Homeward Bound (Simon & Garfunkel song)

"Homeward Bound"
Single by Simon & Garfunkel
from the album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (US), Sounds of Silence (UK)
B-side	"Leaves That Are Green"
Released	January 19, 1966 (1966-01-19)
Recorded	December 14, 1965
Genre	Folk rock jangle pop[1]
Length	2:30
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Paul Simon
Producer(s)	Bob Johnston
Simon & Garfunkel singles chronology
"The Sound of Silence" (1965) "Homeward Bound" (1966) "I Am a Rock" (1966)

"Homeward Bound" is a song by the American music duo Simon & Garfunkel, released as a single on January 19, 1966, by Columbia Records. It was written by Paul Simon and produced by Bob Johnston. Simon wrote the song during his time in England, possibly while waiting for a train at Widnes railway station in the northwest of England. Simon said later he actually composed it at a railway station in Warrington.

"Homeward Bound" appears on the duo's third studio album, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (1966), although it was recorded during the sessions for their second album, Sounds of Silence and included on that album in the UK. It was their second single, the follow-up to their breakthrough hit "The Sound of Silence". "Homeward Bound" performed very well domestically, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining on the charts for 12 weeks. It reached number two in Canada, and was a top-five hit in the Netherlands.

A live version of "Homeward Bound" is included on the 1972 compilation Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits. Simon and Garfunkel performed it at their 1981 reunion the Concert in Central Park.

Writing

Widnes railway station, England, where Simon wrote "Homeward Bound"

A plaque commemorating the song at the Widnes railway station

"Homeward Bound" was written by the American songwriter Paul Simon after he returned to England in early 1964. He had previously spent time in Essex, and he became a nightly fixture at the Railway Hotel in Brentwood, beginning that April.^[2] He was reeling from his brief period in the folk scene in Greenwich Village, New York, and the recording of his first album with Art Garfunkel, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., which he anticipated would be a failure.^[3]

During his time in England, Simon met Kathy Chitty, who was working as a ticket-taker at the club. The two quickly became close, but Simon wanted to perform in London.^[3] Following a performance in the town of Widnes, Cheshire, Simon was dropped off at Widnes railway station for a train to his next performance, in Humberside.^[4] He had been missing Chitty and he began to write "Homeward Bound" on a scrap of paper.^[5] A plaque commemorating the song is displayed on the Widnes station platform.^[6]

Other locations for the writing of the song have been suggested. Simon's friend Geoff Speed, with whom Simon stayed in Liverpool in September 1965, said he heard Simon writing the song when he was staying at his home. Speed then dropped him at Widnes railway station; he said it was likely that Simon wrote one verse in Liverpool and the chorus in Wigan, and finished the song at the station.^[6] In 2016, Simon said he wrote the song in a railway station near Liverpool, and said it might have been Warrington.^[7]

Chitty is mentioned in several other Simon & Garfunkel songs, most notably "Kathy's Song" and "America". In the 1969 song "The Boxer", Simon alludes to a railway station, a possible reference to "Homeward Bound".^[8]

Reception

Billboard described the song as an "interesting off-beat rhythm number".^[9] Cash Box described the single as a "catchy, low-down blues-tinged folk-styled ode about a wanderin’ lad who is finally going back to his hometown gal" that "should speedily move up the hitsville path."^[10] Record World called it "a haunting, sad song."^[11]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1966)[12] Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report) 20 Canadian RPM 100[13] 2 Dutch Singles Chart 4 New Zealand (Listener)[14] 1 Rhodesia Singles Chart[15] 4 South Africa (Springbok Radio)[16] 6 Swedish Singles Chart 12 UK Singles Chart[17] 9 US Billboard Hot 100[18][19] 5 US Cash Box Top 100[20] 5

Year-end charts Chart (1966) Rank US Billboard Hot 100[21] 56 US Cash Box [22] 61

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[23]	Gold	15,000^‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[24]	Silver	200,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Popular culture

• Simon performed "Homeward Bound" with George Harrison on the November 20, 1976 episode of Saturday Night Live. Both sang some of their solo hits, and also performed "Here Comes the Sun" together.^[25] Their duet of "Homeward Bound" appeared on the benefit album Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal.
• A video of the duet with Harrison from SNL was also included in a DVD release titled "Paul Simon and Friends". In May 2007 the Library of Congress invited musicians and artists to perform together in Washington, D.C., to honor Paul Simon who received the first Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Alison Krauss, Stevie Wonder, Lyle Lovett, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Marc Anthony, Art Garfunkel and others all performed.
• An in-universe karaoke performance of the song features prominently in the climax of the second season finale of the television series The Leftovers.

See also

• List of train songs

Notes

References

1. Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "America Strikes Back: The Byrds and Folk Rock". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
2. Eliot 2010, p. 48.
3. Eliot 2010, p. 49.
4. "The hit man and his mate; Geoff Speed has a very special reason for being in the audience at tonight's Big Top concert by music legend Paul Simon, as JANE GALLAGHER reports . . . - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
5. Eliot 2010, p. 50.
6. Carter, Helen (2001-04-25). "Homeward Bound: Widnes station tribute marks Paul Simon's unlikely inspiration". The Guardian. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
7. Skavlan, Fredrik (presenter), Simon, Paul (interviewee) (30 Sep 2016). Paul Simon - Homeward Bound - Live on Skavlan. Sveriges Television. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19.
8. Eliot 2010, p. 103.
9. "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. January 29, 1966. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
10. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. February 5, 1966. p. 12. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
11. "Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. February 5, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
12. Steffen Hung. "Simon & Garfunkel - Homeward Bound". Swisscharts.com. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
13. "RPM 100". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 28 March 1966. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
14. "Flavour of New Zealand, 27 May 1966". Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
15. * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
16. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
17. "Official Charts Company - Simon And Garfunkel". archive.is. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
18. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
19. "Hot 100". Billboard. 26 March 1966. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
20. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, April 2, 1966
21. Musicoutfitters.com
22. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 24, 1966". Archived from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
23. "New Zealand single certifications – Simon and Garfunkel – Homeward Bound". Radioscope. Retrieved December 21, 2024. Type Homeward Bound in the "Search:" field.
24. "British single certifications – Simon & Garfunkel – Homeward Bound". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
25. "Saturday Night Live" Paul Simon/George Harrison (TV Episode 1976) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-03-28

Sources

• Bennighof, James (2007). The Words and Music of Paul Simon. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-99163-0.
• Eliot, Marc (2010). Paul Simon: A Life. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-43363-8.
• Fornatale, Pete (2007). Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends. Rodale. ISBN 978-1-59486-427-8.

External links

• Official website
• Simon & Garfunkel - Homeward Bound on YouTube