The story of “Bridge,” as it’s often referred, is one of a songwriting giant, a great collaborator, and a gospel icon; a cycle of doctrine to the masses and then back; and a message of comfort and hope to listeners worldwide.
"A Hazy Shade of Winter" by Paul Simon
Written by Simon, and sung together with his friend and longtime collaborator Art Garfunkel, the song was released as a single in 1966 and included on the 1968 “Bookends” album, their fourth studio collection together. It rose to number 13 on the Billboard charts. Years later, in 1987, the song would be repurposed as a cover by the band, The Bangles, as part of the soundtrack for Marek Kanievska's film, “Less Than Zero.” The cover version reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 list.
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by George Harrison
The seventh track on the eponymous “White Album” and the b-side release of "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” marked his emergence as an elite songwriter and has been hailed by fans and critics alike as among the best Beatles songs of all time. In addition to the celebrated hard rock version, an acoustic outtake was released on the 1996 Anthology with Paul McCartney playing harmonium, and later on the Love compilation with George Martin’s final string arrangement for the group.
"King of Pain" by Sting
Born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner on October 2, 1951, Sting acquired his nickname at age 17 playing with the Phoenix Jazzmen. He would wear a striped yellow and black sweater and was told by a fellow musician that he looked like a bee. He would later say, "My children call me Sting, my mother calls me Sting, who is this Gordon character?"