Art Garfunkel Sings for America

In 1984, Art Garfunkel began a walk across America. Twelve years and 40 installments later, he completed it. This exquisite televised concert commemorates the occasion. Filmed in Ellis Island, with additional footage from Astoria, Oregon, Across America is a tribute to our country through the words and music of one of our national treasures, Art Garfunkel.

The special begins with footage of Garfunkel walking. As the introductory written narration fills the screen, explaining Garfunkel’s journey, Garfunkel’s a capella version of America plays in the background. The concert itself begins in the Ellis Island Registry Hall, where Garfunkel sings A Heart in New York.

Most of the songs in this programme are followed by a personal reflection by Garfunkel, often accompanied by a hand-lettered journal entry. After this first song, Garfunkel reflects upon the fact that his ancestors came here, evidently staying in New York because they knew people there. The camera shows us the names of his family members on the wall, and Garfunkel notes that he is very moved by this location, feeling the presence of three generations as he sings.

Next up is Poem on an Underground Wall, which, although lacking the memorable introduction preserved on the Old Friends album, is more intense than ever, growing faster and more urgent until the very end, when it slows down dramatically for the last two lines and the instrumentalists drop off before finishing the song themselves. Garfunkel compares the song with The Sound of Silence, explaining that both contain images of "urban weirdness" and carry the message that “something is not quite right here.”

Scarborough Fair follows, with the instrumentalists playing the Canticle portion. After this soothing song from medieval England, Garfunkel explains that his “contribution is to be that kind of singer...to remind people that breath is a greater thing than telecommunications.” In the age of technology and speed, we need to take the time to slow down and enjoy life.

Garfunkel introduces Homeward Bound by giving a nod to “one of America’s greatest songwriters, Paul Simon.” That doesn’t stop him from inserting the gentle jab of “tonight I’ll sing his songs again, I’ll play the game and pretend. But all his words come back to me in shades of mediocrity...”

Following this song, Garfunkel quotes Sol Lenowicz, saying, “Those of us for whom the extraordinary promise of America has become a reality are obliged to find suitable forms by which to express their gratitude.” Although he has worked hard to get to where he is, he acknowledges that “it’s a charmed life” and he is blessed by “the extraordinary amount of good fortune that has fallen into [his] lap.” He revisits this sense of gratitude extensively in the concert’s final selection, Grateful.

In the energetic Cecilia, Garfunkel’s wife, Kim Cermak, looking like a Greek goddess with her flowing golden hair and long pink gown, shares the spotlight with her husband. She adds gorgeous harmonies to most of the songs, but in this number she stands right up front, dueting with Garfunkel. When they are not singing, the two are dancing together, and singing or silent they both seem to be having a wonderful time throughout.

The next song is also a duet, but it comes without the band...indeed, without the concert hall. Garfunkel introduces the song by expressing his admiration for James Taylor, describing him as an “accuracy freak.” In fact, he prepares for his concerts by singing along to his James Taylor tapes. The ensuing duet in the park, accompanied only by Taylor on guitar, is a special treat for fans of James Taylor. Their rendition of Crying in the Rain is fabulous, and their voices are beautifully suited to one another.

In the next segment, Garfunkel explains, “my other half is echo.” He recalls that as a young child, he would remain after school to sing in the empty stairwells and hear his voice echo off the tiles. He would sing Unchained Melody and You’ll Never Walk Alone, developing an early appreciation for those goosebump-inducing inspirational songs. He remembers, as a six-year-old, “loving these songs and loving this gift that God gave me.”

El Condor Pasa comes next, complete with a very elaborate introduction which bathes the stage in red light and cats a psychedelic aura on the old favorite which Garfunkel sings beautifully. Percussionist Tommy Igoe and synthesizer player Davis Biglin are especially essential to the instrumentation here.

The mathematician in Garfunkel is evident in the next segment, in which he notes that there is a particular viaduct in New York that he likes to stand under to get a nice echo. Pondering why it is that he seems to get the most perfect echo in that particular spot, he wonders if it might be because the shape of the roof of his mouth matches the shape of the roof of the viaduct, so that roof is a larger version of that first chamber of his mouth. “I’m a little nutty that way,” he shrugs.

Two of his biggest solo hits follow, the first segueing directly into the second. All I Know, replete with the astounding pianism of Warren Bernhardt, is gorgeous, and although Garfunkel does not sing the dramatic bridge (“It’s a fine line between the darkness and the dawn...”) Bernhardt and the others play it perfectly. Bernhardt surrenders the instrumental spotlight to guitarist Eric Weissberg for Bright Eyes, the haunting theme song of the animated film Watership Down. This particular tune is quite possibly my favorite from Garfunkel’s solo repertoire, though several others compete for that honor.

In the segment before Garfunkel’s trademark, he references Plato, noting how Plato believed that in Heaven was the model of perfection for everything on Earth. Accordingly, Garfunkel has an image in his mind of the perfect performance of Bridge Over Troubled Water, and he chases after it each time he sings it, always keeping in mind the basic idea of a friend being there during a difficult time. The audience is certainly appreciative of his efforts, and his amazing rendition of the song he has some to be most known for is rewarded with a standing ovation from teary-eyed fans.

Now it’s time to bring up Paul again, addressing that ever-looming question of why the two ever broke up. Garfunkel doesn’t provide much of an answer, but his witty explanations provide clues to the tension that existed within the duo. Could it be because, in the beginning, Garfunkel wanted to call the group Garfunkel and Simon? Could it be because Garfunkel suggested a slight change to Mrs. Robinson, from “Jesus loves you more than you may know, whoa, whoa, whoa” to “Jesus loves you more than you ever knew, woo, woo, woo”? I guess we’ll never know, but the audience is happy to indulge Garfunkel as he changes the lyric in his own performance.

Feelin’ Groovy is an extra special treat because of the young man who appears to assist Garfunkel in the singing of the song. Six-year-old James Garfunkel, wearing a look of apparent utter befuddlement that most likely is merely an attempt to see under the bright glare of the stage lights, joins his father in the second verse, already demonstrating that his physical appearance is not all he inherited from his dad. He may not quite have mastered controlling his voice on those high notes, but he comes awfully close. Something tells me that when he joins his dad for concerts today, the pitch is perfect throughout and he doesn’t waver much at all. I look forward to seeing whether James decides to follow in Art’s footsteps; from what I’ve seen, I’d say it’s entirely possible.

As the concert winds down, Garfunkel introduces April, Come She Will as “pure nostalgia, back to the days when Paul and I were kicking around London,” and calls it “one of Paul’s sweetest poems about time.” This, like For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her, was always an Art-intensive song, and it sounds as perfect here as it did when it first hit the LP.

Garfunkel’s next segment continues to talk about Paul, recalling that when he crossed the Mississippi River he was thinking about Paul and imagining the two of them as Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer crossing the river on a raft. “Our development as teenage kids had so much to do with each other,” he continues, “that we became the people we are through that friendship.” The Sound of Silence is the final Paul Simon song in this concert, and Garfunkel and the band perform it masterfully, building up to a dramatic ending.

Before the final stage performance, Garfunkel reads his poem Durations, which appeared in his 1988 book of poetry, Still Water. Finally, Grateful wraps up a wonderful evening by expressing the sentiments of having been blessed and feeling God’s presence throughout life. As the chorus says, “Grateful, grateful, truly grateful I am. Grateful, grateful, truly blessed and duly grateful.”

The final image to fill the screen before the credits roll is another Garfunkel poem, also included in Still Water: “Write the poem out loud / Authorize the heart / Burn the Bridge / And be the work of art!” The credits then roll down the screen to the background of Art Garfunkel singing Goodnight, My Love, which is complemented especially well by the smooth playing of saxophonist Michael Brecker.

I own Across America on DVD, which provides the bonus of a discography and biography. Other than that, I believe the video and DVD are the same. I would heartily recommend this to any Art Garfunkel fan. It feels like you’re right there at the Registry Hall, watching him live. And although there is nothing quite like the thrill of actually being in attendance at a concert, this video does offer one advantage that the concert cannot; you get close-ups of his face.

Garfunkel is a very expressive person, so sit back and observe his facial expressions as he sings. I especially enjoy watching his mouth as he hits the high notes and as he finishes singing. Additionally, there is some lovely footage of New York and Oregon, and this enhances the experience as well.

My only complaint is that three of my favorite songs from the two concerts I attended are absent. As far as I know, Art Garfunkel has yet to record American Tune solo. Both the Paul Simon version and the Simon and Garfunkel version are wonderful, but I’d love to have a recording of Garfunkel’s solo version. It honestly moved me as much as Bridge Over Troubled Water. Also missing is Skywriter, the autobiographical masterpiece written by Jimmy Webb and, like All I Know, featuring gorgeous piano music. The third song is The Things We’ve Handed Down, the beautiful song featured on Songs From a Parent to a Child about the traits handed down through the generations. How about a second concert when the Walk Across Europe is finished?

I’ve been itching to review this ever since I got it, and now I finally have the time. I hope that all of you Art Garfunkel and Simon and Garfunkel fans out there will check it out, and maybe even a few of you who never really listened to their music. He may not sing American Tune, but does sing 17 tunes that all Americans can appreciate.

*** Addendum September 2001: I have experienced varying degrees of distress ever since the attack on the 11th, and now, as I begin to attempt the return to normal life, I've tried to find ways to remember what we've lost. In addition to the horrendous toll on human life which was the most heinous part of this tragedy, we also lost the most prominent members of the New York City skyline. I've been to New York once, and then only briefly to see the Statue of Liberty. I was desperate to see the twin towers, which I had never really taken the time to notice before on movies or television.

And I turned to this DVD. What I found were two beautiful scenes. One features the New York skyline lit up at night as Art Garfunkel sings All I Know and Bright Eyes. The World Trade Center is featured in prominence. Even more impressive was the entire scene of Art Garfunkel and James Taylor singing Crying in the Rain, because throughout the Twin Towers are located directly between them. I found this view incredibly comforting as I watched it yesterday, and it reminds me of the strength of America and our power to overcome even this most horrific tragedy.