create new sounds, such as a falling bundle of drumsticks and a xylophone.

The album would be released on the 26^th of January to mixed critical reception, with some reviewers identifying a few dull moments and criticising it’s smooth and occasionally overproduced sound. However other reviewers found it to be filled with gems and noted a richness and detail that would go unmatched in the decade to follow. Regardless of critical opinion, Bridge Over Troubled Water was a massive hit with fans. In its first three weeks, the album sold 1.7 million copies in the US alone. It would soon reach number one on the Billboard 200 Charts, where it would stay for 10 weeks, a record at the time. It would also top charts in over 10 countries, including the UK, Australia and Canada, going on to sell around 25 million copies worldwide, making it one of the most successful albums of the 1970s, further evidenced by its six Grammy Awards that year.

Despite the immense success of Bridge Over Troubled Water, a rift that had been brewing between its two creators continued to grow, and the pair made the decision to go their seperate ways after the album with Simon focusing on solo material and Garfunkel continuing his acting career. They have reunited several times over the years but their relationship has remained contentious, and following Simon’s retirement from touring in 2018, another reunion looks unlikely.